Denver — Recording star Taylor Swift's
mother testified on Wednesday that she became sick to her
stomach when she learned her daughter had been groped during a
pre-concert photo shoot four years ago but decided against
calling police to avoid publicity.
"I did not want this event to define her life," Andrea Swift
said in the second day of testimony in a federal court trial
stemming from the Grammy-winning singer's allegation that a
Denver DJ fondled her bare buttocks at the picture-taking
session.
Swift's mother, who serves as part of her daughter's
management team, told jurors that one specific worry was the
prospect that the photo taken with the radio personality in
question, David Mueller, might end up going viral and even being
doctored in a lewd way.
"I was very upset ... I felt like I wanted to vomit," Andrea
Smith, 59, testified when asked to recall her reaction to her
daughter telling her that she had been groped at a reception for
her fans before a June 2013 concert in Denver.
"'Mom, a guy just grabbed my ass at the meet-and-greet,'"
she recounted her daughter telling her moments after the alleged
incident.
Asked if she had sought out witnesses to the incident, the
mother said she had no reason to doubt her daughter's account.
"He sexually assaulted my daughter, right there, that guy,"
Andrea Swift said as she pointed her finger at Mueller, who was
seated less than 20 feet away. "I heard it from my daughter's
mouth. I know that it happened."
The mother tearfully acknowledged that her daughter
expressed bewilderment at having "thanked" Mueller and his
girlfriend after posing with them, despite believing that she
had just been groped. "It was just destroying her," the elder
Swift testified. "Why did I teach her to be so polite?"
CONFLICTING ACCOUNTS
Mueller, who lost his job at radio station KYGO-FM over the
encounter with Swift, insisted under oath on Tuesday - the first
day of testimony - that he was innocent of any inappropriate
behavior and a victim of false accusations.
Mueller, 55, initiated the litigation, claiming Swift
fabricated the groping story and pressured KYGO to fire him.
Swift then countersued for assault and battery.
The eight-member U.S. District Court jury is now weighing
both claims in a single trial.
According to the 27-year-old recording artist, Mueller
slipped his hand under her dress and grabbed her as the two
posed, along with Mueller's girlfriend, during the
picture-taking session.
"It was not an accident, it was completely intentional, and
I have never been so sure of anything in my life," Swift said in
a deposition. She is expected to take the witness stand herself
later in the trial.
Mueller testified on Tuesday that he may have made
incidental physical contact with Swift, perhaps brushing her arm
or torso. But asked by his own lawyer whether he had grabbed
Swift's backside, Mueller said flatly, "No, I did not."
Swift has been present for the proceedings every day since
jury selection began on Monday, entering and exiting the
courthouse through an undisclosed passageway that has allowed
her to avoid media camped outside the building.
Her lawyer, J. Douglas Baldridge, suggested during
cross-examination of Mueller on Tuesday that the DJ was angry at
having to wait in line with Swift's young fans for the
picture-taking session.
Mueller acknowledged that he was not given a VIP pass and
instead was forced to stand in line with throngs of pre-teen
girls and their mothers. But he denied the hour-long wait left
him disgruntled at Swift.