Taylor Swift Groping Trial Day 6: Closing Remarks and Jury Deliberation
UPDATE: After four hours of deliberation, a jury has ruled in favor of Taylor Swift in her countersuit against Denver DJ David Mueller, per CNN. Swift’s mother, Andrea, who was also named in a complaint filed by Mueller, was found not liable for tortious interference.
“I acknowledge the privilege that I benefit from in life, in society and in my ability to shoulder the enormous cost of defending myself in a trial like this,” Swift said in a statement. “My hope is to help those whose voices should also be heard. Therefore, I will be making donations in the near future to multiple organizations that help sexual assault victims defend themselves.”
****
On Monday, a Denver jury heard closing remarks from both sides in the trial between Taylor Swift and a former Denver radio show host, Robert Mueller. The pop star accused Mueller of sexual assault by grabbing her butt during a pre-concert photo in 2013.
Mueller, who was fired two days after the alleged incident, originally sued Swift in 2015 for $3 million for wrongful accusations that resulted in his termination. Swift responded by countersuing Mueller for assault and battery, asking for $1. Mueller’s case again Swift was dropped by the judge last Friday. The judge, however, allowed Mueller’s claim that Swift’s mother and manager interfered with his $150,000 a year job contract to go forward.
Mueller’s attorney Gabriel McFarland addressed the jury first, per CNN, arguing that if his client had grabbed Swift as she claims, her bodyguard would have noticed and acted accordingly. “There is simply no way a professional trained bodyguard would allow a big guy … to grab Ms. Swift and walk away,” McFarland said.
Mueller is asking the jury to award him $250,050, which is significantly less than the original request for future lost damages that was denied by presiding Judge William J. Martinez.
Buzzfeed noted that while McFarland spoke, Swift was shaking her head and sighed when he said Mueller was innocent to the jury. When McFarland presented a photo of the pop star to the jury, asking whether hers was a face of a woman who was assaulted, Swift allegedly reached for her mother’s hand and looked teary-eyed.
Swift’s attorney Douglas Baldridge focused on the fact that, unlike Mueller, his client has no monetary stake in the outcome of the trial. “She has no desire to bankrupt this man,” said Baldridge. “This single dollar that I ask you to award her is of immeasurable value. It means ‘No means no.'” The outcome, Baldridge said (per Buzzfeed), will “tell every women, rich or poor, that no means no.”
Baldridge also emphasized that the events, per Swift’s recollection, are supported by eight witnesses. Baldridge said Mueller had a “s—eating grin” on his face in the photo. “That’s a man that’s very proud in the moment of what he is doing,” said Baldridge. “He lost his job because he grabbed her butt and got caught.”
The jury is deliberating the original claim filed by Mueller against Swift’s mother, Andrea Swift and Swift’s manager, Frank Bell. On Friday, Judge Martinez threw out four of the five claims against the defendants, making it so that Swift was no longer party to the lawsuit filed against her. Swift’s countersuit against Mueller will also be decided.