Pop star Taylor Swift on Friday won an important ruling in the trial stemming from her allegation that she was groped by a Colorado disc jockey, with the judge dismissing the DJ's rival claim accusing the singer of wrongfully having him dismissed.
The ruling by US District Judge William Martinez left intact Swift's assault and battery countersuit against David Mueller, who had asserted that he was falsely accused by the recording star and ousted from his $150,000 (Dh550,950) a-year job at radio station KYGO-FM under pressure from her.
The Grammy-winning artist known for such hits as Fearless and I Knew Your Were Trouble reacted to the decision with tears of joy, embracing members of her legal team and family members in the courtroom.
Mueller sat alone at the plaintiff's table, appearing somber as he sipped a glass of water. Friday's decision capped the fifth day of a trial highlighted by vivid testimony from Swift charging that Mueller clutched her bare behind during a pre-concert fan reception in 2013 against Mueller's denial of the allegation under oath.
The judge had dismissed Mueller's defamation-of-character claim against Swift before the trial, ruling that the former Denver DJ had waited too long to file suit under the statute of limitations.
Lawyers for both sides rested their respective cases after the ex-girlfriend, Shannon Melcher, took the stand as the final witness to deny seeing Mueller inappropriately touch Swift during the picture-taking session. But she added, "I don't have eyes in the back of my head."
After jurors were excused for the day, Swift's lawyer, J. Douglas Baldridge, asked the judge to throw out Mueller's two remaining legal claims in the trial - disruption of his $150,000-a-year employment contract and interference with his future earnings.
Swift has said her representatives lodged a complaint with KYGO management about the alleged groping but insisted she never demanded Mueller be fired.
Although Martinez agreed to dismiss both claims as they related to Swift, he kept the contract claim intact for Swift's two co-defendants - her mother, Andrea, and her radio station liaison Frank Bell.
The eight-member jury also will be left to decide whether Mueller is liable for assault and battery, for which Swift is seeking a symbolic $1 in damages.
* Reuters
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