Taylor Swift expected to testify in sexual assault trial

Swift has countersued a radio DJ under claims he sexually assaulted her during a meet-and-greet in 2013

Taylor Swift is expected to testify at the upcoming trial against a radio DJ she's accused of sexually assaulting her.

David Mueller allegedly lifted up Swift's skirt and groped her at a meet-and-greet in Colorado in 2013; Mueller sued the singer-songwriter for $3 million in damages, saying he was falsely accused and that she should have contacted the police instead of his bosses, who fired him soon after the encounter.

Swift has since countersued, claiming sexual assault, and her testimony is expected amidst tightened security when the civil trial commences as early as next Tuesday, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

In the case, which may last around two weeks, Swift is seeking a verdict that awards her only $1, but that holds Mueller responsible.

The DJ, then 51, was assigned to attend Swift's concert in Denver on behalf of the station, and was backstage with his girlfriend when they met with Swift, then 23, in a curtained enclosure, posing for a photo and then leaving. Later, Swift's bodyguard confronted Mueller with claims he had lifted up her skirt and groped her.

Mueller denied the allegation and asked for the police to be called. He and his girlfriend were escorted out of the arena while his bosses were called by a member of Swift's team. Her attorney, Douglas Baldridge, has argued in court that Swift did not go to the police as she wanted to keep the situation "discreet and quiet and confidential", and was upset by Mueller's claim that "for some reason she might have some incentive to actually fabricate this story".

Muller's attorney, Gabriel McFarland, argues that Mueller may have been misidentified after someone else groped Swift.

"Ms. Swift knows exactly who committed the assault – it was Mueller – and she is not confused in the slightest about whether her long-term business acquaintance, Mr. Haskell, was the culprit," the countersuit states. "Resolution of this Counterclaim will demonstrate that Mueller alone was the perpetrator of the humiliating and wrongful conduct targeted against Ms. Swift, and will serve as an example to other women who may resist publicly reliving similar outrageous and humiliating acts."

The DJ is also expected to testify, alongside his former bosses and Swift's own entourage.