Jurors have begun deliberating in the trial of duelling lawsuits between pop star Taylor Swift and a Colorado DJ she accuses of groping her while they posed for a photo together during a pre-concert fan reception.
In closing arguments on Monday, Swift’s attorney Douglas Baldridge questioned former DJ David Mueller’s credibility.
In duelling lawsuits, Swift said Mueller groped her at a backstage 2013 event and Mueller accused Swift, her mother and a Swift representative of getting him fired while denying the groping accusation.
Baldridge noted Mueller lost audio recordings he took secretly during a meeting with his bosses after he was fired from a Denver country music station.
He said that "no credibility goes with a story-changing, evidence-destroying aggressor like David Mueller".
Mueller's lawyer told jurors that the pop star's account is inconsistent with the testimony of every other member of her team. As the pop star cried in federal court during closing arguments, he questioned why Swift was smiling in a photo taken at the time she said the alleged assault took place.
"Look at Ms. Swift's face. Is that the face of someone who's in shock, who is upset?" Gabriel McFarland, representing Mueller, said while showing the photograph from before a 2013 concert with Mueller and Swift together that Swift has said was taken the moment he grabbed her backside.
The eight-member jury must rule unanimously on Mueller's claim that Andrea Swift and Frank Bell wrongly caused Mueller's firing. A judge removed Swift as a defendant in the firing claim.
The jury also must reach a verdict on Swift's counterclaim of assault and battery and her request for a symbolic $US1 judgment.
Listen: Taylor Swift's response to alleged sexual harassment gives us hope.
Top Comments
Good on her for coming forward with this.
And like a friend of mine said - "Hopefully the guy owes a kidney to the sh*tty lawyer who took his cause."
The photo may have been taken a split second before the grope.
More likely though, if she is anything like me, she has had a lifetime of conditioning to not make a fuss, don't get anyone in trouble, smile and be polite - especially when a creepy older man crosses the line.
And that is separate to the appearances she must keep in front of millions of people with cameras recording everything.
So much pressure on her re the image she must try and portray at all times.
The ability of people to keep a straight face so as to not cause a scene is quite remarkable and I think the lawyers comment is (purposefully) ignorant of that.
Further, the lawyer's comment results in Swift being doubly disadvantaged - she is 1. Disadvantaged when she complies with social/cultural norms by smiling and being polite through the assault which would have felt awful for her and 2. Disadvantaged when her behaviour is used against her in an attempt to dismiss and minimise the assault and make HIM out to be the victim.
If there isn't already a name for this behaviour there should be so we can call it out more and more as inappropriate.