Taylor Swift just earned a major legal victory in her ongoing sexual assault trial against Colorado DJ David Mueller.
A federal judge dismissed Muller’s claim against Swift on Friday, claiming he couldn’t prove the pop star ruined his career over allegations that he groped her during a 2013 meet-and-greet, E! News can confirm. The judge cited lack of evidence and witness testimony.
As a result, Swift will not be held liable for his subsequent firing from KYGO radio station. Mueller was seeking up to $3 million in damages.
Additionally, four of the five claims made by Mueller against Frank Bell, her radio liaison, and mom Andrea Swift were dismissed. Andrea and Frank remain defendants in his first suit alleging tortious interference with prospective business relations.
This, as well as the pop star’s sexual assault and battery countersuit, will move ahead to jury deliberation next Monday. Swift is seeking $1 in damages.
Her legal team filed a motion earlier today to throw out Mueller’s case entirely without jury deliberation, citing insufficient evidence.
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The Grammy winner took the stand on Thursday, delivering a graphic testimony of what happened when Mueller and his girlfriend at the time, Shannon Melcher, were brought backstage to take a photograph with Swift at Denver’s Pepsi Center.
“It was a definite grab. A very long grab,” she told McFarland on the stand. When asked “how long” the alleged grab took place, Swift replied, “I don’t think it would be wise to estimate time in court, but I know it was long enough for me to be completely sure that it was intentional.”
As the line of questioning continued, Swift further clarified where Mueller’s hand allegedly was. “Rather than grabbing my ass outside of my clothing, he grabbed my ass underneath my clothing,” she said on the stand. “He was busy grabbing my ass underneath my skirt, so he didn’t grab it outside of my skirt.”
Swift’s mother Andrea Swift testified, and most recently, former bodyguard Greg Dent shared his side of the story.
“His hand went under her skirt,” he said. “I did not see his hand touch her physically; I saw his hand under her skirt. She reacted, pushed her skirt down and moved over closer to [Mueller’s girlfriend]. So in my opinion, I knew he touched her.”
Robert Call, a vice president at KYGO, was called to the stand and asked to testify about his decision to fire Mueller two days after the alleged incident. Per Sandell, Call considered several factors in the firing, including the gap between Mueller and Swift in the photo, his conversation with Swift’s “radio guy,” Frank Bell, who claimed that Mueller lifted her skirt and touched her rear end, and Mueller’s account of what happened, which allegedly had changed.