Swift hoping case serves as example
Taylor Swift’s attorneys told jurors in Denver they aren’t trying to bankrupt a former Colorado country music radio host accused of groping the pop superstar before a concert, but they do want others to know “that you can always say no.”
Swift’s attorney, Douglas Baldridge, attacked the credibility of former Denver DJ David Mueller on Tuesday, asking jurors, “What’s wrong with this picture? A woman gets assaulted, a woman reports it, and she gets sued.”
Mueller sued Swift after her team told his bosses that he had reached under her dress and touched her backside during a meet-and-greet before a 2013 concert in Denver. He is seeking at least $3 million, saying the allegation cost him his job and reputation.
Swift countersued Mueller, claiming sexual assault. She is seeking a symbolic $1, saying she wants to serve as an example to other women who have been assaulted.
Mueller testified Tuesday that he may have touched Swift’s ribs with a closed hand, but insisted he did not touch her backside as she claims. The photo, seen by jurors, shows Mueller with his hand behind Swift, just below her waist. Both are smiling.
Mueller testified that one of his station bosses, Hershel Coomer, who is expected to testify, told him that he had met Swift earlier before the show and that “he told me that he had his hands on her butt.”
But in his opening statement, Baldridge told jurors that Swift is “absolutely certain” she was sexually assaulted by Mueller.