The attorney for a woman alleging abuse at the hands of a Padres star says her actions in the wake of a 2006 incident are consistent with the behavior of a victim of domestic violence, according to a published report.
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Giles ex-girlfriend Cheri Olvera, 32, is suing him for $10 million in damages, alleging, among other things, that he beat her while she was pregnant. The suit was made public on Tuesday. On the same day, Olvera's lawyer, Cary Goldstein, released surveillance video of an incident in Arizona in which Giles is allegedly seen assaulting her.
Police filed a report after the incident at a bar in Phoenix in August 2006. Detectives were told by Olvera at the time that she did not wish to be involved in the investigation, the Union-Tribune reported.
In a police report, Olvera is quoted as saying, "I wish you guys wouldn't do anything about it," according to the paper.
Goldstein told the Union-Tribune said Olvera's response was not unusual for a woman in her circumstances.
“Abused women ... seek to protect the abuser, and they want to believe the abuser won't do it again, that he didn't mean it," Goldstein said.
Giles was counseled on anger management after entering a plea deal in the misdemeanor domestic violence case, the Union-Tribune reported. He completed the counseling and the case was dropped in February 2008, the Phoenix City Attorney told the paper.
The surveillance video was released Tuesday by Olvera's attorney in the case. According to a Phoenix police report, a man seen in the tape walking toward the bar is Giles, a Padres outfielder. The man is seen talking to a woman who's sitting down at the bar.At one point, it appears he pulls the woman's hair. Moments later, the two are seen walking out into the hallway.
A few seconds pass, then the woman can be seen falling to the ground.
Several witnesses told police that they watched Giles slap the woman in the head, knocking her to the ground. In the surveillance video, one of the witnesses can be seen mimicking a slap to another bar patron.
NBC contacted Giles' attorney's firm and were told they had no comment about the case.
