GropeGate: Swift's Mom Felt Like 'I Wanted To Vomit'

• Andrea Swift sobbed as she told the court how she felt sick when daughter Taylor told her she was 'groped' by Denver DJ David Mueller
• Mueller was cross examined in his civil trial versus Taylor Swift at the Alfred A. Arraj Courthouse in Denver
• He said a photo of him that shows his hand behind Swift during a photo op was 'weird and awkward' but denies it was groping
• The trial was delayed for two hours  Wednesday as the legal teams met in a side room to talk in private about evidence 
• Swift showed up to court wearing a white dress, black jacket and a pair of nude pumps
• Mueller accused Swift of fabricating an incident where he allegedly groped her in 2013 which caused him to be fired and is suing for $3 million 
• Swift counter-sued the DJ for assault and battery in response, saying he put his hand up her dress 

Recording star Taylor Swift's mother testified on Wednesday that she became sick to her stomach when she learned her daughter had been groped during a pre-concert photo shoot four years ago but decided against calling police to avoid publicity.

"I did not want this event to define her life," Andrea Swift said in the second day of testimony in a federal court trial stemming from the Grammy-winning singer's allegation that a Denver DJ fondled her bare buttocks at the picture-taking session.

Reuters is reporting Swift's mother, who serves as part of her daughter's management team, told jurors that one specific worry was the prospect that the photo taken with the radio personality in question, David Mueller, might end up going viral and even being doctored in a lewd way.

"I was very upset ... I felt like I wanted to vomit," Andrea Smith, 59, testified when asked to recall her reaction to her daughter telling her that she had been groped at a reception for her fans before a June 2013 concert in Denver.

"'Mom, a guy just grabbed my ass at the meet-and-greet,'" she recounted her daughter telling her moments after the alleged incident.

Asked if she had sought out witnesses to the incident, the mother said she had no reason to doubt her daughter's account.

"He sexually assaulted my daughter, right there, that guy," Andrea Swift said as she pointed her finger at Mueller, who was seated less than 20 feet away. "I heard it from my daughter's mouth. I know that it happened."

According to the 27-year-old recording artist, Mueller slipped his hand under her dress and grabbed her as the two posed, along with Mueller's girlfriend, during the picture-taking session.

Mueller testified on Tuesday that he may have made incidental physical contact with Swift, perhaps brushing her arm or torso. But asked by his own lawyer whether he had grabbed Swift's backside, Mueller said flatly, "No, I did not."

Swift has been present for the proceedings every day since jury selection began on Monday, entering and exiting the courthouse through an undisclosed passageway that has allowed her to avoid media camped outside the building.

According to The Denver Post, Andrea Swift said she knew if the allegations became public, the incident would dominate every interview Swift gave. She also feared internet trolls would use the incident to embarrass her daughter by Photoshopping “funny things,” into pictures of the superstar.

Under questioning from Mueller’s lawyer, Gabe McFarland, she said that she felt Mueller should be fired. But she never suggested that anyone on her management team should demand his dismissal.

Frank Bell, who handles radio promotion for Swift, said several people, including the photographer who took the picture, told him that it was obvious that something unusual happened when Mueller had his picture taken with the singer.

Andrea Swift, Bell said, “wanted to make sure that Mr. Mueller was fired, that he was no longer working there.”

He called Bob Call, market manager for KYGO’s parent Lincoln Financial Media, before 8 a.m. the next morning and told him about the incident. He told Call that he wanted it investigated, and appropriate action taken.

But he never demanded that Mueller be fired, he said.

Depiction of Swift as Mueller Testifies

During Wednesday's testimony, David Mueller acknowledge was fired from two jobs prior to his termination by KYGO.  And although KYGO fired him when there were only five months left on his two-year contract, valued at about $320,000, his lawsuit suggests his compensation for the wages he lost should be $3 million.

According to The Denver Post, the 55-year-old Mueller was fired from KDWB in Minneapolis seven years before he joined the Denver radio station. The Minneapolis station fired him because they were dissatisfied that he continued to work at a business he formed called 9 Ball Radio, which provided content to radio stations.

Swift’s lawyer J. Douglas Baldridge, also questioned Mueller about being fired from a Kansas City radio station.

He was fired “without cause,” and KRBZ bought him out, Mueller said.

Mueller maintains that although he applied at top 20 market radio stations after he was fired, he was unable to find new job following Swift’s allegation and being fired from KYGO.

Baldridge asked Mueller why he hadn’t applied at stations that weren’t in the top 20, and Mueller said he did apply at a few.

Denver Radio: David Mueller Accuses Taylor Swift Of Slander

David Mueller

Taylor Swift has been accused of slander in an on-going legal battle with a former radio DJ who supposedly groped her backstage at a concert in 2013.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the pop star and the former KYGO 98.5 FM personality David Mueller have been trading legal blows for months.

Mueller claims he was fired from his job after Taylor Swift falsely accused him of groping her at a backstage meet-and-greet, and now he’s saying she has slandered him during their legal battle.

In June 2013, Mueller attended a backstage meet-and-greet with Swift, along with his girlfriend/co-worker Shannon Melcher. The couple took a photo with the superstar and later that night a member of Swift’s security team approached Mueller and accused him of touching her inappropriately.

Mueller was fired from KYGO in Denver two days after the concert, according to his complaint, and sued Swift in September.

Taylor Swift

“The contention that Mr. Mueller lifted up Ms. Swift’s skirt and grabbed her bottom, while standing with his girlfriend, in front of Ms. Swift’s photographer and Ms. Swift’s highly trained security personnel, during a company-sponsored, VIP, backstage meet-and-greet, is nonsense,” wrote Mueller’s attorney M. Gabriel McFarland in the amended complaint.

Swift countersued for assault and battery in October, seeking damages arising from “the undisputed fact that a sexual assault was committed against” her.

Mueller claims his then-boss Eddie Haskell bragged about grabbing Swift’s buttocks that night and told him “he and one of his friends in the industry think Ms. Swift must wear bicycle shorts under her stage outfits.”

Swift’s countersuit says she knows exactly who committed the assault.

In an amended complaint filed last Thursday, Mueller added two slander claims to his arsenal, claiming Swift’s statements are false and have caused harm to his reputation, profession and standing in the community.

Both sides have said the photograph in question proves their point.

Mueller contends Swift is smiling and hugging Melcher and, while his hand is behind Swift and not visible, “it is clear her skirt is in place and is not being lifted by Mr. Mueller’s hand,” while Swift’s complaint says simply “the image depicted in the photograph of Ms. Swift with Melcher and Mueller speaks for itself.”

Swift requested a jury trial and stated that from the lawsuit would be donated to charities “dedicated to protecting women from similar acts of sexual assault and personal disregard”.

Mueller, who has worked in radio for 20 years, went by the name 'Jackson' on the 'Ryno and Jackson' morning show on KYGO-FM, where he says his base annual salary was $150,000.

MS Radio: David Mueller's Boss Sends Stern eMail To Swifties

David 'Jackson' Mueller

David Mueller, the former Denver radio DJ who was accused of groping Swift at a meet-and-greet event in 2013 and lost a civil court case four years later, has found a new job: co-hosting a morning show at WMYQ KIX-92.7 FM in Greenwood, Mississippi. His on-air name is 'Jackson'.

Swifties, meanwhile, have found a new enemy: the station manager who hired him.

Larry Fuss, the CEO of station owner Delta Radio, defended the hiring. According to Fuss, he sat down and spoke with Mueller before hiring him, and doesn't believe that he's a "sexual predator." (In 2017, a jury rejected Mueller's version of events and found him guilty of assault and battery. Jurors awarded Swift a symbolic $1.)

His comments came as hundreds of Swift fans emailed or called the station to express their displeasure. According to Fuss, the station has also received death threats and bomb threats, as well as all manner of "vile, vulgar" tirades.

Now Fuss is, well, starting a fuss of his own. On Wednesday afternoon, he responded to some of the complaints en masse with a lengthy and sternly worded email rant.

Newsweek obtained a copy of the email, which was sent at 4:26 p.m. on Wednesday. In it, he defends Mueller ("there is no hard evidence that Mr. Mueller is a 'sexual predator'"), casts doubt on Swift's account of the groping and threatens to sue a Swift fan who started a harassment campaign on Facebook.

Fuss also mentioned in the email that he has daughters and granddaughters.

"I do have a wife, two daughters, 4 granddaughters as well as several nieces, so I know where many of you are coming from," Fuss wrote, "but attempting to crucify the man for what was, even if he did do it, not on the same level as an actual sexual assault, is out of line. However, I get the impression many of you wouldn’t be satisfied with anything less than the death penalty."

Here's the full email he sent to Swift fans:

GropeGate: DJ Mueller "I Want To Clear My Name"

Reuters graphic

• Taylor Swift showed up on Tuesday for the second day of her groping trial wearing a high-necked black dress as dozens of fans waited outside 
• Jury selection for the trial of former Denver DJ David Mueller versus Taylor Swift at the Alfred A. Arraj Courthouse in Denver was completed at 9.29am
• Her lawyer accused Mueller of changing his account of what happened and said he destroyed five electronic devices containing evidence
• Mueller accused Swift of fabricating an incident where he allegedly groped her in 2013 which caused him to be fired
• He testified saying he may have touched her 'rib cage, or rib, or ribs' with a closed hand 
• He is seeking $3million in damages and Swift is expected to take the stand during the trial
• Swift counter-sued the DJ for assault and battery in response, saying he put his hand up her dress  

A Colorado DJ accused of groping recording star Taylor Swift during a photo shoot four years ago testified on Tuesday that he innocently made physical contact with the singer as they posed together but denied any inappropriate behavior, reports Reuters.

Taking the witness stand on the first day of testimony at the federal court trial of their dueling lawsuits, Denver radio personality David Mueller said Swift's allegations, which he emphatically denied, "cost me my career, my passion, my income."

Mueller, 55, who was fired from his $150,000-a-year job at radio station KYGO 98.5 FM over Swift's accusations, insisted that the case he brought against Swift was about more than just the loss of his livelihood and money.

"I want to clear my name," he said. "It's a humiliating experience to be accused of something so despicable."

The U.S. District Court jury is weighing Mueller's false-accusation claim against Swift's cross complaint alleging assault and battery. The two cases were merged for trial.

According to Swift, Mueller slipped his hand under her dress and grabbed her bare buttocks as the two posed, along with Mueller's girlfriend, during a meet-and-greet session before a June 2013 concert in Denver.

Expected to take the witness stand herself later in the trial, Swift listened intently to Mueller's testimony, resting her chin in her hand. Her mother, Andrea, seated beside her, teared up at an early mention of the alleged groping incident.

Under questioning from his lawyer, Mueller recounted he may have made contact with the side of Swift's body or brushed her arm and hand while they posed for pictures, but when asked if he had grabbed her backside, Mueller said flatly, "No, I did not."

Mueller testified he had no inkling anything was amiss until approached that evening by a member of Swift's security team who related her allegation to him, threatened to call the police and then told Mueller he was banned from all future Swift concerts.

The litigation was initiated by Mueller, who claims Swift fabricated the groping story and pressured station management to oust him from his job. His lawsuit seeks lost earnings.

In his opening statement on Tuesday, Swift's lawyer, J. Douglas Baldridge, said Mueller committed an assault on his client and was now targeting her for money and fame, telling the jury, "He wants to make the victim pay the price."

Mueller's attorney, Gabriel McFarland, opened his case by showing the eight-member jury a picture from the photo shoot in question and said his client's hand was not under Swift's skirt.

"Let's be clear, inappropriate touching is offensive. It's wrong and it should not be tolerated .... Falsely accusing is equally offensive and it's equally wrong," he said.

The civil trial involves dueling lawsuits filed by Mueller and Swift. Mueller, who wants at least $3 million in damages, claims Swift had falsely accused him of fondling her during the June 2 meet-up at Denver’s Pepsi Center and got him fired from his $150,000-a-year job with KYGO.

Swift, who’s only asking for $1, countersued for assault and battery, saying she wants to hold him accountable for his actions.

The 10-time Grammy Award winner sat with her mom, Andrea, as the trial got under way Tuesday, her hair pulled back in a bun.

Swift remained stoic throughout Mueller’s testimony and smiled during a break in the proceedings. She also gave a wave to the more than two dozen fans who showed up at court to support her.

Meanwhile, The Denver Post is reporting Mueller testified Tuesday that he didn’t send all of the audio recordings of his meeting with bosses after he was accused of groping pop star Taylor Swift because he spilled coffee on the keyboard of his computer as they were being transmitted to Swift’s legal team.

In U.S. District Court on Tuesday, Swift’s lawyer portrayed the DJ as an angry man who felt ignored by the singer as he cross-examined Mueller about the destruction of five different electronic devices.

Mueller said used his phone to record a meeting with bosses Hershel Coomer and Bob Call when they interviewed him about the meet and greet with Swift before her 2013 concert at the Pepsi Center.

But the recordings consumed so much memory on his phone that the device began to malfunction, so he transferred the files to a MacBook.

He later spilled coffee on the keyboard. Before that happened, Mueller said he sent 19 audio clips from the almost two-hour meeting that led to his firing.

Swift’s team only received 11 of those clips, her lawyer Douglas Baldridge said.

Mueller also said spilled water on a second computer, and accidentally smashed a iPad.

Baldridge asked him if he had sent messages from any of the electronic devices to friends describing what happened on June 2, 2013, when he met Swift.

There is no way for Baldridge’s clients, or Swift’s experts to confirm what happened to the recordings, he said. “My clients and my experts cannot confirm that coffee was spilled, can they?”

Detroit Radio: David Mueller, Accused Of Groping Taylor Swift, Talks

David Mueller

David Mueller, a former KYGO 98.5 FM Denver morning host who has been accused of groping Taylor Swift at a 2013 meet-and-greet is speaking out for the first time, according to Fox411.

Mueller was fired from his radio job after Swift said he lifted up her skirt and inappropriately touched her butt. Mueller has denied the claims and filed a lawsuit to clear his name. Swift has since countersued.

Mueller explained his side of the story for this first time publicly on WKQI 95.5FM's "Mojo In The Morning" Tuesday.

"I've never had my day in court. I've never been inappropriate with a woman in my life," Mueller said. "I want my reputation back."

According to Swift's deposition, Muller "reached up under my skirt and grabbed my a-- right when I was having to pose for a photo."

Mueller also responded to a a photo that a judge had sealed per Swift's request that leaked online earlier this month of the alleged incident.

In the photo published by TMZ, Swift stands between Mueller and another woman at a 2013 meet-and-greet. Swift has her arms around Mueller and the woman. The former DJ appears to have his right hand behind her lower back, possibly on her butt.

However, Mueller said on the radio show he did not behave inappropriately at all.

Taylor Swift Sued Over Tush Groping Allegation

DENVER -- A former Country KYGO 98.5 FM radio personality has filed a lawsuit against Taylor Swift.

David Mueller

The lawsuit, filed last week in U.S. District court in Denver, alleges that David Mueller, known on the radio as "Jackson," was fired from his job and banned from Swift concerts for life based on false allegations that he inappropriately touched Swift during a photo session at the Pepsi Center.

According to The Denver Post, The incident in question happened June 2, 2013, when Mueller was invited, as part of his then-job at KYGO 98.5 FM on the "Ryno and Jackson" morning show, to meet and greet Swift backstage.

According to the suit, Mueller posed with Swift and his girlfriend, Shannon Melcher...After some small talk, "Swift suddenly announced it was picture time" and "quickly put her right arm" around Melcher. Mueller jumped into the photo "at the last second"...Swift cordially thanked the couple and they left, the suit said.

Swift allegedly claimed that Mueller lifted her "skirt with his hands and grabbed her bottom." Following her claim, Swift's security team surrounded Mueller and Melcher and removed them from the concert grounds. Then after a string of phone calls between Swift's management team and the station, Mueller was fired on June 4, 2013, the lawsuit alleged.

Mueller maintains he never inappropriately touched Swift. The DJ alleges someone else at the station told him he had "put his arms around her, hands on her bottom."

"The contention that Mr. Mueller lifted up Ms. Swift's skirt and grabbed her bottom, while standing with his girlfriend, in front of Ms. Swift's photographer and Ms. Swift's highly trained security personnel, during a company sponsored, VIP, backstage meet-and-greet, is nonsense, particularly given that Ms. Swift's skirt is in place and is not being lifted by Mr. Mueller's hand in the photograph," said the lawsuit.

Mueller, who has worked in radio for more than 20 years, made a base salary of $150,000 at the time he was fired. His position also came with performance bonuses, product endorsement fees and public appearance fees.

A statement from Swift's publicist on Saturday says Mueller's employer was given evidence after the incident and made its own decision on his job status.

The lawsuit looks to recuperate Mueller's lost income.

MS Radio: David Mueller Lands Mornings On WMYQ Greenwood

David 'Stonewell Jackson' Mueller

Former KYGO Denver morning personality David Mueller, who a jury found groped Taylor Swift at a backstage meet-and-greet in 2013, is back on the air today at WMYQ 92.7 FM in Greenwood, MS.

Mueller’s on-air name will be Stonewall Jackson, according to RadioInk.

Until now, Mueller couldn’t find a job in radio and was willing to go anywhere and work for nothing, just to get back on-air. Recently Delta Radio Network CEO Larry Fuss reached out to Mueller and offered him a job.

According to RadioInk, one week later Fuss received an e-mail from Mueller. It read: “Is this just a stunt, or do you really have a job open?” Fuss told Mueller it was a little of both, but he really was looking for a morning person for his new FM in Greenwood, MS.

“We talked a lot over a period of a couple of months and I eventually flew to Minneapolis to meet him. When he explains the Taylor Swift incident, he’s either the world’s best liar, or he’s telling the truth. Having heard him tell the story, I’m inclined to believe him and the rest of the staff seems to believe him as well. The evidence was rather inconclusive, but the jury was apparently star struck with Taylor Swift and found in her favor. It was a civil trial, not a criminal trial, so the burden of proof was much lower.”

WMYQ 92.7 FM (8.5 Kw) 

Fuss offered Mueller the job in Greenwood. “I also told him if he just wanted to come and work for six months to a year to get his radio career back on track, I was OK with that. He said, ‘No, I’m coming to stay long-term.'”

After getting cut at Denver’s country KYGO 98.5 FM following a claim that he’d groped Taylor Swift’s butt, Mueller eventually sued her. She counter-sued and won a $1 verdict.

Mueller starts his new morning gig today.

GropeGate: Future Earnings Testimony To Be Allowed

David Mueller

Former radio personality David Mueller, who is suing music star Taylor Swift in federal court in Denver will be allowed to present expert testimony on economic loss he’s suffered since being fired, but it will be limited.

Acccording to The Denver Post, defense attorneys representing Swift filed a motion to quash testimony by Jeffery B. Opp, an “expert witness” on behalf of plaintiff David Mueller, a former KYGO 98.5 FM radio personality, known as 'Jackson'..

Swift alleges that Mueller inappropriately touched her buttocks during a June 2013 backstage meet-and-greet at a Pepsi Center concert. Mueller was fired after the allegations and filed a 2015 lawsuit against the singer.

On Tuesday U.S. District Judge William Martinez ruled that Opp can testify in an upcoming trial, although the judge limited his testimony.

Opp “may not offer opinions stating his own view” of Mueller’s “quantified value” in the radio industry, nor can he opine on Mueller’s “employability.” Opp will, however, be allowed to offer opinion on “past and future wage loss” to a limited extent.

“Analysis of lost future earnings is inherently subject to uncertainty, including the possibility that an employee might not continue his or her employment as long as desired, for a variety of reasons,” Martinez ruled.

Mueller, according to a report written by Opp, had planned to work in radio for another six and a half to 11 and a half years.

Judge Tosses Mueller's Case Against Taylor Swift

Depiction of Swift, Her Mother & Attorney

• David 'Jackson' Mueller claimed that Swift made libelous statements about him
• The radio station employee said he was fired after she claimed he 'groped' her
• Her lawyer asked for former Denver KYGO DJ's case to be dismissed
• A few hours later the judge granted the request  
• Swift is still countersuing him for just $1, accusing him of reaching under her dress and grabbing her buttocks during a photo 
• Earlier on Friday, Swift's former bodyguard Greg Dent said he saw the skirt lift 
• Mueller's identical allegations against Swift's mother and her radio liaison will go to the jury 

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.

According to Reuters, the ruling by U.S. District Judge William Martinez left intact Swift's assault and battery countersuit against David Mueller, who asserts he was falsely accused by the recording star and ousted from his $150,000-a-year job at Country KYGO 98.5 FM under pressure from her.

Mueller's claims against Swift's mother and her radio representative continue. The singer's countersuit accusing Mueller of groping her during a photo op also remains.

The ruling came one week into the civil trial in Denver. Swift had requested both dismissal and summary judgment. Closing arguments are set for Monday.

The Grammy-winning artist known for such hits as "Fearless" and "I Knew Your Were Trouble" 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 somber as he sipped a glass of water.

U.S. District Judge William Martinez ruled Friday that Swift could not be held liable because Mueller hadn’t shown that she deliberately set out to have him fired after the incident.

It’s the latest in a long string of legal setbacks for Mueller; another judge threw out Mueller’s claim of slander in June of 2017, and that July he was sanctioned by the court for destroying a  two-hour audio recording he secretly taped during an interview with his radio station boss just before he was fired.

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 in 2013 against Mueller's assertion under oath that he did no such thing.

Earlier on Friday, Swift's former bodyguard corroborated her account of being groped by Mueller, testifying that he saw the radio personality slip his hand under the singer's skirt as they posed together for a photo with Mueller's then-girlfriend.

Lawyers for both sides rested their respective cases after the ex-girlfriend, Shannon Melcher, took the stand as the final witness to deny seeing Mueller inappropriately touch Swift during the picture-taking session. But she added, "I don't have eyes in the back of my head."

Swift has said her representatives lodged a complaint with KYGO management about the alleged groping but insisted she never demanded Mueller be fired.

Although Martinez agreed to dismiss both claims as they related to Swift, he kept the contract claim intact for Swift's two co-defendants - her mother, Andrea, and her radio station liaison Frank Bell.

Lawsuit: Taylor Swift Shakes It Off

Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift‘s team has commented on the circumstances that led to a Denver radio deejay’s removal in June of 2013.

David Mueller has filed a lawsuit denying allegations he lifted Swift’s skirt and grabbed her butt at a pre-show meet and greet. He was fired shortly after the concert.

Swift allegedly claimed that Mueller lifted her "skirt with his hands and grabbed her bottom." Following her claim, Swift's security team surrounded Mueller and Melcher and removed them from the concert grounds. Then after a string of phone calls between Swift's management team and the station, Mueller was fired, the lawsuit alleged.

Mueller maintains he never inappropriately touched Swift. The DJ alleges someone else at the station told him he had "put his arms around her, hands on her bottom."

"The contention that Mr. Mueller lifted up Ms. Swift's skirt and grabbed her bottom, while standing with his girlfriend, in front of Ms. Swift's photographer and Ms. Swift's highly trained security personnel, during a company sponsored, VIP, backstage meet-and-greet, is nonsense, particularly given that Ms. Swift's skirt is in place and is not being lifted by Mr. Mueller's hand in the photograph," said the lawsuit.

David Mueller

"The radio station was given evidence immediately after the incident. They made their independent decision," Swift's spokeswoman Tree Paine told CNN via email.

Mueller, who went by “Jackson” on KYGO-FM’s Ryno and Jackson morning show, is seeking lost income.  A lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court last Thursday.

In the lawsuit, Mueller responds to allegations from Swift’s team that he “grabbed her bottom” while posing with the superstar and his girlfriend. He seems to indicate it could be a case of mistaken identity, as someone else employed by the radio station later told him he had “put his arms around her, hands on her bottom” (quote via CNN).

According to the former deejay, a picture from the meet and greet shows that Swift’s skirt is in place while the three pose. It’s not clear what the evidence Swift’s spokesperson is referring to is, but Mueller claims it’s this photo.

GropeGate Trial: No Jury Yet

(Reuters photos)

Lawyers for Taylor Swift and former radio host David Mueller began the slow process of selecting a jury and they have a question to ask: Is anyone in your immediate family a fan of Taylor Swift?

The civil trial that has been years in the making got started Monday in U.S. District Court in Denver. Mueller, who went by the name “Jackson” on the country station KYGO, sued Swift in 2015, claiming he was wrongly fired after she claimed he groped her during a meet-and-greet before her 2013 concert at the Pepsi Center. He disputes her allegations. The singer filed a counterclaim, alleging abuse and battery.

After an afternoon of questioning jurors and their potential biases, jury selection will overflow into Tuesday morning, according to The Denver Post.

Swift, her mother, Andrea Swift, and her radio promotions manager, Frank Bell, were in the courtroom Monday, as was Mueller, as lawyers began slimming the jury pool to eight. There will be no alternates.

Bell and Andrea Swift also are named in Mueller’s complaint.


Many of the 60 potential jurors who were being considered for the eight-member panel said they had read or heard about the case, according to The NYTimes.  All were asked to fill out a 15-page questionnaire that asked, among other things, whether they had ever been inappropriately touched, falsely accused or considered themselves fans of the entertainer.

Questionaire for potential jurors

The questions also drilled down to specifics. Had jurors heard of the lawsuit? Had they attended the concert on June 2, 2013, where Swift claims she was groped? Had they seen any pictures related to the lawsuit, alluding to the leaked photo that was taken when Swift alleges the assault occurred? Had they already formed an opinion on the case, about Swift or about Mueller?

Reuters reports Swift sat quietly in the Denver courtroom dressed in a business-like black jacket and white top, Swift, 27, one of the top-selling U.S. singers, watched the proceedings in a federal courthouse, jotting notes on a pad of paper. When the judge introduced Swift, she turned and faced the prospective jurors.

Taylor Swift and a former radio host aren't looking at each other in court as jury selection proceeds in their lawsuits involving a groping claim.

David Mueller, wearing a dark suit, sat Monday at the plaintiff's table with his back turned to Swift, who sat at a nearby table with her mother, Andrea Swift, and their attorneys.

Taylor is expected to take the stand during the trial in U.S. District court to testify about the incident, which resulted in broadcaster David Mueller's firing from Colorado music station KYGO-FM. Officials expect the jury to be seated and opening statements to begin on Tuesday.

The judge has placed a gag order on all parties, and attorneys for both sides did not respond to messages seeking comment.

Swift, one of the most successful contemporary music artists, earned $170 million between June 2015 and June 2016 following a world tour and her best-selling "1989" album, according to Forbes Magazine.

Taylor Swift Testifies: Intentional Grope Was 'A Very Long Grab'

“He had a handful of my ass. I know it was him. I thought what he did was despicable”  

“I am not going to allow your my client to make me feel like it is anyway my fault because it isn’t” 

"He had a handful of my ass"  

"I know it was him. I didn't need a photograph. I could have picked him out of a line of a thousand people. I know exactly who did this, this what happened. It happened to me. I know it was him'"

“I’m being blamed for the unfortunate events of his life that are a product of his decisions. Not mine.”  

“Other than grabbing my ass against my will, underneath my skirt, and refusing to let go, he did not otherwise touch me inappropriately”

Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Taylor Swift testified on Thursday she was subjected to a "very long" and "intentional" grope by a Colorado disc jockey who appeared to be drunk during a photo session four years ago.

According to Reuters, the 27-year-old pop star was testifying for the first time for a U.S. District Court jury weighing her accusation that David Mueller grabbed her bare buttocks during a pre-concert fan reception in 2013 against Mueller's assertion that she falsely accused him and then got him fired.

Swift spoke forcefully under questioning by Mueller's attorney, Gabriel McFarland. She said several times, "Your client grabbed my ass," at one point calling it a "devious and sneaky act."

"It was a definite grab ... a very long grab," she said. "It was intentional. He stayed latched onto my bare ass cheek. I felt him grab onto my ass cheek under my skirt."

Mueller, 55, testified on Tuesday that he may have made innocent contact with Swift but denied any inappropriate behavior. Asked if he grabbed her backside, the former disc jockey for Denver radio station KYGO-FM replied, "No, I did not."

Swift spent an hour on the witness stand on Thursday and said it appeared both Mueller and his girlfriend, who stood on the other side of her for the photo, had "had a few cocktails."

The photograph, repeatedly displayed in court, shows the pop star in a black skirt and top, flanked by Mueller and his girlfriend, all three smiling for the camera. Mueller has his right hand concealed behind her rear end, and Swift appears to have shifted her hip slightly away from him.

Asked by McFarland why her bodyguard did not step in when "this big drunk guy" groped her, Swift replied: "No one could have expected this to happen. ... It had never happened before. It was horrifying and shocking."

Eddie Haskell (Denver Post photo)

Meanwhille, The Denver Post is reporting that before former radio host David Mueller is alleged to have groped Taylor Swift, KYGO was looking for another person to join him and his partner Ryan Kliesch, on “Ryno and Jackson,” one of his former bosses testified Thursday in U.S. District Court.

But the pair seemed to be lobbying for someone weak, who would “keep the show ‘Ryno and Jackson and the little lady,'” said Hershel Coomer, former programming manager at at Country KYGO.

Coomer said he presented them with a number of qualified candidates for the job from large radio markets, and they always chose the weakest.

When he flew in Tracy Dixon, a radio personality from San Francisco who is “amazing,” he said, they didn’t want her.

One day they came to his office, visibly excited, and said “We’ve got it. This lady who works at our Starbucks is so funny.”

“I said, that’s awesome, but I’m not going to hire a barista from Starbucks to do a morning show in the 18th biggest market in the country,” Coomer said.

Dixon now has a morning show on KYGO.

Coomer, who goes by his radio name “Eddie Haskell,” denied a story that Mueller told on the stand. In his testimony, Mueller said that on the night he allegedly grabbed Swift’s bottom during a meet-and-greet before the singer’s 2013 show at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Coomer told him that Swift had jumped into his arms and that he had held her by her rear end.

Report: Swift To Testify DJ Mueller 'Grabbed Bare Ass'

Pre-trial documents suggest music superstar Taylor Swift is determined to reveal in graphic detail a nasty secret that she kept hidden for years until it was released to the world by the same man she accuses of sexual assault.

The Denver Post reports “Ms. Swift … will testify at trial, that (radio talk show host David) Mueller ‘put his hand under (her) dress and grabbed (her) bare ass,’ ” according to a motion filed in U.S. District Court in Denver by her three Washington, D.C. attorneys. Swift intends to testify that she has “never been so sure of anything in (her) life.

Swift, who was 23 at the time of the alleged assault, is “absolutely certain of what Mueller did” and that it was intentional and “not an accident,” the document says. Swift never reported the incident to Denver police and did not acknowledge the alleged sexual assault until Mueller filed a civil lawsuit against her more than two years later in 2015.

Mueller, who was 51 and identified on radio as “Jackson,” claims that on June 2, 2013, Swift and co-defendants including her mother Andrea Swift, falsely accused him of improperly touching Swift at a pre-concert meet-and-greet and then pressured his employer, Lincoln Financial, to fire him. He was fired two days later.

Swift claims that while she told her mother that Mueller lifted her dress and grabbed her that neither she nor her mother spoke with his bosses at KYGO. Although her manager, Frank Bell, notified KYGO officials about the incident, “at no time did Mr. Bell, or any other defendant, ask KYGO to take any specific action.”

The document says that seven KYGO personnel participated in an investigation of the incident, which included reviewing a photograph witnesses consider “damning,” before independently firing Mueller for violating the morality clause of his contract.

Swift countersued Mueller claiming assault and battery and is seeking reimbursement for attorneys fees and costs in defending a “frivolous lawsuit,” the document says. It asserts defenses of “unclean hands” based on Mueller’s “wrongful, unconscionable” conduct.

The trial is expected to last approximately nine days.

And while the trial will begin today, Swift and Mueller don’t need to be in court until Tuesday when opening statements are expected to be given.

Passes will be available to the public on a first-come, first-serve basis for morning and afternoon sessions.  Spectators will not be allowed to wear "Taylor Swift" garments.

The court has made available 32 passes for the courtroom and 75 for an overflow room where the trial will be viewed on a closed-circuit television.

A federal judge sanctioned Mueller last month as he admitted to losing or destroying electronic devices that could have contained key evidence – including a recorded conversation between him and his boss the day before he was fired.

U.S. District Judge William Martinez said the lost data was critical evidence in the case.

Other Key Witnesses

• Andrea Swift, the singer's mother, will testify about the decision to contact Mueller's boss and not call the police.
• Frank Bell, a member of the singer's team, will testify about why he contacted Mueller's bosses at KYGO and what was said. Bell and Andrea Swift are also defendants in Mueller's lawsuit.
• Shannon Melcher, Mueller's girlfriend at the time, will testify about standing on the other side of Swift when the photo was taken, and to Mueller's character.
• Greg Dent, Swift's bodyguard, may be called to testify about what he saw during the encounter.

The judge has placed a gag order on all parties, and attorneys for both sides did not respond to messages seeking comment.

Swift, one of the most successful contemporary music artists, earned $170 million between June 2015 and June 2016 following a world tour and her best-selling “1989” album, according to Forbes Magazine.

Ex-DJ Sends $1 Payment to Taylor Swift

Former radio personality David Mueller, who was ordered to pay a symbolic $1 to Taylor Swift for groping her at a photo op says he mailed her a Sacajawea coin last week.

The Star-Tribune reports David Mueller provided a letter to The Associated Press showing the payment was sent Nov. 28. Mueller previously told the AP he intended the coin featuring a prominent Native American woman as a final jab at the singer in a case her side called a win for all women.

Swift was among the "Silence Breakers" named as Time magazine's person of the year. In a story published Wednesday, she said she hadn't received the dollar.

In 2013, the singer-songwriter took a photo with a Colorado radio DJ after an interview. During that photo, Swift says, DJ David Mueller reached under her skirt and grabbed her rear end. Swift privately reported the incident to the station at which Mueller worked, and he was fired. Mueller then sued Swift for defamation; she countersued for a symbolic $1—and won.

Sacagawea was a Lemhi Shoshone woman who is known for her help to the Lewis and Clark Expedition in achieving their chartered mission objectives by exploring the Louisiana Territory.

Sacagawea traveled with the expedition thousands of miles from North Dakota to the Pacific Ocean, and helped establish cultural contacts with Native American populations, in addition to her contributions to the natural history.

The National American Woman Suffrage Association of the early twentieth century adopted her as a symbol of women's worth and independence, erecting several statues and plaques in her memory, and doing much to spread the story of her accomplishments.

GropeGate: David Mueller Talks To GMA

Former KYGO 98.5 FM  morning cohost David Mueller, found to have groped Taylor Swift by a Denver jury,  said there is still “no question” in his mind that he did not grab Swift’s backside during a 2013 meet-and-greet.

“What I’m saying is I didn’t do what they said,” the ex-DJ, David Mueller, told ABC News’ Clayton Sandell after Monday’s court ruling. “I never grabbed her. I never had my hand under her skirt and I can pass a polygraph,” according to Yahoo News.

Taylor Swift says groping trial was fight for anyone 'silenced by sexual assault,' promises donations to help assault victims.

Mueller contends he “wasn’t ready” for the photo, where he and his then-girlfriend Shannon Melcher posed next to Swift.

“I wasn’t invited to be in the photo,” he said. “I just moved into the shot the best I could.”


The former DJ first sued Swift in 2015, claiming that she falsely accused him of grabbing her backside at the meet-and-greet, causing him to lose his job. Swift then filed a countersuit for assault and battery, claiming that Mueller "took his hand and put it up my dress," according to court documents obtained by ABC News.

Swift testified that she first thought the alleged grope was a mistake but said Mueller did not let go when she lurched away from him.

Bodyguard, Photographer Back-Up Swift's Account

Taylor Swift's former bodyguard told a jury on Friday that a former disc jockey the singer-songwriter accuses of groping her bottom had been drinking and that he saw the man's hand go under her skirt during a photo shoot.

Reuters is reporting former bodyguard Greg Dent was the latest witness in the U.S. District Court trial that is considering the 27-year-old performer's allegation that former radio disc jockey David Mueller assaulted her at a meet-and-greet session with fans before a 2013 concert.

Mueller, 55, says the Grammy-winning performer of hits such as "Fearless," "Bad Blood" and "I Knew You Were Trouble" falsely accused him and then got him fired from Denver station KYGO-FM.

Under questioning from the former disc jockey's attorney, Gabriel McFarland, Dent told the court he witnessed the incident.

"I saw his hand under her skirt. ... Her skirt went up. ... She jumped," Dent testified, adding that Swift then moved closer to Mueller's girlfriend, who was standing on the other side of the singer for the photograph.

"I was definitely sure that he had been drinking," Dent said of Mueller. "I don't know what level. He wasn't staggering or falling down."

Dent, a former police officer who testified that he had also worked for the National Security Agency, said he took his cues from Swift and that she continued the meet-and-greet session, so he did not immediately intervene. When she finished meeting her fans, Dent said, Swift told her staff about the groping.

Swift gave an unflinching account of the incident when she took the witness stand on Thursday.

The pop superstar testified for about an hour on Thursday, sometimes using unflinching language in giving her account of what happened.

Swift used the word “ass” dozens of times on the witness stand as she told jurors that David Mueller reached under her skirt during a meet-and-greet photo op in 2013.

Earlier Friday, a photographer who took pictures of Taylor Swift during a meet-and-greet at which the star alleges he groped her, testified in U.S. District Court in Denver Thursday that she saw former radio host David Mueller grab the star’s bottom, according to The Denver Post.

“I saw her fall into the female, and she had a shocked look,” event photographer Stephanie Simbeck said, “and I saw his hand grab her ass.”

MS Radio: David Mueller Says Taylor Swift Ruined His Life

David 'Jackson' Muller

Almost one year after he was found guilty of assault and battery for grabbing Taylor Swift’s bare butt, radio personality David Mueller this week  told  RadarOnline.com that the singer ruined his life.

The radio host vehemently denied to Radar Swift’s claims that he latched on to her “bare a** cheek” in 2013 at a meet and greet in Denver, Colorado. Mueller also shared what he would say to the singer if given the chance.

“How can you live with yourself? You ruined my life,” Mueller said. “I was not ready for the photograph. I admit it was awkward but I never grabbed her. It’s not even close to what happened.”

The five-day trial between Swift and Mueller garnered national attention in August 2017. As a result, the disgraced DJ compared his post-trial life to being locked up behind bars.

“Now I’m afraid to even talk to women. I feel like I’m in a prison,” Mueller continued. “I’m not myself anymore. I don’t even go near women.”

In January 2018, Mueller landed a new gig at Country WMYQ 92.7 FM in Mississippi. He said he still receives jokes about the highly-publicized trial, which he believes is undeserved.

Muller said that he knew he was going to lose in court but does not regret suing Swift in the first place.

“I know that if I didn’t do it I would have never been able to live with myself,” the radio host added. “At least now that my life is totally screwed up I’m proud of myself.”

Taylor Swift Testifies: 'He Grabbed My Ass'

Taylor Swift testified Thursday that she felt a former Denver disc jockey "grab on to [her] a-- cheek" during a 2013 meet-and-greet.

Swift is being sued by former DJ David Mueller, who is seeking damages after he was fired from radio station KYGO following Swift's allegations that he groped her bare buttocks during the photo op.

The singer is countersuing, saying she was sexually assaulted and is seeking a symbolic $1 to prove a point that people "can always say no."

"It was a definite grab. A very long grab," Swift told the court of the alleged groping.

Swift was adamant that the contact was beneath her skirt, and not over it.

"He grabbed my ass underneath my skirt," she said, saying she was "completely sure" it was intentional. Swift added that right after the alleged groping, she became monotone, according to an NBC News affiliate 9News reporter.

Swift said she didn't stop the meet-and-greets after Mueller left because she didn't want to disappoint a few dozen people who'd been waiting in line. She testified she first mentioned the incident about 15 minutes later to her photographer, Stephanie Simbeck.

Reuters reports the 27-year-old Swift was testifying for the first time to a U.S. District Court jury that is weighing her accusation that David Mueller grabbed her bare buttocks during a pre-concert fan reception in 2013 against Mueller's assertion that he was falsely accused and consequently fired from his job.

Swift, one of the most popular performers in the U.S. music business, spoke forcefully as she described the incident with Mueller.

"It was a definite grab ... a very long grab," she said. "It was intentional. He stayed latched onto my bare ass cheek.

"I felt him grab onto my ass cheek under my skirt. He grabbed my ass underneath my skirt."

Swift said the groping occurred as she posed with Mueller and his girlfriend for a photo.

Mueller, 55, testified on Tuesday that he may have made innocent physical contact with Swift, perhaps brushing her arm or torso, but denied any inappropriate behavior. Asked whether he grabbed Swift's backside, Mueller replied, "No, I did not."

Mueller: Swift's Bare Butt Grope Claim "Defies Credibility"

David Mueller

Former radio KYGO 98.5 FM Denver morning sohost David Mueller has released a statement in response to Taylor Swift‘s claim that he sexually assaulted her during a meet and greet in 2013.

Mueller and his legal team say that his firing from radio station KYGO due to the allegation was the result of a “sham” investigation, according to The Boot.

Swift and her legal team recently filed a motion requesting that the case against her be dismissed because Mueller’s firing was the result of an internal investigation by KYGO, not any direct action by Swift. However, the former DJ is fighting back against that motion.

“The contention that Mr. Mueller lifted up Ms. Swift’s skirt and grabbed her bare ass (while standing with his girlfriend, in front of Ms. Swift’s photographer and other staff, as well as Ms. Swift’s highly trained security personnel, during an employer-sponsored, VIP, backstage meet and greet) defies credibility,” says Mueller’s legal team in response to the request for dismissal, the statement also adds, “KYGO’s so-called investigation was a sham.”

In September of 2015, Mueller filed a lawsuit against the country-turned-pop star for what he says are unfounded claims that he grabbed her bottom while taking a photo with her at a meet-and-greet.

Swift recently filed a motion to restrict public access to some of the documents involved in her lawsuit, including a photo of the incident, as well as a description of the photograph, 12 pages of summary judgement and hundreds of supporting documents and photos. A judge has since ruled that the photo will remain sealed, but Swift’s deposition has been released. (Click Here)

Swift Justice: Jury Finds Mueller Battered Taylor

Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift won her civil trial against a Denver radio personality on Monday after a jury found that the former DJ assaulted and battered the pop star by groping her bare bottom, and awarded her the symbolic $1 in damages she had sought.

Reuters reports Swift cried and hugged her mother as the verdicts were read in U.S. District Court in Denver and mouthed an emphatic "thank you" to members of the jury as they left the courtroom.

The six-woman, two-man jury, which deliberated for less than four hours following a sensational week-long trial, also rejected claims by radio personality David Mueller that members of Swift's management team - her mother and a radio station liaison - got him fired from his "dream job" as a DJ by making false accusations.

"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," the 27-year-old singer said in a statement released immediately following the verdicts.

David Mueller

"My hope is to help those whose voices should also be heard," Swift said, adding that she would make donations to organizations that help sexual assault victims defend themselves.

Mueller, 55, showed no reaction as the verdicts were read.

Mueller, a former KYGO 98.5 FM radio host, sued Swift, her mother and her radio promotions manager, Frank Bell, in 2015. Mueller claimed that they interfered with his employment at KYGO after Bell reported to the station Swift’s claims that the host had groped her and said it could have “grave” consequences on the relationship between the singer and the station. Mueller had sought up to $3 million, saying the allegation cost him his job and reputation.

Swift countersued and sought the $1 in damages. She said she wants to serve as an example to other women who have been sexually assaulted.

“That dollar is of immeasurable value,” Swift’s attorney Douglas Baldridge said after the verdicts were read.

Frank Bell

According to the Denver Post, he said Swift had a lot of courage to come forward, and he called her an inspiration to others.

Last week, Swift used blunt language to describe the assault during a meet-and-greet photo session with fans and others before a June 2, 2013, concert at the Pepsi Center.

“He did not touch my rib, he did not touch my hand, he didn’t touch my arm, he grabbed my bare ass,” she said.

In her statement after the verdicts Monday, Swift spoke about helping other victims.

“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.

"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.”

The jury also found the singer’s mother, Andrea Swift, and manager Frank Bell not liable for tortious interference.