DENVER â Taylor Swift testified in detail on Thursday in Denver about a 2013 incident in which she said former disc jockey David Mueller âgrabbed my ass underneath my skirtâ during a meet-and-greet with fans.
âIt was underneath my skirt,â she added for emphasis.
The Grammy-winning singer called the act âdevious and sneaky,â since the singer and DJ were against a wall while taking photographs. The incident was something she has ânever dealt with before.â
âAfter this happened, it was like a light switched off in my personality,â Swift said.
Swift, wearing a black blouse with floral print, appeared calm when questioned by Muellerâs lawyer, Gabriel McFarland, who attempted to pick apart the details of that night.
At one point, McFarland presented the now-infamous photo of his client allegedly grabbing Swiftâs rear and asked why the front of her dress wasnât disturbed if Mueller were indeed grabbing her bare cheek.
âBecause my ass is located in the back of my body,â she shot back.
Swift also took a moment to address claims that Mueller was running into the frame at the moment the photo was taken, thus explaining his odd hand position in the photo.
âI want to be very clear â thereâs been a lot of talk about diving and jostling and sliding into the frame,â she said. âI have experienced every degree of an awkward first encounter ... you think itâs a high-five and they think itâs a handshake, and they say, âOh, sorryâ and you say, âOh, itâs fine.ââ
âWe were in position to take a photo,â she continued. âItâs very simple: You just stand there, and you take a photo. This wasnât an action shot.â
Swift maintained Mueller seemed inebriated during the meet-and-greet, saying he âshowed the signs of someone who had had a few cocktails.â
After the photo was taken, the singer said she told her photographer what had happened, and that the photographer revealed he had taken a photo at the exact moment in which the interaction occurred. The photo has become a central piece of evidence in the trial, and one which the judge hoped to keep out of the public eye, saying that it would âsignificantly complicate jury selection.â The gossip news site TMZ posted it regardless late last year.
When Muellerâs attorney suggested Swift could have taken a break from the meet-and-greet if she had been so traumatized, Swift reportedly shot back, âAnd your client could have taken a normal photo with me,â adding that she didnât want to ruin her fansâ experience.
McFarland repeatedly questioned Swift for her reactions to his clientâs circumstances, asking if she cared about Muellerâs misfortunes.
âI donât have any feelings about a person I donât know,â she said. âI think what he did was despicable and horrible and terrifying.â
âYet here we are, years later,â Swift added. âAnd he and you are suing me and Iâm being blamed for the unfortunate events of his life that are a product of his decisions, not mine.â
Iâm being blamed for the unfortunate events of his life that are a product of his decisions, not mine.Taylor Swift
Swift further explained that while she personally has no sentiment toward Mueller, he described her as âcoldâ in his earlier testimony.
âWhich is a new one for me,â she said, testily, âbut I have an uncanny ability to elicit new criticism.â
Through it all, Swift remained confident that she knew âexactly who did thisâ and that the events were ânot alleged. This is a fact.â
âYou can ask me a million questions about [the incident] and Iâm never going to say something different,â Swift reiterated to McFarland. âI never have said anything different.â
Swiftâs team has said that Mueller, now 55, groped Swiftâs bare backside during the event, which took place at the Pepsi Center on June 2, 2013. Colorado country music station KYGO-FM quickly investigated the incident and fired Mueller two days later, according to court documents. Swift was 23 at the time.
Mueller denied the accusations and said Swiftâs team pressured his employer to fire him. In 2015, he sued in hopes of collecting $3 million in damages. (Mueller had earned approximately $150,000 a year at his job before he was fired.)
As a result of the lawsuit, Swift countersued, claiming assault and battery. âIt was not an accident, it was completely intentional, and I have never been so sure of anything in my life,â she reportedly said during a prior deposition.
On Wednesday, Swiftâs mother, Andrea Swift, testified that the incident âabsolutely shattered our trustâ and caused them to scale back meet-and-greets.
Swiftâs team has said they hope the case âwill serve as an example to other women who may resist publicly reliving similar outrageous and humiliating acts.â
The Grammy-winning artist plans to donate any money she obtains to âcharitable organizations dedicated to protecting women from similar acts of sexual assault and personal disregard.â
CORRECTION: This article has been updated to amend a reference to the plaintiffâs lawyer, who was misidentified as a âprosecutor,â which is not a role involved in civil cases.