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The process of selecting an eight-member jury
was due to conclude early in the day, with presentations to
follow from attorneys for the 27-year-old singer and David
Mueller, who lost his job at Denver radio station KYGO-FM over
Swift's allegation.
Mueller, 55, says he was falsely accused.
U.S. District Judge William Martinez and lawyers for the two
parties spent Monday quizzing members of the jury pool to detect
any bias, asking, for example, if any were fans of Swift or
regular listeners of KYGO.
Swift, one of America's top-selling recording stars, attended
Monday's proceedings, turning to face the prospective jurors
when introduced by the judge, then taking notes on a pad of
paper during the selection process.
She made it into the courtroom without being spotted by the
media outside the downtown Denver courthouse. Her mother, Andrea
Swift, was also present. The singer is expected to take the
witness stand during the trial.
The litigation centers on her allegations that Mueller slipped
his hand under her dress and grabbed her bare buttocks as the
two posed during a meet-and-greet session before a June 2013
concert in Denver.
"It was not an accident, it was completely intentional, and I
have never been so sure of anything in my life," Swift said in a
deposition.
Mueller sued first, saying Swift fabricated the allegation and
pressured station management to oust him from his
$150,000-per-year job. His case cites tort claims of
interference with contractual obligations and prospective
business relations.
His lawsuit denies anything inappropriate occurred during the
brief backstage encounter in which he and his girlfriend stood
on either side of the pop star.
Swift countersued for assault and battery, and the two civil
complaints were merged for trial. In court filings, Swift said
her representatives informed KYGO management about the incident,
but she did not demand Mueller be fired.
Swift, one of the most successful contemporary music artists,
earned $170 million between June 2015 and June 2016, following a
world tour and her best-selling "1989" album, Forbes Magazine
said.
(Reporting by Keith Coffman in Denver; Writing by Steve Gorman;
Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
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