Judge sanctions DJ suing Taylor Swift after losing his job
Legal proceedings are in motion for a DJ suing Taylor Swift, who says the singer cost him his job.
The singer accused David "Jackson" Mueller, a former Denver radio host, of groping her during a photo session in 2013, and Mueller is suing Swift, claiming he lost his job because of her allegations.
But things are not looking great for Mueller, as a judge sanctioned the DJ on Thursday for destroying key evidence in the case, reports CBS Denver. Court documents show that Mueller recorded a conversation he had with his boss about the alleged groping after it happened, but some of the audio was lost. Mueller said that he spilled coffee on the laptop and the hard drive he backed up the evidence on was not working.
The judge said Mueller was unjustifiably careless in handling the evidence when he was supposed to protect it.
A pretrial hearing is set for Friday with jury selection set to begin on Aug. 7.
Mueller filed the lawsuit against Swift in September 2015, saying he was falsely accused of touching Swift's buttocks at the Pepsi Center on June 2, 2013; he said was fired two days later as a result. Mueller denied any intappropriate touching.
In October 2015, Swift hit back with a counterclaim, saying the singer was "surprised, upset, offended and alarmed" when Mueller groped her during the pre-concert meet-and-greet. Her lawyers added that Mueller did not merely brush his hand against Swift while posing for a photograph, but lifted up her skirt.
At the time, Swift -- who was asking for a jury trial -- said any money she might receive from the lawsuit would be donated to charitable organizations "dedicated to protecting women from similar acts of sexual assault and personal disregard."