Ex-girlfriend of former DJ testifies she never saw him grope Taylor Swift
The DJ's ex and Swift's bodyguard took the stand in the civil trial.
— -- The ex-girlfriend of former radio DJ David Mueller testified today that she did not see him touch Taylor Swift in an inappropriate way, as the singer has alleged.
Shannon Melcher, who currently manages sales and advertising at eight Colorado radio stations, took the stand on day four of the ongoing civil trial between the pop star and former radio DJ, whom Swift has accused of grabbing her backside during a photo opportunity at a 2013 meet-and-greet.
Mueller has denied groping Swift and in 2015 filed a suit against the singer claiming that her accusation was false and that the allegation had caused him to lose his job at Denver radio station KYGO.
Swift filed a countersuit shortly after, claiming Mueller "took his hand and put it up my dress," according to the documents obtained by ABC News.
Melcher, who said she and Mueller "grew apart" by the end of 2013, testified that she did not notice anything odd or sense any unusual reaction from the pop star during the photo op, in which she was on one side of Swift and Mueller was on the other.
Melcher said that after Mueller was questioned by Swift's security team, she asked him if he had touched Swift inappropriately. She said his reply was, "How could you ask me that?"
She added that Mueller's account from that first night has never changed and that she's never seen him touch a woman inappropriately, including her. She also said that neither of them had any alcohol before the meet-and-greet or earlier at dinner.
Melcher testified that Mueller was "devastated, blown away" when KYGO fired him. "This was his dream job," she said.
Following her testimony, Mueller's legal team rested their case.
Just as she has been since jury selection began Monday, Swift was in the courtroom watching the proceedings today with brother Austin Swift and mother Andrea Swift, who testified earlier in the week that she felt sick after her daughter told her she'd been groped.
Also today, jurors in the Denver courtroom heard from Taylor Swift's bodyguard Greg Dent and Mueller's former morning show co-host Ryan "Ryno" Kliesch.
Dent testified that he saw Mueller's hand go under Taylor Swift's skirt and then saw the singer move closer to Melcher, who also posed for the picture.
Dent said he looked at Taylor Swift to see if she wanted him to move in, but she continued to take the picture and finish the meet-and-greet so as not to disappoint her other fans. "I know what I saw, but I didn't do anything because she sometimes said I was a little too mean," the bodyguard said.
Later, he added, that Taylor Swift is "too fan-friendly for me."
Dent also testified that he believed Mueller had been drinking and that when two security guards went looking for him after the alleged incident, they found him at the bar.
He said changes have also been made to meet-and-greets since then, including instructing "guys to keep their hands up high."
Kliesch testified that his morning show with Mueller was considered family-friendly and he'd never seen his co-host inappropriately touch or be disrespectful to a woman.
As he left the courtroom, Kliesch told reporters he came there to defend his friend, who he said is innocent.
The highlight of the trial, however, was on Thursday when Taylor Swift took the stand, at turns sarcastic, defiant and funny, but never wavering in her testimony that Mueller groped her.
Taylor Swift said at first she thought it was a mistake when Mueller reached up under her skirt, so she moved to the side, but he "didn't let go."
"He stayed latched on to my bare ass cheek as I lurched away from him," she testified. "I got as far away from him as I could."
She added: "He was busy grabbing my ass underneath my skirt."
Related Topics
