Swift pledges money to help sex abuse victims after court rules DJ groped her
TAYLOR Swift has pledged to donate money to support sexual abuse victims after winning her court case against a DJ who she accused of groping her.
David Mueller assaulted the American pop star by grabbing her bare bottom beneath her skirt while they were getting their photo taken, a jury in Denver, Colorado, found on Monday.
Miss Swift sued Mueller for sexual assault over the incident in 2013 and was awarded a symbolic $1 (77p) in damages.
In a statement, she said: ‘I acknowledge the privilege that I benefit from in life.
‘My hope is to help those whose voices should also be heard. Therefore, I will be making donations in the near future to multiple organisations that help sexual assault victims defend themselves.’
Mueller had originally tried to sue the singer for up to $3 million (£2.3 million ), saying her claims had cost him his job at station KYGO. But that lawsuit was thrown out by a judge last week.
After a week-long trial, the two-man, six-woman jury determined that Mueller had assaulted the star during a pre-concert meet-and-greet.
Yesterday, Mueller insisted the jury had got it wrong, telling ABC’s Good Morning America: ‘I didn’t do what they say I did. I didn’t do it. I never grabbed her. I never had my hand under her skirt, and I can pass a polygraph.’
Earlier in the trial, Miss Swift had spoken of her horror at being assaulted. She told the court: ‘He stayed latched on to my bare ass as I lurched away from him. It was a definite grab. A long grab. Long enough to be completely sure it was intentional.’
The star wept in court when Mueller’s lawyer claimed a photograph of their meeting proved his client had not put his hand up her skirt and groped her bottom.
The picture, which Miss Swift’s legal team had used as evidence, shows Mueller, 55, with his arm behind the 27-year-old singer, who is leaning away from him.
In his closing argument, Mueller’s attorney Gabriel McFarland said Miss Swift’s skirt was stiff like a lampshade, meaning: ‘He would have had to bend down to put his hand under her skirt.’
He also questioned why her bodyguard Greg Dent – who testified earlier in the trial that he saw Mueller lift Miss Swift’s skirt – didn’t react.
Mr McFarland said: ‘The reason why he didn’t react to it? Because he didn’t see anything that would cause such a reaction.’
Miss Swift’s attorney, Douglas Baldridge, told the jury it was ‘open and shut’ that they should rule against Mueller, adding that ‘he lost his job because he grabbed her butt and he got caught’.
Mr Baldridge said: ‘The guy did it. Don’t be fooled.’
He said Miss Swift had no reason to make the story up and was seeking only a token $1 settlement.
He questioned Mueller’s credibility in his closing argument, saying: ‘On the other side of the credibility coin, Mr Mueller had every incentive to lie – he changed his story, destroyed evidence. Are you going to believe him?’
‘The guy did it – don’t be fooled’