Taylor Swift‘s former bodyguard Greg Dent took the stand in Denver federal court on Friday, August 11, in the singer’s groping trial against former radio DJ David Mueller.
Dent testified that he witnessed Mueller put his hand under the back of Swift’s skirt during a backstage meet-and-greet at Denver’s Pepsi Center in June 2013. He claimed that the alleged act took place right before the photo was taken and that he saw Swift, 27, push her skirt back down.
“His hand went under her skirt. I did not see his hand touch her physically. I saw his hand under her skirt,” Dent said during his testimony, per an Us Weekly reporter in attendance. “She reacted, pushed her skirt down and moved over. So in my opinion, I knew he touched her.”
After the alleged incident, Dent said he focused on the Grammy winner — whose mother, Andrea, fell ill during Friday’s court session and had to leave the room — to see what she wanted him to do. “I thought it was a violation of her body,” he told the panel of jurors before noting that he did not confront Mueller, who was on assignment for Denver country music station 98.5 KYGO at the time.
“I moved forward to look at Ms. Swift,” Dent said. “She continued on with the meet-and-greet and since she didn’t give me any indication to do anything, I stood off to the side. I know what I saw but I didn’t do anything because she said that sometimes I was a little too mean. … I am sure she would have said something if she wanted me to intervene.”
Mueller’s former coworker Ryan “Ryno” Kliesch and Mueller’s ex-girlfriend Shannon Melcher, who attended the meet-and-greet, also testified on Friday. Melcher said her then-beau never touched her inappropriately during their relationship and that she had “nice memories” of their time together.
Melcher testified that the photo session was “strange,” but said she doesn’t have “eyes in the back of my head.” She also claimed that Swift’s accusation was a topic of conversation leading up to her late 2013 split from Mueller.
Swift took the stand on Thursday, August 10, and testified that the DJ “latched on to my bare ass cheek.” She later addressed Mueller’s lawyer, saying, “I am not going to allow you or your client to make it seem like this is in any way my fault, because it isn’t. He did not touch my rib, he did not touch my arm, he did not touch my hand, he grabbed my bare ass.”
Mueller, who was fired from his job after the alleged incident, is seeking up to $3 million in damages. He claimed during his testimony earlier in the week that he touched Swift’s rib cage, not her butt. The singer is countersuing for $1.
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