Lawyers for Taylor Swift and former radio host David Mueller began the slow process of selecting a jury and they have a question to ask: Is anyone in your immediate family a fan of Taylor Swift?
The civil trial that has been years in the making got started Monday in U.S. District Court in Denver. Mueller, who went by the name “Jackson” on the country station KYGO, sued Swift in 2015, claiming he was wrongly fired after she claimed he groped her during a meet-and-greet before her 2013 concert at the Pepsi Center. He disputes her allegations. The singer filed a counterclaim, alleging abuse and battery.
After an afternoon of questioning jurors and their potential biases, jury selection will overflow into Tuesday morning.
Swift, her mother, Andrea Swift, and her radio promotions manager, Frank Bell, were in the courtroom Monday, as was Mueller, as lawyers began slimming the jury pool to eight. There will be no alternates.
Bell and Andrea Swift also are named in Mueller’s complaint.
Potential jurors were asked to fill out a questionnaire that asked whether they worked in the music industry or listened to KYGO. Had they, a spouse or their children been fired, been inappropriately touched or been wrongly accused of inappropriately touching someone?
The questions also drilled down to specifics. Had jurors heard of the lawsuit? Had they attended the concert on June 2, 2013, where Swift claims she was groped? Had they seen any pictures related to the lawsuit, alluding to the leaked photo that was taken when Swift alleges the assault occurred? Had they already formed an opinion on the case, about Swift or about Mueller?
Given the intense media interest, jurors will not be allowed to leave the courtroom all day. Six potential jurors who are smokers were relieved right away. “It’s good we’re in Colorado,” U.S. District Court Judge William J. Martinez said. “If we were in my hometown of Chicago, probably half these jurors would be relieved.”
Sixty potential jurors were called into the courtroom for further questioning by Martinez and lawyers for Muller and Swift. The judge asked potential jurors to describe how much of a fan they were of Taylor Swift’s music. Others were asked to explain how much they liked country music and local radio stations.
Mueller’s lawyer asked whether people who had seen a leaked photo of the alleged incident had drawn conclusions. He also probed into what jurors thought they would need to decide if the alleged assault occurred.
Swift’s lawyer was comparatively quick with his questioning, only quizzing a few potential jurors. He followed up on previous answers the potential jurors had given. He also asked people with professions related to medicine if they had worked at either a psychiatric ward or with psychiatric medications.
Only a handful of people showed up to watch jury selection. But the court expects interest from the public to be greater on Tuesday when opening statements are scheduled to begin.
You can check out the juror questionnaire here:
