Taylor Swift Says Man Groped Her in ‘Devious and Sneaky Act’

Ms. Swift said it appeared to her that night that Mr. Mueller and his girlfriend, who accompanied him, had been drinking because he was talking loudly and she was laughing often. Mr. Mueller turned his chair to face her as she answered questions from his lawyer, with whom Ms. Swift occasionally sparred.

At one point, for example, Mr. McFarland asked why, in the photograph she took with Mr. Mueller, the hem of her skirt does not appear to be pushed up in the front.

“Because my ass is located on the back of my body,” Ms. Swift said, earning smiles from several jurors.

She was firm in her depiction of Mr. Mueller’s behavior.

“He did not touch my ribs,” she said, referring to Mr. Mueller’s testimony earlier in the week about the possibility he had inadvertently touched Ms. Swift. “He did not touch my arm. He did not touch my hand. He grabbed my bare ass.”

Photo

When Mr. McFarland asked whether Mr. Mueller had groped her more than once, she responded: “Other than grabbing my ass against my will, underneath my skirt, and refusing to let go, he did not otherwise touch me inappropriately.”

Mr. McFarland turned attention to her behavior, asking why she waited until she had greeted others before making her complaint. She said she did not want to ruin the evening for her fans.

“The first moment I had without fans in front of me was the first time that I reported it,” she said. “I want people to have a good time at my meet-and-greets and concerts. I do not want people to stick their hands up my skirt and grab my ass.”

Pressed on what she could have done differently, she said, “Your client could have taken a normal photo with me.”

Ms. Swift said: “The reason that this was such a devious and sneaky act is that the only thing that was behind me was a wall.” Only a person on the floor “looking up my skirt” could have seen the entire act, “and we didn’t have anyone positioned there.”

Mr. McFarland appeared to be taken by surprise when Ms. Swift’s lawyer, Douglas Baldridge, said he had no questions for Ms. Swift. That led to a slight delay and a lecture from the judge because Mr. McFarland’s next witness was not immediately available.

Ms. Swift’s mother, Andrea Swift, who testified on Wednesday, was not in court on Thursday because she was not feeling well, Mr. Baldridge told the judge.

Andrea Swift had been emotional at times as she spoke on Wednesday about the shock she felt when her daughter told her she had been groped. Andrea Swift went on to describe deciding to make an issue of it to protect her daughter, who was 23 at the time, and other young girls.

The trial, expected to last nine days, has drawn fans of Ms. Swift. Ed Lee, a 50-year-old graphic artist from Seattle, took time from visiting relatives in Colorado to bring his 10-year-old daughter to a trial he said demonstrates lesson he tries to teach her.

“I’ve had many conversations with her as I walk her to school,” Mr. Lee said. “I tell her: ‘You’re an alpha. I want you to know how to pull the claws out when you need them. Because you’re going to need them.’ ”

Continue reading the main story