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David Mueller Back On Witness Stand In Day Three Of Taylor Swift Lawsuit
August 9, 2017 at 4:40 AM (PT)
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Day three of former KYGO/DENVER host DAVID "JACKSON" MUELLER's lawsuit against TAYLOR SWIFT was delayed TODAY (8/9), after presiding U.S. District Judge WILLIAM MARTINEZ ordered jurors, spectators, and media out of the courtroom in order to confer privately with attorneys for both sides.
When the trial resumed, MUELLER was back on the stand, and acknowledged a photo of his hand behind SWIFT was "weird and awkward," but maintained he made contact with her ribs, not her backside, But SWIFT attorney DOUGLAS BALDRDGE told the Jury that SWIFT's bodyguard had testified in an earlier deposition that he saw MUELLER lift SWIFT's skirt during the photo.
BALDRIDGE also told the court SWIFT was said to be upset soon after the photo was taken. He quoted a deposition from SWIFT photographer STEPHANIE SIMBECK, who said SWIFT mentioned "that guy" had grabbed her behind.
MUELLER first took the stand YESTERDAY (8/8) and was questioned by SWIFT's attorneys about an alleged groping incident which took place prior to a 2013 SWIFT show in DENVER (NET NEWS 8/8). MUELLER claims he was falsely accused of touching SWIFT, then abruptly fired. He's suing SWIFT for $3 million, claiming lost wages. SWIFT, in turn, accused MUELLER of "improperly and inappropriately groping" her during a photo op backstage at the same show. She's counter-suing, and promises to donate any money received as a result, to charity.
During his time on the stand TUESDAY, MUELLER was asked about recordings he made of the meeting with his bosses at Country KYGO/DENVER, a meeting in which he was terminated. MUELLER said the recordings were incomplete, due to a coffee spill on his laptop. Water was spilled on a second computer, and an iPad was accidentally smashed, making it impossible for him to produce full audio of the two-hour meeting. Additionally, SWIFT attorneys suggested MUELLER may have felt slighted by the artist, who invited his date into the photo and was "cold and standoffish" toward him.
The civil trial continues TOMORROW (8/10), and at some point, SWIFT is also expected to testify.
Trial Recap From Yesterday
The second day in court (8/8) and the first day of testimony in former KYGO/DENVER host DAVID "JACKSON" MUELLER's lawsuit against TAYLOR SWIFT for accusing him of groping her, which led to his firing by KYGO, included MUELLER testifying that he may have touched SWIFT's ribs and saying that audio of his post-incident meeting with station management was destroyed by an accidental coffee spill on his computer keyboard while he sent the files to SWIFT's lawyers.
MUELLER has steadfastly denied inappropriately touching the singer at the 2013 pre-concert meet-and-greet, and repeated his denial on the stand, admitting that he may have touched her ribs with a closed hand while trying to reach around her posing for a photo.
On the audio files, MUELLER said he recorded a meeting with then-PD/host EDDIE HASKELL (HERSHEL COOMER) and VP/Market Manager BOB CALL but, after sending 19 clips to SWIFT's lawyers (who said they got only 11 of them), the coffee spill and a water spill on a second computer prevented further clips from being sent. Further testimony involved MUELLER's assertion that HASKELL told him that SWIFT had jumped into his arms and he held her with his hands on her butt, which MUELLER dismissed as "one of his stories," but he did not explain under cross-examination why he did not inform CALL about the story