Taylor Swift took the stand in Denver federal court on Thursday, August 10, in her trial against former radio DJ David Mueller, and testified about the night that Mueller allegedly groped her butt at a June 2013 meet-and-greet.
“It was a definite grab — a very long grab. He stayed latched on to my bare ass cheek as I moved away from him. I was visibly uncomfortable,” Swift, 27, said, per an Us Weekly reporter in the courtroom. “After this happened it was like a light switched off my personality.”
When the lawyer asked if Mueller touched her anywhere else, the singer replied, “He was too busy grabbing my ass underneath my skirt, so he didn’t grab it outside my skirt.”
“After it happened, I just — in a monotone voice — said ‘thank you’ for coming, and then they were gone,” Swift told the court. “Then I went on with the meet-and-greet.”
Mueller’s attorney pointed out that the “Blank Space” songstress could have taken a break. “And your client could have taken a normal photo with me,” Swift replied. “I didn’t want to ruin the experience for fans in line.”
Swift explained that she told her security guard what happened. “I said, ‘That dude just grabbed my ass,’” she said. “He appeared to show signs of someone who had a few cocktails.”
“I am not going to allow you or your client to make it seem like this is in anyway my fault, because it isn’t,” she continued. “He did not touch my rib, he did not touch my arm, he did not touch my hand, he grabbed my bare ass.”
Mueller’s attorney questioned why the front of her skirt wasn’t ruffled if the butt grab occurred. “Because my ass is located on the back of my body,” Swift responded.
The Grammy winner remained very composed and calm during her testimony. Her younger brother, Austin Swift, supported her during court appearance.
Mueller worked at country music station 98.5 KYGO at the time of the alleged incident and had been assigned to work Swift’s concert at the Pepsi Center in Denver. During a meet-and-greet, he allegedly groped Swift underneath her skirt while posing for a photo with her. He was later escorted out of the arena and fired from his job. He then filed a lawsuit against Swift, seeking up to $3 million in damages. Now, Swift is countersuing and seeking a symbolic $1 to serve as an example for victims of sexual assault.
However, Mueller took the stand on Wednesday, August 9, and claimed that he touched Swift near her rib cage, not her butt. “The reason I’m here is because I want to clear my name first and foremost,” he told the court. “It’s the only chance I have of working in radio again.”
The pop star’s mom, Andrea Swift, also testified in the case on Wednesday. “We had never experienced this before,” Andrea, 59, recalled. “We didn’t know what to do. It was inconceivable to us that this could take place. We didn’t know what to do. We were shocked.”
The singer did not contact police after the alleged incident. “I did not want this event to define her life,” Andrea explained in court. “I did not want every interview from that moment on to make her have to talk about what happened to her. I didn’t want her to have to live through the endless memes internet trolls could come up with. We absolutely wanted to keep it private, but we did not want him to get away with it.”
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