Taylor Swift Civil Suit Dismissed: Former DJ’s Complaint Will Not Go Forward
A judge in Denver sided with Taylor Swift in a portion of the lawsuit between the singer and a former radio personality who was suing her, throwing out the portion of the complaint that directly targeted Swift.
Swift has been squaring off in a Denver courtroom this week with David Mueller, who sued Swift after he was fired from Denver station KYGO following Swift's complaint that he sexually assaulted her at a meet and greet after her Denver concert in 2013.
The country-turned-pop superstar claims Mueller placed his hand under her skirt and groped her backside during a photo opp. He filed suit against Swift in 2015, alleging slander and deliberate interference with his employment contract. She replied with a countersuit alleging assault and battery. She gave her side of the story in a deposition in July of 2016.
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CBS News reports that U.S. District Judge William Martinez ruled Friday (Aug. 11) 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.
Mueller also sued Swift's mother, Andrea Swift, and the Swifts' radio rep, Frank Bell. The portion of the lawsuit directed at them will go forward and be decided by a jury, Judge Martinez ruled.
Swift's bodyguard at the time, Greg Dent, approached Mueller after the incident and accused him of touching the singer inappropriately. Mueller was removed from the venue, a move which ultimately helped lead to his firing. Dent testified in court on Friday.
"His hand went under her skirt. I did not see his hand touch her physically. I saw his hand under her skirt," Dent said (quote via Us Weekly). "She reacted, pushed her skirt down and moved over. So in my opinion, I knew he touched her."
People reports that Swift grew visibly emotional in the court room after the judge rendered his decision Friday. Her countersuit against Mueller for sexual assault is still to be decided.
She gave incendiary testimony in court on Wednesday (Aug. 9), refusing to give an inch on her certainty that Mueller touched her inappropriately and that he is definitely the person who did so, despite his repeated denials of her allegations. Take a look at her shocking testimony in the tweets below.
Read Highlights From Taylor Swift's Testimony
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