Former major leaguer Trevor Bauer scored a win in Los Angeles court Monday when a judge said Lindsey Hill, the woman who brought sexual assault allegations against the pitcher, violated the terms of their settlement agreement.
MLB suspended the former Cy Young award winner in 2021 following the allegations brought by Hill (three other women came forward after Hill with their own claims). Bauer sued Hill for defamation, and she countersued for assault and sexual battery. They settled in 2023, with no money exchanged between the two sides.
At the time of the settlement, Hill’s attorneys said she would receive a $300,000 insurance payment to go to her law firm. When discussing that money, Hill said on social media that Bauer “handed back an insurance sum to me that was meant for him in order for me to drop my countersuit.”
The pitcher sued Hill again in October claiming she had violated the terms of their settlement agreement by saying on a podcast and social media that he paid her any money. Bauer sought $10,000 for each of the 22 times Hill allegedly violated the agreement, and additional funds for attorney fees and interest, which came out to $309,832.02—more than what Hill received in the insurance payment.
Hill never responded to the court about the new lawsuit. The judge originally said in February Bauer’s team didn’t have enough of a case, then in April contested the exact amount they wanted in attorney’s fees.
On Monday, still never hearing back from Hill, the judge ruled in favor of Bauer for a victory by default. The decision orders Hill to pay Bauer the full amount in damages.
In 2022, MLB concluded an investigation that resulted in a 324-game suspension for sexual misconduct violations. Later that year, the suspension was reduced to 194 games, and made him immediately eligible to rejoin the league. But the 34-year-old Bauer, who has not been charged with a crime, has not been picked up by any franchise, despite his insistence that he would accept the MLB minimum salary. The Dodgers released him in early 2023, and he has since bounced between a Japanese and Mexican team.
