The jury verdict says Taylor Swift was groped in 2013 by an ex-Denver radio DJ.
Taylor Swift has won.
After just a few hours of deliberation, the jury in Swift’s groping trial reached a unanimous verdict Monday: They believe Swift was groped — assaulted and battered, in the legal terminology — by ex-Denver radio DJ David Mueller in 2013.
Also, the jury decided that Swift’s mother, Andrea Swift, and a manager, Frank Bell, were not responsible for Mueller’s firing after the encounter, that they were within their rights to contact Mueller’s bosses about what Swift said happened to her during a photo op at a pre-concert meet-and-greet.
The verdict by the six women and two men on the jury is a total vindication for Swift and her team, and a total loss for Mueller, The two have spent the last two years in a legal battle over their dueling civil lawsuits. The verdict comes at the end of a six-day trial in federal court in Denver.
«I want to thank Judge William J. Martinez and the jury for their careful consideration, my attorneys Doug Baldridge, Danielle Foley, Jay Schaudies and Katie Wright for fighting for me and anyone who feels silenced by a sexual assault, and especially anyone who offered their support throughout this four-year ordeal and two-year long trial process, » Swift said in a statement issued by her publicist, Tree Paine, who has been in court with Swift every day since the trial began on Monday.
«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. 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.»
Swift was already a winner in the case: On Friday she was dropped as a defendant in Mueller’s 2015 lawsuit charging her with pressuring his Denver radio station KYGO to fire him for allegedly touching her inappropriately during the pre-concert event.
U. S. District Judge Martinez ruled in favor of Swift’s motion to drop her from the lawsuit on grounds Mueller and his lawyer failed to prove in four days of witness testimony that she personally intervened in any way with his bosses to get Mueller fired.
Now she’s won her countersuit against Mueller, in which she charged him with assault and battery in connection with the alleged groping.
Swift will get the symbolic $1 she sought, and the chance to demonstrate that women can fight back against sexual assault, even if it’s belated and even if it’s not in criminal court.
Mueller, who sought compensation for loss of wages, will get nothing.
Story developing:
Contributing: Allison Sylte, KUSA Denver, The Associated Press
