At the end of 12 hours of grueling, often emotional testimony from the woman accusing Trevor Bauer of sexual assault, the woman reminded the court Wednesday the central reason behind her request for a restraining order against the Dodgers pitcher.
“I did not consent to bruises all over my body that sent me to the hospital and having that done to me while I was unconscious,” she testified.
The hearing in L.A Superior Court is to determine whether a temporary restraining order against Bauer should be extended to the full five years allowed under state law. Yet it is unfolding as a de facto trial with both sides represented by high-powered law firms presenting mountains of evidence.
Attorneys on both sides had told Judge Dianna Gould-Saltman the proceeding was expected to take three to four days. Thursday will be the fourth day and several witnesses are scheduled to be called. It is unclear whether Bauer will testify, although he is on his accuser’s witness list.
In a July court appearance, the accuser’s attorneys estimated her testimony would take about two hours. Instead, she testified six hours Monday, three hours Tuesday and nearly all morning Wednesday, walking the court through her sexual encounters with Bauer on April 21 and May 16 and the medical care she received after the second encounter.
The cross-examination by Shawn Holley, Bauer’s lead attorney, meticulously dissected reams of Instagram direct messages and phone text messages from the accuser to four people: Bauer, the woman’s male cousin, her best friend, and her Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor.
Holley attempted to establish that the messages provided evidence of the woman’s state of mind, her activities and whether she truly should be granted a restraining order. The woman was asked to explain numerous inconsistencies and messages that appeared to ridicule Bauer.
She was asked about a text to her AA sponsor after she had been granted the temporary restraining order in which she said that Bauer could slap her in the vagina if he gave her $15 million.
After reading the text aloud, Holley asked the woman, “It’d all be OK if he gave you 15 million dollars, right?” The woman sat back and replied, “Not necessarily.”
She was asked why she took a selfie of her face while Bauer was taking a shower moments after their second encounter then joined him in the shower. The photograph was used as evidence of her facial injuries.
She was asked why the photo she sent to Bauer from the hospital after she sought medical assistance did not show the side of her face that she alleges he scratched.
She was asked why there are no records of text messages to and from her best friend and her AA sponsor from May 18-29.
And she was asked about a recent text exchange in which her sponsor warned her against posting a photo of her looking happy, saying, “Please don’t post … You are supposed to be struggling mentally, not posting. That would be a terrible mistake. I know you want to, but it’s terrible for your case.”
The accuser’s text response thanked her sponsor for the advice and ended with the term, “secure the bag.” Holley asked her if the meaning of that term means “get the money,” and the woman responded, “I’m not sure.”
After the cross examination, Doreen Olson, one of the woman’s attorneys, returned to the central point of the hearing, asking the woman why she is asking for a restraining order.
“What happened was not consensual,” the woman testified. “If they were going to put out their side of the story, it was fair to me to show that it was far beyond [consensual] choking.
“I knew I would be slut-shamed, but it was worth it for me to get protection from Trevor Bauer.”
