Dodgers: What you need to know about Trevor Bauer’s restraining order ruling

Viewers who’ve been eyeing the case of Los Angeles Dodgers employee Trevor Bauer received the first ruling in any assault-related matter on Thursday afternoon.

In a civil court, the restraining order levied against Bauer was denied, indicating the judge decreed he posed no ongoing threat of harm to his accuser.

This is all occurring prior to any form of possible criminal trial for Bauer’s; there has been no ruling regarding consent or Bauer’s violent actions.

Per the judge’s explanation, the restraining order was denied because none of the accuser’s injuries were of a level beyond what she reportedly objected to.

In her words:

The judge said the “injuries as shown in the photographs are terrible” but added, “If she set limits and he exceeded them, this case would’ve been clear. But she set limits without considering all the consequences, and respondent did not exceed limits that the petitioner set.”

When will Dodgers fans see Trevor Bauer again?

Not soon, if ever. This was not the conclusion to a criminal trial. This was the court’s determination regarding whether or not Bauer posed an immediate danger to his accuser, resulting in the dissolution of her restraining order against him.

As pinpointed above, the MLBPA seems highly likely to extend his ongoing paid administrative leave.

What does the Trevor Bauer ruling mean for his assault case?

While this does set some form of precedent, Bauer is by no means out of the woods with regard to the accusations that have been levied against him.

He pled the fifth throughout these proceedings, and did not appear on the witness staff or represent himself. However, as part of his case, Bauer’s team repeatedly admitted that he did assault the accuser in some fashion.

As legal expert Sheryl Ring puts it, simply because the restraining order — indicating an active threat — was denied, that does not mean Bauer’s assault has been declared legal.

It’s difficult not to feel unnerved by Thursday’s events considering the amount of physical evidence available indicating Bauer’s misdeeds, but these two matters remain separate.

The Pasadena Police Department has not made any charges against Bauer, as of yet, following a three-month investigation. Major League Baseball has also not taken action after seven weeks of fact-finding.

The unrest in the Dodgers’ locker room — and the turning tides away from Bauer — have certainly placed this case as a linchpin in the way MLB addresses domestic violence. Violence doubtlessly occurred here.

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