Firm News

Don’t Hand Me No Lines And Keep Your Hands To Yourself.

11/8/17

By: Shaun Daugherty

Maybe the Georgia Satellites would consider allowing a cover of their hit “Keep Your Hands to Yourself” for Taylor Swift’s next album. Turns out that the Colorado federal jury believed the victim’s testimony regarding the events that occurred during the photo op in 2013 and unanimously found in her favor Monday, August 14, 2017. David Mueller, the DJ in question, sued the singer, her mother and manager, in 2015 alleging that she provided false information that led to his firing. He claimed that the mother and manager had pressured the radio station for his firing as well. In response, the pop star counterclaimed assault and battery for the unwanted touching of her rear-end during the photo shoot.

Mueller’s case was essentially over at the close of his evidence in his case-in-chief when the motions for directed verdict were granted on all of the DJ’s claims except the claims for contract interference against Swift’s mother and manager. That left Ms. Swift’s counterclaim front and center for the media and public to focus on. Actually, that was essentially the focus before trial according to any news outlet that I saw reporting on the issue. The photo from the encounter was an exhibit at trial as you can imagine, and a picture paints a thousand words, as they say. Above is the photo that is reported to have been shown to the jury.

The case came down to a matter of credibility between Mueller and Swift. Mueller’s contention was that Swift’s claims made no sense as he was posing with his girlfriend, in front of a security team, during a company sponsored backstage VIP event. The theory being, why do something as moronic as physically assault a world-famous singer in front of everyone. Further, he apparently claimed that the photo does not even support the allegation as his hand appeared to be touching her ribs. I am no medical expert, but I am not sure that Gray’s Anatomy Text would support that theory.

In any event, the jury found in favor of the defendant mother and manager and awarded Ms. Swift a symbolic $1 in finding in her favor on the sexual assault claims. Douglas Baldridge, who was apparently not working on contingency, argued in closing “by returning a verdict on Ms. Swift’s counterclaims for a single dollar – a single symbolic dollar, the value of which is immeasurable to all women in this situation.”

Strategic brilliance.

In one sentence of the closing argument, the attorney took the facts of the case and made them a distant second to principle and a universal statement for all women.

If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Shaun Daugherty at sdaugherty@fmglaw.com.