Denver - Singer-songwriter Taylor Swift,
known for baring her soul and her grudges in her music,
presented an unflinching account under oath and in open court of
her allegation that a Colorado DJ groped her while they posed
for photos together four years ago.
The 27-year-old Grammy-winning artist behind such hits as
"Fearless," "Bad Blood" and "I Knew You Were Trouble," took the
witness stand on Thursday on the fourth day of a federal court
trial in Denver pitting her against the man she has accused of
sexual assault, David Mueller.
The eight-member U.S. District Court jury is weighing her
charge that Mueller clutched her bare buttocks during a
pre-concert fan reception in 2013 against Mueller's assertion
that she falsely accused him and then got him fired.
But with the exception of Mueller, the trial's first
witness, almost every individual subsequently put on the stand
by his attorney, Gabriel McFarland, delivered extremely
compelling testimony in support of Swift's case.
In this courtroom sketch, pop singer Taylor Swift speaks from the witness stand during a trial Thursday, Aug. 10, 2017, in Denver. Swift testified Thursday that David Mueller, a former radio DJ, reached under her skirt and intentionally grabbed her backside during a meet-and-a-greet photo session before a 2013 concert in Denver. (Jeff Kandyba via AP)
Swift's testimony was so apparently devastating to Mueller
that her lawyer, D. Douglas Baldridge, declined a chance to
cross-examine his own client when McFarland was done questioning
her. It remained to be seen whether Baldridge would call anyone
else to the stand once McFarland rests his case.
In unvarnished language that occasionally drew titters in
the courtroom, even from some jurors, Swift said she was
subjected to a "very long" and "intentional" grope by Mueller as
they posed for a photo with his girlfriend, and that he appeared
to be drunk at the time.
"Your client grabbed my a**," she told McFarland. "He stayed
latched onto my bare ass cheek. I felt him grab onto my a** cheek under my skirt."
Mueller, 55, testified on Tuesday that he may have made
innocent contact with Swift but denied any inappropriate
behavior. Asked if he grabbed her backside, the former disc
jockey for Denver radio station KYGO-FM replied: "No, I did
not."
Taylor Swift's mom wanted to avoid fallout from alleged groping
The photograph in question, repeatedly displayed in court,
shows the pop star in a black skirt and top, flanked by Mueller
and his girlfriend, all three smiling for the camera. Mueller
has his right hand concealed behind her rear end, and Swift
appears to have shifted her hip slightly away from him.
Swift sharply denied McFarland's suggestion that Mueller was
the victim of mistaken identity. "He had a handful of my ass. I
know it was him," she fired back.
Taylor Swift's mother cried during lawsuit testimony
Swift's account was backed by testimony from several others,
including her photographer, Stephanie Simbeck, who recalled
seeing through her camera's viewfinder Mueller "put his hand on
(Swift's) butt." She said it was clear to her that Swift "was
trying to get away" from Mueller.
Once he and his girlfriend left, Simbeck testified, Swift
said aloud: "Dude, that guy grabbed my ass," to which Simbeck
responded, "I knew it. I have the photograph."
They quickly found the Mueller image in her camera and Swift
said, "That's him," Simbeck told jurors.
In emotional testimony on Wednesday, Swift's mother, Andrea,
pointed her finger at Mueller from the witness stand, saying,
"He sexually assaulted my daughter, right there, that guy."
Mueller initiated the litigation, claiming Swift fabricated
the story and put pressure on KYGO to fire him from his
$150 000 (approximately R2m)-a-year job. Swift then countersued for assault and
battery, asking for symbolic damages of $1 (R13).
The former DJ is seeking lost earnings and to clear his
name, telling the court this week it was humiliating to be
accused of "something so despicable."