Immediately after a jury determined that Taylor Swift had been groped by a radio station host before a concert in Denver, the singer-songwriter turned to one of her closest allies 91裸聊视频 her mother 91裸聊视频 and later said she hoped the verdict would inspire other victims of sexual assault.
Swift hugged her crying mother after the six-woman, two-man jury said in U.S. District Court on Monday that former Denver DJ David Mueller had groped the pop star during a photo op four years ago. Per Swift91裸聊视频檚 request, jurors awarded her $1 in damages 91裸聊视频 a sum her attorney, Douglas Baldridge, called 91裸聊视频渁 single symbolic dollar, the value of which is immeasurable to all women in this situation.91裸聊视频
Swift released a statement thanking her attorneys 91裸聊视频渇or fighting for me and anyone who feels silenced by a sexual assault.91裸聊视频
91裸聊视频淢y hope is to help those whose voices should also be heard,91裸聊视频 she said, promising to make unspecified donations to groups that help victims of sexual assault.
Nancy Leong, a law professor at the University of Denver, said the verdict is important because 91裸聊视频渨e are getting to the point in society that women are believed in court. For many decades and centuries, that was not the case.91裸聊视频
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Leong, who also teaches in the university91裸聊视频檚 gender studies program, said the verdict will inspire more victims of sexual assault to come forward.
91裸聊视频淭he fact that she was believed will allow women to understand that they will not automatically be disbelieved, and I think that91裸聊视频檚 a good thing,91裸聊视频 Leong said.
Swift and her mother initially tried to keep the accusation quiet by reporting the incident to Mueller91裸聊视频檚 bosses and not the police.
But it inevitably became public when Mueller sued Swift for up to $3 million, claiming the allegation cost him his $150,000-a-year job at country station KYGO-FM, where he was a morning host.
91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檝e been trying to clear my name for four years,91裸聊视频 he said after the verdict in explaining why he took Swift to court. 91裸聊视频淐ivil court is the only option I had. This is the only way that I could be heard.91裸聊视频
Swift countersued for assault and battery, and during an hour of testimony blasted a low-key characterization by Mueller91裸聊视频檚 attorney, Gabriel McFarland, of what happened. While Mueller testified he never grabbed Swift, she insisted she was groped.
91裸聊视频淗e stayed attached to my bare ass-cheek as I lurched away from him,91裸聊视频 Swift testified.
91裸聊视频淚t was a definite grab. A very long grab,91裸聊视频 she added.
Mueller emphatically denied reaching under the pop star91裸聊视频檚 skirt or otherwise touching her inappropriately, insisting he touched only her ribs and may have brushed the outside of her skirt as they awkwardly posed for the picture.
That photo was virtually the only evidence besides the testimony.
In the image shown to jurors during opening statements but not publicly released, Mueller91裸聊视频檚 hand is behind Swift, just below her waist. Both are smiling. Mueller91裸聊视频檚 then-girlfriend is standing on the other side of Swift.
Swift testified that after she was groped, she numbly told Mueller and his girlfriend, 91裸聊视频淭hank you for coming,91裸聊视频 and moved on to photos with others waiting in line because she did not want to disappoint them.
But she said she immediately went to her photographer after the meet-and-greet ended and found the photo of her with Mueller, telling the photographer what happened.
Swift91裸聊视频檚 mother, Andrea Swift, testified that she asked radio liaison Frank Bell to call Mueller91裸聊视频檚 employers. They did not call the police to avoid further traumatizing her daughter, she said.
91裸聊视频淲e absolutely wanted to keep it private. But we didn91裸聊视频檛 want him to get away with it,91裸聊视频 Andrea Swift testified.
Bell said he emailed the photo to Robert Call, KYGO91裸聊视频檚 general manager, for use in Call91裸聊视频檚 investigation of Mueller. He said he didn91裸聊视频檛 ask that Mueller be fired but that 91裸聊视频渁ppropriate action be taken.91裸聊视频
Jurors rejected Mueller91裸聊视频檚 claims that Andrea Swift and Bell cost him his job.
On Friday, U.S. District Judge William Martinez dismissed similar claims against Taylor Swift, ruling Mueller91裸聊视频檚 team failed to offer evidence that the then-23-year-old superstar did anything more than report the incident to her team, including her mother.
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Associated Press writer Thomas Peipert contributed to this report.
James Anderson And Tatiana Flowers, The Associated Press