Taylor Swift Officially Wins Butt Groping Case, Promises Donation To Help Sexual Assault Victims
Taylor Swift’s controversial butt groping case finally came to an end with the jury awarding the singer a complete victory.
According to a report by Buzzfeed, a federal jury in Denver ruled that former DJ David Mueller is guilty of sexual assault by groping Taylor’s behind at a meet-and-greet photo session in June 2013.
After a weeklong trial, the six-woman, two-man jury also revealed that Swift’s mother, Andrea, and her radio liaison, Frank Bell, did not intentionally interfere with Mueller’s employment, adding that they were within their rights to contact the DJ’s bosses.
The jury awarded Taylor $1 — a symbolic message that her lawsuit was not about the money but for the chance to stand up for other women.
Swift, who was present in court to hear the verdict, immediately hugged her mom and lawyers upon the announcement of their victory. Taylor’s mom, on the other hand, emotionally mouthed “thank you” to the jury.
It can be recalled that Mueller, 55, filed a lawsuit against Swift, 22, for allegedly ruining his image and career as a radio DJ. Mueller claimed that the singer and her team “pressured station management to oust him from his $150,000-per-year job.”
The former DJ demanded a whopping $3 million for damages caused by the controversial incident. However, U.S. District Judge William J. Martinez dismissed Mueller’s lawsuit, adding that he has no proof that Taylor got him fired and interfered with his career.
Meanwhile, Taylor released a statement following her victory. The “Bad Blood” singer thanked all the people behind her throughout the entire trial process.
“I want to thank Judge William J. Martinez and the jury for their careful consideration, my attorneys Doug Baldridge, Danielle Foley, Jay Schaudies and Katie Wright for fighting for me and anyone who feels silenced by a sexual assault, and especially anyone who offered their support throughout this four-year ordeal and two-year long trial process.”
Taylor also promised that she would donate to organizations that help sexual assault victims to defend themselves.
“I acknowledge the privilege that I benefit from in life, in society and in my ability to shoulder the enormous cost of defending myself in a trial like this. My hope is to help those whose voices should also be heard. Therefore, I will be making donations in the near future to multiple organizations that help sexual assault victims defend themselves.”
Swift’s attorney Doug Baldridge also gave a brief statement shortly after the verdict outside of the courthouse where fans and reporters gathered.
“I think it’s a new day, because someone with the guts and the courage to stand up with absolutely no upside in doing so—that being Taylor Swift—has told everyone, ‘This is it, the line’s drawn.'”
Taylor Swift's attorney Doug Baldridge outside the courthouse: "The line is drawn" for cases of workplace sexual assault #taylorswifttrial pic.twitter.com/u2hgVD5sgs
— Abigail Edge (@abigailedge) August 14, 2017
Amid the controversial case, avid fans of Taylor showed their unwavering support of the pop star with some spending hours outside the courthouse. However, one fan took her support to the next level as she creatively sent out her messages to the singer spelled out in Post-it notes.
Carly Chapple, who works for the website Craftsy, saw other fans of Swift lining up outside the courthouse during the first day of trial. Apparently, the commotion across the street inspired her to craft signs on the window showing her support.
“I was here working really early and thought it might be fun to put a sign or something up on the window. And I had some Post-its, so I just kind of went with it.”
Check out some of her messages below.
[Featured Image by Christopher Polk/Getty Images]
