This ^^ is a photo of Taylor Swift with her parents as they left her Manhattan apartment yesterday. Taylor has been actively avoiding photographers for months, although we cannot suggest that Taylor’s bodyguards have possibly been moving her in and out of her apartment building via crates and luggage. Who knows? We do know that Taylor does not want to be seen right now.
All week, various media outlets have been covering the start of the Taylor Swift-sexual assault trial. I’ve mentioned the situation in the past, in a few posts, but it’s worth discussing again, as Taylor is due to testify next week in Denver. The Daily Beast did a thorough recap of the timeline and what both sides have claimed – you can read the story here. People Magazine also did a recap/explainer here. The basic gist is that Taylor claims a local Denver deejay slid his hand up her skirt and grabbed her ass as she posed for photos with him and his girlfriend. He sued her, and she sued him right back. Here’s more:
Swift is due to testify next week in a civil case she brought against a former local DJ who is accused of grabbing her butt during a meet-and-greet four years ago. Swift says she’s “never been so sure of anything in her life” that David Mueller intentionally put his hand under her skirt and touched her. Mueller claims he never meant to touch Swift inappropriately when they had their photo taken together at Denver’s Pepsi Center on June 2, 2013.
In fact, Mueller sued Swift first, for allegedly pressuring his bosses to fire him after he lost his $150,000-a-year job as the morning DJ at country radio station KYGO. Swift countersued for assault and battery, contending that Mueller, then 51 years old, groped her, leaving her “shocked and distressed.”
Swift said in a deposition that “right as the moment came for us to pose for the photo, he [Mueller] took his hand and put it up my dress and grabbed onto my ass cheek, and no matter how much I scooted over, it was still there… it was not an accident.”
Some of the evidence in the case was destroyed by Mueller himself. He was sanctioned by Judge William Martinez just last month for destroying four devices including his computer and an iPhone, which held a recording he made with his boss the day after the incident. The next day, he was fired.
TMZ has the photo evidence here – it absolutely shows Mueller’s hand touching Swift well below her waist, and her body language seems very “let me get away from this guy.” TMZ also reports that jury selection begins on Monday, and that Taylor’s superfans are all trying to get “tickets” to the trial, of which there will only be 32 seats available. No one knows if Taylor will be on hand every day of the trial, or whether she will just go on the day she’s due to testify. From the luggage being taken from Taylor’s apartment, I’d say that she’s planning on being away from New York for a while, so my guess is that she’ll be in Denver for several weeks at least.
Personally, I always believed Taylor and I think she tried to take care of this quietly at first, and then it blew up when the guy sued her. I’m proud of her because she’s seeing this through to the bitter end, and she’s likely even putting stuff (her album, promotion, etc) on hold just to see it through.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, WENN.
Glad she’s suing. For once TMZ is helpful
There’s no doubt in my mind that he did groped her.
Its disgusting and also he looks 20 years older then her, stay in your lane old man
Good for her. I think she def gets overexposed and all that but it’s really important that she’s doing this. She’s standing up for herself and her right to not be groped by some nasty dude and I’m always here for that.
I think she’s def calling those paps recently, but good for her on this. I highly doubt she would randomly make something up like this anyway, even if there was no photographic evidence.
It’s also really obnoxious of her fans to want to get “tickets” for this. This isn’t a damn meet and greet.
Yeah, she really wouldn’t benefit at all from making this up. I’ve always believed her, and the photo only proved it more. I think he went under the skirt like she says, even if the photo shows his hand being over. Either way, still inappropriate.
I’m sure the opposing lawyer will ask some gross questions, too, like “why are you still smiling in the picture?” Etc… barf.
I’ve believed her the whole time too. A person’s hatred of a celebrity and inability to see them as a whole person has definitely gone way too far when “she’s lied about much smaller disputes before, so she must be lying about THIS” commentary starts popping up when it’s a topic as serious as an assault , a sex crime, etc.
It is weird that some of her fans want tickets to the trial though. That’s stanning gone too far.
Good for her. This doesn’t help her, though, as much as it will help future girls who will perhaps not be groped because of Taylor’s response.
Precisely
Yes this is a great message to young women. Fight back for your body. I dont mean to take a dig now of all times but this is the first true feminist act I have seen from her.
I’m so glad she’s doing this because no woman deserves to be touched against her will. Ever.
I believe her too. Looking at the photo, his had is well below her waist and there’s fabric gather just over where his hand would be that makes me believe it was under her skirt. I’m glad she’s standing her ground and I hope she wins her case.
She is setting a great example for her fans. Good for her.
I got groped a few times here and there. I’ve been groped in three continents actually. One stands out, I was 20, at work in a fancy restaurant golf place and many of my coworkers had been at the same huge highschool. One, c, was an aquaintance and he’d dated a friend or two of mine and we’d probably partied he but was a year older and more popular with stronger social skills, I guess he was funny, we never talked at work. C randomly came up behind me in the kitchen and said something while groping me hard and I felt so violated. I’m still pissed that I didn’t have the courage to scream at him or maybe even stab him with a kitchen knife or report him. I was a very anxious nervous person at that point. Sometimes I feel I would like to shame him on social media or tell his wife or something since they have daughters. Mainly for revenge but I think I’d like to know if my husband had done that. He has 1000 friends on FB including people I know are nice, and mutual friends but still lives in the town and that town doesn’t have a university. It’s very superficial but the fact that I got a degree, he didn’t plus hes now overweight and wears a coyboy hat (most of the people who did that in our west coast town had confederate stickers too.. total hicks,) makes me no longer feel inferior to this guy, I can’t think of anything he could say that’s below the belt to me to make people laugh at me. But I don’t think it’s socially acceptable to shame people even for sex stuff yet. I’m not traumatized and only think of it when I see a story like this. BUT it’s just unfair there’s so often no consequence
You are 100% not inferior to that guy. Not now , not ever. He is a piece of trash and I’m sorry you had to deal with any of that, but he’s also a piece of trash and you should remember that. Trash isn’t superior to anyone, they just try to make it seem that way. ❤️
I hope she wins…this guy is such a creep.
I worked in a restaurant for a few years with an older man…he was the chef..I was a waitress. I remember bending down to pick something up and he basically shoved my face in his crotch and said “while your down there….” I was only 22.. I laughed it off at first but then it happened again..but the second time he had a hard on. I ended up quitting and not telling anybody about it…to this day I haven’t told my husband or anybody else. I always wish that I would’ve spoken up at the time
I’m so sorry that happened to you Missy!!
You got yourself out an abusive situation the only way you knew how. Don’t beat yourself up out of a socially indoctrinated victim-blaming mindset that says it was YOUR responsibility to do more about HIS harassment. I’m sorry you had to experience that.
I’ve seen the picture – something is definitely happening in it. I’m so proud of Taylor for sticking with this. Say whatever you want about her but this was wrong and she has every right to defend herself against this creep.
That photo is not conclusive. People should not jump to conclusions one way or another
In cases where there is an abuser or molestor, they win with indifference. Your point isn’t neutral, it supports the molester.
No it doesn’t. It means don’t rush to judgment until you hear both sides.
Good for her. I wish this was the procedure for every case of assault.
I met this guy on POF and decided to meet him at our local flea market as a safe meet and I thought it would be fun. Dude groped me on 3 separate occasions, always being when we’re in a crowd so he could use that as an excuse. Finally at one point he pinned me against a pole and said, “see how strong I am”. That literally scared the sh*t out of me. To make it even worse as if that wasn’t enough after the date he texted me and said, “So how long has it been since you’ve had sex?” Creeeeeeep!
Does anyone know if the other person in the photo has made any statements? I’m assuming she was his girlfriend or date and am wondering if they’re still together.