A Swift judgment in suit vs. pop star
Singer cut from case
DENVER — A judge yesterday threw out a Denver radio host’s case against Taylor Swift in a trial that delved into their dueling lawsuits over whether he groped her during a backstage meet-and-greet and whether she and her team ruined his career.
U.S. District Judge William Martinez determined the pop star couldn’t be held liable because David Mueller failed to prove that she personally set out to have him fired after the 2013 photo op before a concert. His identical allegations against Swift’s mother and her radio liaison will go to jurors for a verdict.
Mueller denies groping Swift and sued the singer, her mother, Andrea Swift, and their radio handler, Frank Bell, seeking up to $3 million as compensation for his ruined career. The singer-songwriter said in her countersuit that she wanted a symbolic $1 and the chance to stand up for other women.
With jurors outside the courtroom yesterday, attorneys on both sides argued over whether Mueller had presented enough evidence to send his full case to the jury. Those statements and the judge’s questions focused on whether Swift herself had done anything to get Mueller fired.
Swift spent an hour on the witness stand Thursday defiantly recounting what she called a “despicable and horrifying and shocking” encounter.
After the ruling, Swift and her team walked up to one another and hugged, smiled and whispered.
Mueller’s team didn’t talk to one another or anybody else.