Judge dismisses DJ’s suit against Taylor
Denver: Pop star Taylor Swift on Friday won an important ruling in the trial stemming from her allegation that she was groped by a Colorado disc jockey, with the judge dismissing the DJ’s rival claim accusing the singer of wrongfully getting him fired.
The ruling by US district judge William Martinez left intact Swift’s assault and battery counter suit against David Mueller, who asserts he was falsely accused by the recording star and ousted from his $150,000-a-year job at radio station KYGO-FM under pressure from her.
The Grammy-winning artist reacted to the decision with tears of joy, embracing members of her legal team and family members with bear hugs in the courtroom.
Mueller sat alone at the plaintiff ’s table, appearing sombre as he sipped a glass of water.
Friday’s decision capped the fifth day of a trial highlighted by vivid testimony from Swift charging that Mueller clutched her bare buttocks during a pre-concert fan reception in2013 against Mueller’s assertion under oath that he did no such thing.
The judge had tossed out Mueller’s defamation-ofcharacter claim against Swift before the trial, ruling that the former Denver DJ had waited too long to file a suit under the statute of limitations. On Friday, Swift’s ex- bodyguard corroborated her account of being groped by Mueller testifying that he saw the DJ slip his hand under the singer’s skirt.
The judge also tossed out DJ David Mueller’s defamationof-character claim against Taylor Swift before the trial, ruling that the former Denver DJ had waited too long to file a suit under the statute of limitations