Taylor Swift is prepping for her summer sexal assault trial against former KYGO host David Mueller, who sued her back in 2015. Mueller claims that Swift falsely accused him of groping her during a meet and greet photo in 2013, leading to the loss of his job. At the trial, the “Blank Space” singer plans to bring in an expert who will analyze his behavior at the event, and whether it is in step with a likely perpetrator of sexual assault.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Swift responded with a counter suit of her own when Mueller original filed, and brought charges of sexual assault and battery against the former radio DJ. This past Thursday (May 11) Mueller filed a motion to bar testimony from the expert, Lorraine Bayard de Volo. Volo holds a Ph.D. in political science as well as teaching women and gender studies at University of Colorado Boulder.
Mueller’s attorney Gabriel McFarland writes in the motion, “She has never before served as an expert witness, and apparently has no training in psychology. Nonetheless, according to Ms. Bayard de Volo’s written report, she intends to opine that Mr. Mueller had the profile of a person likely to sexually assault women.”
In Volo’s assessment the former radio personality’s masculinity was challenged during the incident, concluding, “This perfect storm of threats to Mr. Mueller’s perceived status is consistent with the well-settled, academically-accepted, perceived threats to status that motivates a man to commit sexual harassment or assault.”
Mueller is arguing that de Volo has never met him in person, yet is presenting him as someone who is “likely to commit” sexual assault and that her testimony should not be admitted.
“If her report addressed such extreme generalizations about race, as opposed to gender, defendants would have been embarrassed to submit it,” Mueller’s attorney writes, adding that her “profiling of men is no less offensive, and certainly no more helpful to the jury, than classic racial or ethnic profiling.”
The trial is currently scheduled to begin in early August (Aug. 7).
In other Swift news, the singer is reportedly recording her new 1989 follow-up album in a Nashville studio. She is intensely focused, taking a break from both social media and press attended events in an effort to produce the best work possible.
A source told E! News, “She has been entirely focused on that and not much else. She has been 100 percent dedicated to making music the last few months and that’s it.”
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