Taylor Swift is using her experience to help others. The 27-year-old singer promised to make donations to help victims of sexual assault defend themselves in court after winning her groping trial against DJ David Mueller on Monday, August 14.
“I want to thank Judge William J. Martinez and the jury for their careful consideration, my attorneys Doug Baldridge, Danielle Foley, Jay Schaudies and Katie Wright for fighting for me and anyone who feels silenced by a sexual assault, and especially anyone who offered their support throughout this four-year ordeal and two-year long trial process,” Swift, 27, said in a statement to Us Weekly after hearing the verdict.
“I acknowledge the privilege that I benefit from in life, in society and in my ability to shoulder the enormous cost of defending myself in a trial like this,” the statement continued. “My hope is to help those whose voices should also be heard. Therefore, I will be making donations in the near future to multiple organizations that help sexual assault victims defend themselves.”
The Grammy-winning singer claimed that former radio host Mueller grabbed her butt during a Denver meet-and-greet in June 2013. The jury ruled in Swift’s favor and she was awarded a symbolic $1.
Swift’s lawyer J. Douglas Baldridge said in his opening statements that the pop star was “taking a stand for all women” by taking her case to trial. “Today Ms. Swift is taking a stand for all women. Today a woman has reported being sexually assaulted and now she is being sued for a case of workplace sexual assault. She has been in tens of thousands of meet-and-greets, including going out in the crowds, and she never had this happen,” Baldridge said, per an Us Weekly reporter in attendance. “If a person cannot stand up and serve as an example to other young women that have been sexually assaulted, then who can?”
Throughout the trial, Mueller maintained that he never groped the “Blank Space” singer, and said in his testimony that he may have touched her near her ribs while posing for a photo. His attorney, Gabe McFarland, claimed that Swift accused the wrong man.
Mueller originally sued Swift for $3 million in damages, claiming that he lost his job at Denver-based radio station 98.5 KYGO after the incident. “He wants to make the victim pay the price, he is seeking 15 times what his contract with the radio station was worth in damages, and Ms. Swift is seeking $1 to show women you can say no,” Baldridge said in court. (Mueller’s lawsuit was dismissed on August 11 for insufficient evidence.)
