Radio DJ Says He May Have Touched Swift's Ribs

DENVER (AP) — Former Denver disc jockey David Mueller has testified that he may have touched Taylor Swift's "rib cage, or rib, or ribs" with a closed hand as he tried to jump into a photo with the celebrity before a 2013 concert.

2:25 p.m.

Mueller said Tuesday at the civil trial involving a groping claim by the singer-songwriter that both he and Swift were trying to reach around one another and their hands and arms touched during a meet-and-greet that he estimated lasted 40 seconds or less.

The photo of Swift, Mueller and Mueller's girlfriend is a key piece of evidence in Mueller's suit against Swift.

He claims she falsely accused him of groping her, costing him his job at a country music station.

Mueller told jurors he didn't touch Swift on her buttock — as she claims in her countersuit.

Mueller also testified that one of his station bosses, Hershel Coomer, told him that he had met Swift earlier before the show and that "he told me that he had his hands on her butt."

Mueller says, "I thought he was just telling me one of his stories."

Coomer is expected to testify at the civil trial.

Swift has said she is positive it was Mueller who groped her.

1 p.m.

Taylor Swift's mother cried during opening statements at a civil trial involving her daughter's claim that she was groped by a former radio disc jockey in Denver.

Andrea Swift became emotional Tuesday when a lawyer pointed her out in a courtroom and described the close mother-daughter relationship.

The opening statements came after eight jurors were selected to decide the case.
About 25 members of the public were present, with many appearing to be less than 40 years old.

During opening statements, Taylor Swift often looked at her mother and sometimes shook her head, swallowed hard or whispered to her lawyer.

David Mueller sued Swift, claiming her false accusation cost him his job at a country music station. Swift countersued, claiming sexual assault.
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12:40 p.m.

An ex-Denver disc jockey who claimed in a lawsuit that Taylor Swift falsely accused him of groping her has testified that he wants to vindicate himself after being fired from his dream job over the claim.

David Mueller took the witness stand Tuesday at the trial of dueling lawsuits involving the groping claim that stems from a photo session before a 2013 concert.

Mueller testified that he wants to clear his name and recover earnings he lost after being fired.

He said he was earning $150,000 under a two-year contract that began six months before the concert.

He says his morning show was meant to be fun but problems with a boss sometimes made it difficult and unprofessional.

Swift has countersued Mueller, claiming she was sexually assaulted.
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11:40 a.m.

Taylor Swift's lawyer is attacking the credibility of a former Denver radio host, claiming he changed his story multiple times and destroyed evidence after the singer accused him of groping her before a 2013 concert.

David Mueller sued Swift for up to $3 million, claiming he was fired from a country music station when Swift falsely accused him.

Swift's attorney, Douglas Baldridge, said in Tuesday's opening argument that Mueller gave seven accounts of what happened and destroyed taped conversations about it with his bosses, who fired him.

Baldridge asked jurors: "What's wrong with this picture? A woman gets assaulted, a woman reports it, and she gets sued."

The attorney says Swift is seeking a symbolic $1 in her counterclaim and isn't trying to bankrupt Mueller. He says she's showing others that "you can always say no."
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11:25 a.m.

Taylor Swift's attorney is telling jurors his superstar client is "absolutely certain" she was sexually assaulted and will prove it in court.

Douglas Baldridge asked Tuesday what possible reason Swift would have to make up an allegation that former Denver radio host David Mueller touched her backside during a concert meet-and-greet in 2013.

Baldridge says, "That's the one and only story we have to tell you — that Mr. Mueller grabbed her rear end."

He emphasized the age difference between Mueller, then 51, and Swift, then 23.
The attorney called it an assault, not inappropriate touching, and that's why the singer reported it.

Mueller sued Swift, claiming her false accusation cost him his job at a country music station. Swift countersued, claiming sexual assault.
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11:20 a.m.

An attorney for a former Denver radio host has shown jurors a photo taken at the time Taylor Swift accused the DJ of touching her backside.

The photo was taken during a meet-and-greet between Swift and David Mueller and Mueller's then-girlfriend before a 2013 concert. All are smiling, and Mueller's right hand is hidden behind Swift.

Attorney David McFarland said Tuesday in his opening statement in Mueller's lawsuit that the photo shows his client's hand "is not underneath Miss Swift's skirt, and her skirt is not rumpled in any fashion."

He says no one on Swift's team saw anything amiss. The attorney says Mueller wants "what was his good name back, his reputation" and compensation after being fired from his $150,000-a-year job.

Swift countersued, alleging sexual assault.
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10:55 a.m.

An attorney for a former Colorado radio host tells jurors they must decide whether his client inappropriately touched Taylor Swift before a 2013 concert or lost his job because of a false accusation.

Lawyer Gabriel McFarland said in his opening statement Tuesday in David Mueller's lawsuit that inappropriate touching is offensive and wrong but that "falsely accusing someone of inappropriate touching is equally offensive" and wrong.

Mueller has sued the singer, alleging her false accusation led him to be fired "from his dream job" as a morning host on a Denver country music station. Swift countersued, alleging sexual assault.
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9:35 a.m.

A jury has been seated in Taylor Swift's civil trial involving a groping allegation against a former DJ.

The eight jurors were selected from a field that once included 60 people on Tuesday in Denver federal court as both Swift and the DJ, David Mueller, watched.

Mueller's back was turned toward Swift just as it was on the opening day of the trial Monday.
The judge, William Martinez, asked one potential juror whether or not he was a Swift fan.

The man said he's not necessarily a fan, "but her music is catchy and it's good vibes." The judge laughed and said, "very good."

Mueller alleges that Swift falsely accused him of groping her before a 2013 Denver concert and got him fired from his $150,000-a-year job from country station KYGO-FM. Swift countersued, claiming sexual assault.
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9:15 a.m.

Jury selection has resumed in Taylor Swift's civil trial involving a groping allegation against a former DJ.

Both Swift and the DJ, David Mueller, are in Denver federal court Tuesday as a field of more than 30 people is winnowed down to an eight-person jury. They are sitting at two separate tables with their attorneys. Mueller's back is turned toward Swift just as it was on the opening day of the trial Monday.

Outside the downtown building, things are quiet. Three teenage Swift fans arrived well before dawn and said they'd scooped up tickets for seats inside the courtroom once jury selection is over.

The courtroom is closed to the public and news media during jury selection, which is expected to be finished by midday.

Mueller alleges Swift falsely accused him of groping her before a 2013 Denver concert and got him fired from his $150,000-a-year job from country station KYGO-FM. Swift countersued, claiming sexual assault.
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1:10 a.m.

A jury is expected to be seated soon in Taylor Swift's civil trial involving a groping allegation against a former DJ.

More than 30 potential jurors are due in federal court in Denver on Tuesday, and eight of them should be chosen by the afternoon.

A questionnaire released on the first day of selection Monday asked candidates if they had seen photographs related to the case. That's a possible reference to a photo showing David Mueller with his hand behind the popstar, just below her waist, before a 2013 concert in Denver.

Swift sued Mueller, accusing him of inappropriately touching her during the meet-and-greet. Mueller denies the allegation and claims Swift's team got him fired from his job by reporting the allegation to his bosses — not the police.

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