Taylor Swift takes the stand in groping case: ‘It was a definite grab’
DENVER — Taylor Swift took the stand in Denver federal court Thursday and said a former radio DJ grabbed “a handful of my ass” at a 2013 meet-and-greet, calling it a “devious and sneaky act.”
“It was a definite grab, a very long grab,” the pop star told the eight-member jury at her civil trial. “He stayed latched on to my bare ass cheek as I moved away from him visibly uncomfortable.”
Swift, who testified in a floral print dress, said former KYGO radio host David Mueller “grabbed my ass underneath my skirt” as she posed for a photo with him at Denver’s Pepsi Center before a concert on June 2, 2013.
“It was a very shocking thing that I have never dealt with before,” she said. “After this happened, it was like a light switched off my personality.”
Mueller sued Swift in 2015, claiming she’d falsely accused him of groping her and got him fired from his job. Swift, who is only seeking $1, countersued for assault and battery.
Mueller seemed like he’d “had a couple drinks” before she met him, Swift testified.
After the photo op, Swift said she thanked the DJ and his girlfriend, Shannon Melcher, in a “monotone voice” and continued meeting with fans.
When Mueller’s lawyer, M. Gabriel McFarland, suggested she could’ve taken a break from the meet-and-greet after the alleged grope, Swift shot back: “And your client could have taken a normal photo with me.”
The “Shake It Off” singer testified that she mentioned the grope to the photographer, Stephanie Simbeck, about 15 minutes after it happened, and Simbeck knew “exactly” whom Swift was talking about.
As for why her bodyguard didn’t step in to stop Mueller from grabbing her, Swift said, “It was horrifying, shocking, and we had never experienced it before.”
McFarland asked if she was critical of her bodyguard for not stopping the alleged grope.
“No, I am critical of your client for sticking his hand under my skirt and grabbing my bare ass,” Swift declared.
Mueller has admitted he took an “awkward” photo with Swift, but insisted he only touched her ribs when he jumped into the shot.
“This was not jostling. There was no diving into the picture,” Swift said. “We were perfectly in place to have the picture taken. This was not an action shot.”
The Grammy Award winner became feisty when McFarland pressed her on how sure she was that Mueller was the person who groped her.
“It happened to me. He had a handful of my ass. It happened to me. I know it was him,” Swift said. “I didn’t need a picture. I could have picked him out of a line of a thousand.”
“You can ask me a million questions about it and I’m never going to say something different,” she continued. “I never have said anything different.”
Her skirt wasn’t ruffled in the photo she took with Mueller “because my ass is located on the back of my body,” she quipped.
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