A jury has ruled in favor of Taylor Swift in a highly public “groping case” between the pop star and former radio host David Mueller. The jury spent four hours in deliberation, then sided with Taylor in her countersuit against the former DJ for alleged assault and battery.
It all began in 2013, when Taylor accused David of groping her butt during a meet-and-greet. The pop singer’s radio promotions director notified David’s boss of the incident. Taylor did not initially press sexual assault charges against David. However, when David was fired from his job, he sued Taylor for $3 million, claiming that her accusations led to his termination by employer KYGO. Taylor then countersued and formally pressed charges for assault and battery.
This week, a judge did not find sufficient evidence that Taylor was responsible for David’s job termination and dismissed the case against her. Now, a civil jury has sided with the singer in her countersuit.
Taylor and her legal team claim that while taking a photo with the then-DJ and his girlfriend, David lifted the celebrity’s skirt and grabbed her bare butt. Taylor’s bodyguard and the photographer who snapped the photo testified that they witnessed the groping.
The photograph of the alleged incident was pored over in court. David said the photo shows that he was merely “jostling” Taylor, but she testified adamantly that it was more than that. David’s hand is not in plain view in the photo.
“This was not jostling,” Taylor said in court. “He did not touch my rib. He did not touch my arm. He grabbed my bare a**.”
When David’s legal team asked why Taylor’s skirt wasn’t ruffled in the front, she noted that her butt is in the back of her body.
“This is a photo of him with his hand up my skirt — with his hand on my a**,” she said. “You can ask me a million questions — I’m never going to say anything different. I never have said anything different.”
The jury sided with Taylor, finding David liable for alleged assault and battery. David will have to pay $1 in damages. The single dollar is symbolic, as Taylor says she did not press charges for money. Rather, she did it to make a point about how sexual assaulters silence their victims. Taylor spoke loud and clear in court.
“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,” Taylor said of her win in court, in a statement obtained by CNN. “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.”
David’s lawsuits against Taylor’s mother and radio promotions manager were also dismissed in court.
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