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The Denver DJ accused of groping Taylor Swift in June 2013 flatly denied ever touching her inappropriately in court testimony Tuesday afternoon.

David Mueller, 55, of Denver, also rejected claims by Swift's counsel that he changed his story seven times and said he did not destroy evidence pertinent to the case. Swift was in court alongside her mother who cried during opening statements.

Asked to explain the impact the groping claim had on him, Mueller said it had cost him his income and his career.

He said it has been 'hard on my family and it has been hard on my friends. It had an impact on my girlfriend [Melcher]. It was hard for her, it was hard for me.'

He added: 'It's a humiliating experience to be accused of something that despicable.' 

He also accused Swift's security guards of taunting him about his behavior in the immediate aftermath of the June 2 incident in front of his girlfriend.

Describing the fateful meet and greet, Mueller said he and former flame Shannon Melcher had lined up for approximately 20 minutes before being introduced to Swift.

He said the entire episode lasted just 40 seconds and began cordially with Swift shaking both his and girlfriend's hands. 

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This photo of Shannon Melcher (left) and David Mueller (right) with his hand behind Taylor Swift at the Pepsi Center was leaked last year. Potential jurors were asked if they had seen this image which is expected to form part of the evidence against Mueller

David Mueller is seeking $3 million from Taylor Swift, accusing her of being the reason he was 'wrongfully' fired from his $150,000-a-year job. He claims he did not touch her inappropriately during their encounter in 2013

Taylor Swift is expected to take the stand in a lawsuit against David Mueller, a former radio host

A court sketch shows Taylor Swift was seated with her mother on one side and Attorney J. Douglas Baldridge on the other side

Mueller says he then complimented her about her interactions with fans, telling court in Denver: 'I was very impressed'.

Swift then suggested a photo, turning to Melcher and putting her arm around her. Mueller says he then 'immediately started moving to get in the photo'; extending his hand towards the singer and making contact with what 'seemed to be a ribcage or ribs'.

Asked if he had touched Swift's bottom by his lawyer Gabriel McFarland, Mueller answered: 'No'.

He added: 'Our hands touched and our arms touched. I know our arms crossed and touched.' 

The former radio host also insisted that he did not put his hand up Swift's skirt, touch her outside of her clothing or touch her inappropriately in any fashion at all.

Mueller said after the photo was taken, he and Melcher left the backstage 'photo booth' area and went to put the signed photos he had been given in his car.

When he returned to the arena inside the Pepsi Center approximately 25 minutes later, he was confronted by a security guard – later identified as Greg Dent, Swift's personal bodyguard.

In this courtroom sketch, pop singer Taylor Swift, front left, confers with her attorney as David Mueller, back left, and the judge look on during a civil trial in federal court Tuesday

David Mueller testified Tuesday and claimed he did not touch Swift inappropriately and may have grazed her rib cage with a closed hand

Taylor Swift's PR Tree Paine leaves court with other members of Swift's team after day one of the singer's sexual harassment trial in Denver, Colorado

According to Mueller, Dent approached him and said: 'Do you want to tell me about what happened earlier?'

Mueller claims he was initially confused and then denied the groping allegations to Dent repeatedly. He says Dent then told him: 'Listen mate, this is serious. I can get the police involved.'

The DJ told the court Dent 'clearly had a problem with me' and accused another security guard of taunting him by repeatedly asking: 'Are you proud of yourself? Are you proud of what you did?'

Mueller and Melcher were then escorted out of the Pepsi Center via a staff tunnel and encountered Swift's radio manager Frank Bell en route who told him he was banned from her gigs for life.

According to Mueller, Bell said: 'Taylor doesn't want you here tonight. You are banned from all future Taylor Swift concerts.'

Later that evening, Mueller says he was suspended from his job and was fired following a meeting with his bosses Eddie Haskell and Bob Call the following day.

He also denied accusing Haskell of groping Swift, telling court that Haskell had told him that he had grabbed the singer's bottom during a hug the same night but that he had assumed it was a tall tale.

Tuesday’s cross examination concluded with a retelling of events leading up to the alleged groping incident. Tree Paine publicist to Taylor Swift leaves court in Denver above

In this sketch by courtroom artist Jeff Kandyba, pop singer Taylor Swift, left, and a defense attorney look on as former radio host David Mueller, background right, speaks during a civil trial in federal court Tuesday

During cross examination, Mueller was asked by Swift's counsel if he could think of any reason why she might fabricate the story.

Baldridge also referred to Mueller's deposition made last year, in which he said: 'I can't imagine why she would fabricate a story.'

Asked repeatedly if he could think of any 'reason, incentive or motive' Swift might have for engaging in two years of litigation with him, he said: 'I cannot'.

He was also quizzed about why he chose to sue Swift and her mother over the incident rather than his former employers; with Baldridge intimating that the reason was money.

Mueller was forced to concede that he made the groping allegations public by filing his 2015 lawsuit and had no evidence to suggest that Swift had not tried to keep the incident private.

Later in proceedings, Baldridge compared Mueller to shock jock Howard Stern, asked him if he would like a similar job and added: 'You'd like to make the kind of money he makes, wouldn't you?' The DJ denied it, saying he was not interested.

Baldridge also attacked Mueller over the loss of five electronic devices containing recordings of the June 3 meeting between the DJ and his bosses in the immediate aftermath of the incident.

Of the almost two hours of audio recorded, the 55-year-old was able to recover just 15 minutes which he admitted to 'editing' into 19 separate clips. Only 11 of these were handed to Baldridge.

Referring to a series of depositions made and lodged with the court last year, Swift's team accused the DJ of lying and pointed out that his former boss had raised concerns over his recollection of the groping incident.

According to testimony read out in court, Frank Call had said: 'Mr Mueller said to me, I didn't do it but if I did, it was incidental. He changed his story.'

Mueller was also asked about his relationship with Haskell, his other boss at KYGO, and admitted that he had disliked him. 

Tuesday’s cross examination concluded with a retelling of events leading up to the alleged groping incident, with Mueller confessing under questioning that he found Swift ‘cold and standoffish’.

He was also quizzed over statements made in his deposition to the effect that he was left feeling ‘invisible’ after Swift focused her attention on his girlfriend.

Mueller had said: ‘She didn’t acknowledge me when it was time to pose for the photos. She just pulled Shannon in and I was on my own.’

Speaking in court, he added: ‘I was a little alarmed by it. I expected… Most people when they pose for photographs, they expect to get into it.’  

A line of approximately 30 'Swifties' stood outside Alfred A. Arraj Courthouse in Denver on Tuesday on the second day of jury selection 

During opening statements, Mueller testified that he may have touched her 'rib cage, or rib, or ribs' with a closed hand. He said their hands and arms touched during a meet-and-greet that he estimated lasted 40 seconds or less.

Swift's counsel hit back at Mueller, telling the jury that the 55-year-old is a liar who has changed his story seven times and is motivated by money and revenge. Swift avoided making eye contact with Mueller during the proceedings.

Addressing the court, in Denver, Colorado, Douglas Baldridge said: 'David Mueller, a 51-year-old DJ, grabbed my 23-year-old client's rear end, plain and simple.

'It's an assault. Not inappropriate touching, an assault. And Taylor Swift reported it.'

He added: 'She has done hundreds of meet and greets and nothing like this has ever happened [before].

'What motivation would she have to make up that someone, after years of interaction with her precious fans, would do what happened? 

'She is absolutely certain that David Mueller grabbed her rear end. This man [Mueller] grabbed her rear end.' 

By contrast, McFarland painted a picture of a man who had lost his 'dream job' and is desperate to restore his good name.

He said Mueller 'wasn't really excited' to attend Swift's June 2, 2013 concert but went because his bosses expected him to and it was 'part of the job'.

The DJ and his then girlfriend Shannon Melcher met Swift in a small curtained room dubbed 'the photo booth' and introduced themselves to the singer as being from radio station KYGO.

McFarland says Swift suggested they take a photo but claimed Mueller was taken by surprise thanks to her speed and so he 'jumped into' the frame, touching her rib in the process.

The resulting picture, which was shown to jurors by both sides, was described by McFarland as 'awkward' but he insisted that there was no visible evidence that the radio host's hand was beneath Swift's skirt as she claimed.

Mueller's counsel also said that the other people in the room did not see anything happen, including Swift's bodyguard who was stationed behind the trio as the picture was taken.

An office across the street from the courthouse had a made a sign using sticky notes reading 'FREETAY'

For the trial, there will be 32 seats in the public gallery being made available each day. Taylor Swift fans waited in line early Tuesday morning 

According to the 55-year-old, the first he knew of Swift's claim was when another security guard came up to him outside the Pepsi Center and said: 'Are you happy with yourself?'

Two days later, Mueller was fired – the result, his lawyer claimed, of Swift's management telling his boss that he had groped her. Bosses at KYGO were told by Swift's radio manager Frank Bell that they were 'expected to do the right thing', McFarland told court.

He added: '[They were] told that Taylor's mom and dad were really upset, especially mom. [Bell] said it was a really serious situation.

'He said [Swift's] relationship with KYGO could be seriously impacted and that they were considering all options.' He added: 'That means we want you to fire him. It's not surprising that when one of the planet's most powerful superstars contact a radio station that David Mueller was fired.'

Swift's team, by contrast, says Mueller knew exactly what he was doing, with Baldridge accusing the host of changing his story seven times and of destroying five electronic devices containing evidence.

According to Baldrige, Mueller's first reaction was to deny touching the Wildest Dreams singer at all, followed by saying that if he had done it, he did it by accident.

Two years later, when he filed suit, Mueller changed his story again to claim that his immediate boss Eddie Haskell had groped Swift.

Later, in a deposition, he said he had his closed fist behind Swift's backside and so could not have groped her, then changed his story again to say he had his open hand behind her.

In fall of 2016, he told a Detroit radio station that his and Swift's arms had brushed and finally, in the opening argument made by his lawyer in court today, said he touched her rib but nothing else.

Mueller, who was censured by Judge William Martinez last month for failing to preserve laptops and cellphones containing recordings of an interview he had with KYGO's management, was also accused of destroying evidence by Baldridge.

He added: 'He [Mueller] is seeking a payday. His motivation is getting money and revenge on his boss Eddie Haskell and KYGO.

'Will he be allowed to stifle a young woman's right to report a sex assault in the workplace to management?

'If this person [Swift] cannot stand up and serve as an example to other women, then who can?'

 Tree Paine, publicist for Taylor Swif,t arrives at court in Denver, CO escorted by a security team

Baldridge also rejected Mueller's claims that no one in the 'photo booth' saw what happened, saying of the seven people in the room, four saw something 'so unusual, they knew something was wrong.'

All four will appear on the stand later this week, alongside Swift's mother Andrea, Mueller's former girlfriend Melcher and Swift herself.

Swift's counsel claim Melcher has already confessed that she had no idea what was going on while the photo was being taken because she was focused on the picture.

Mueller, now silver-haired and wearing a black suit and tie, and a silver watch, in court, has begun giving background evidence covering his career prior to June 2 2013.

He is due to give his account of the groping incident following the lunch recess.

Swift, who was seated in court beside her mother throughout, heard the opening arguments and the start of Mueller's testimony in silence. 

Earlier Tuesday, the singer entered the courthouse via a side door, and walked into the courtroom flanked by her lawyer, and her mother Andrea who is also a defendant in the civil case brought by Mueller.

Swift once again opted for a somber look, taking her seat in a high-necked black dress and styling her blonde hair in a sleek ponytail.  

She spent the early part of the hearing looking on intently as the judge spoke to the jury pool, occasionally pausing to flick through court papers spread across the table at which she is seated. 

Jury selection was completed at 9.29am local time, following a series of peremptory strikes on both sides. 

Swift, her hands clasped in front of her and her head bowed, rose to watch the rejected jurors file out; speaking briefly to her mother as they left court.

The remaining eight were sworn in shortly afterwards and were told not to talk about the case between themselves or to anyone else. 

A car with heavily tinted windows, assumed to be arriving with Taylor Swift, drove into to the federal court car park on Tuesday

Mueller filed suit in 2015, claiming the 27-year-old fabricated her claim that he grabbed her bottom during a meet and greet at Denver's Pepsi Center in June 2013.

But a month after Mueller's suit was lodged in court in September 2015, Swift counter-sued – alleging battery and sexual assault and saying she had 'never been more sure of anything in my life'.

The long-running legal battle is now to be decided by a Federal jury, with selection getting underway in Denver yesterday. 

Both Swift and Mueller were in court for proceedings but sat at separate tables and with their backs to each other.

According to Denver District Court spokesman Jeff Colwell, jury selection will be completed by Tuesday lunchtime with opening arguments following that afternoon.

Swift's fans have also been given limited access to the trial, with 32 seats being made available each day.

On Tuesday morning, a line of approximately 30 'Swifties' had formed by 7am with many saying they had been waiting since 5am in order to secure their spot in court.

Edward Lee, 50, and his 10-year-old daughter Vegazaringlee had been standing outside since 5.30am, with Lee telling DailyMail.com that both are Swift fans.

He said: 'I'm a fan [of Swift] and I was interested in getting my daughter a civics lesson from a role model.'

Vegazaringlee added: 'I'm a super-fan. I know this is cheesy but I'm her biggest fan. I don't think she's lying. She wouldn't lie to her mom, her manager and her fans about this.'

Others in the line said they had come to show their support for Swift, who, fans said, would be vindicated.

Jacquelyn Evans, 32, of Denver, had been waiting in line since 5.45am and said she expected the case to be 'interesting'.

Taylor Swift entered through a side door away from the media, dressed in a high-necked black dress and her hair styled into a sleek ponytail

The jury selection was completed at 9.29am local time with both sides making peremptory strikes against potential jurors 

Tree Paine was followed by cameras as she entered the courthouse. Some fans waited outside beginning at 5am Tuesday morning  

She said: 'I think it will be interesting to hear both sides, although I'm on Taylor's side. She wouldn't make something like this up. She's an honest person and should be allowed to defend herself.'

Another Swift fan, Matt Frickel, 28, who is from Montana but now lives in Denver, added: 'I think this Mueller guy will lose. I mean, why would she make it up?

'She's got lots of money, lots of fame – she's got all this and she's only suing him for $1. It's really interesting.'

Day one of the trial, which is expected to last for nine days, saw jury selection get underway with two struck out at the request of legal teams on both sides.

Potential jurors had been asked to complete a questionnaire which included demands to know if they are Swift fans, as well as if they listened to the radio station where Mueller was once employed.

Only one admitted to having a penchant for the Nashville singer, telling Judge William Martinez that she would not call herself a fan but adding: 'She's very good. I do follow her.'

The hearing also saw Swift accused of launching 'a crusade for women's rights' by Mueller's attorney, Gabriel McFarland.

Attempting to remove a juror whose wife teaches female empowerment workshops, McFarland said: 'Miss Swift in this case has taken a position that isn't just about what happened between her and David Mueller. She has turned this into a crusade for women's rights, women's issues.'

One man recused himself on the grounds that some of his friends had suffered sexual assaults themselves and he wouldn't be able to judge the case impartially.

Another juror was removed after it emerged that he had viewed a photograph of Swift and Mueller taken during the meet and greet at the Pepsi Center on June 2 2013.

The image, which shows Swift standing between Mueller and his then-girlfriend Shannon Melcher, is expected to form part of the singer's case but was leaked to TMZ at the end of last year.

In it, Mueller's hand is hidden behind Swift's backside – and she later said in her counter-complaint that he 'took his hand and put it up my dress and grabbed onto my ass cheek. And no matter how much I scooted over, it was still there'.

Mueller, who denies the claim, says the singer did not say anything to him at the time. He says he first knew of the claim when he was confronted by a security guard the same evening.

He also says he told the man to call the police but notes that the Wildest Dreams singer did not do so – explained in earlier hearings by Baldridge as her wanting to keep the situation 'discreet and quiet and confidential'.

The former radio host was fired from his $150,000-a-year job by Lincoln Financial Media two days after the incident and is hoping for damages of up to $3 million should he triumph.

Swift is seeking a token $1 award and a verdict that holds Mueller responsible and serves 'as an example to other women who may resist publicly reliving similar outrageous and humiliating acts'

The trial, at the Alfred A. Arraj Courthouse in Denver, Colorado, continues. 

Details of how a Denver DJ allegedly groped Taylor Swift are set to be aired in court over the next nine days, as her long-running legal battle in the 2013 sexual assault case will be decided in a jury trial.

Jury selection got underway in Denver, Colorado, Monday afternoon. The singer, 27, was in court, making her way inside via a side entrance.

Dressed in a white dress and black jacket, Swift sat silently beside her attorney, Douglas Baldridge, as proceedings got underway.

Former radio host David Mueller, 55, was in court and arrived with his lawyer Gabriel McFarland.

Several prospective jurors were quizzed by Judge Martinez over their knowledge of the case, including a woman who had seen a photo of Swift and Mueller taken at the time of the alleged groping incident. 

Judge Martinez said: 'The photo is out there on the internet. I ordered that it not be put out at the time but even federal judges cannot do everything.'

Another woman was asked about a sexual assault she herself had endured but told the Judge that she had recovered from the ordeal and did not believe it would affect her ability to make a decision on the case.

Juror 734 was asked about her liking for Swift's music, telling the court: 'I do have a positive image of her [Swift]. I don't listen to her a lot.'

Jury selection began Monday for David Mueller's lawsuit against Taylor Swift. The pop star counter-sued him for assault and battery 

Tree Paine (center) Taylor Swift's publicist, walked in to attend the jury selection phase in a civil trial to determine whether a radio host groped the pop singer

Asked if she was a fan of the singer, she said: 'Not particularly, no, but she's good. I do follow her.' 

The process is expected to be completed by Tuesday lunchtime with opening arguments from both sides due to be heard this afternoon.

One juror recused himself on grounds of having friends who were sexually assaulted.

A second juror was ruled out by Judge Martinez at the request of Swift's legal team after he confessed to looking at the leaked photo and said he thought it was possible he thought it could have been altered.

Juror 632 said he thought the picture could show inappropriate touching but also believed it could have been edited by the media to cast Mueller in a bad light.

Baldridge said: 'His responses indicated that he had already pre-judged the physical evidence.

'He voiced unsupportable theories about the photo being altered.'

Mueller's counsel objected to the removal on the grounds that the man was merely 'curious' but was overruled by the judge. 

Swift and her mother Andrea will both take to the stand during the trial, as will Mueller and Shannon Melcher – his co-host on the day of the alleged assault and his girlfriend at the time.

The star was accused of launching 'a crusade for women's rights' during jury selection.

Gabriel McFarland, who is representing former radio DJ David Mueller, made the claim while attempting to strike out a prospective juror whose wife teaches female empowerment workshops.

McFarland told Judge Martinez the man would find it 'difficult' to go home if he found against Swift and accused the singer of making the case about more than the alleged 2013 groping incident.

He said: 'Miss Swift in this case has taken a position that isn't just about what happened between her and David Mueller.

'She has turned this into a crusade for women's rights, women's issues.'

He also attempted to remove a woman who is thought to have suffered a similar incident, saying it would be 'unfair to ask her to be impartial' in the case.

Both requests were overruled by Judge Martinez, although he did allow the removal of prospective juror 457 who had already told the court he would find it impossible to be unbiased because some of his friends had endured sexual assaults.

Speaking early in the proceedings, the man said: 'I've had friends who have had similar experiences. I still have that personal investment.

'They claimed it several years ago but I can't say there wouldn't be any bias that might affect my decision.'

The juror questionnaire asked how familiar potential jury members were with Taylor Swift and Mueller. It asked questions such as whether or not they had attended Swift's concerts, listened to her music or bought her albums.

Media gather outside the Alfred A. Arraj United States Courthouse ahead of the Taylor Swift trial in Denver. Colorado

The incident occurred in 2013, when Mueller (right) was a morning host at a Denver radio station. Swift said he took 'his hand and put it up my dress and grabbed onto my ass cheek'

The trial is the climax of a long-running legal fight that began in September 2015 after Mueller sued Swift for $3 million over an alleged groping incident that took place in June 2013. 

Mueller says he was falsely accused by the Wildest Dreams singer of putting his hand on her bare backside during a meet and greet at Denver's Pepsi Center.

In his complaint, he also says he told a member of Swift's security detail to contact the police when confronted about the alleged assault but claims they called his bosses instead. 

Two days after the incident on June 2, 2013, he was fired from his job following an internal investigation conducted by Lincoln Financial Media.

Mueller claimed that Swift and her management team deliberately interfered with his career and wants to be awarded damages of $3 million.

Prospective jurors were asked if they had formed any opinions about the case

Swift counter-sued the following month for assault and battery, saying in her complaint that he 'took his hand and put it up my dress and grabbed onto my ass cheek. And no matter how much I scooted over, it was still there'. 

At the time of the alleged grope, Mueller, then 51, was a radio DJ employed by a country music station in Denver.

According to the civil complaint, seen by DailyMail.com, he was ordered by bosses to attend Swift's show and a fan meet and greet on June 2.

He met the New Romantics singer backstage in a curtained-off enclosure and posed for a picture with her and Melcher before leaving.

During that time, Swift claims he reached under her dress and grabbed her bare bottom – telling court in a sworn deposition that 'it was not an accident'.

She added: 'It was completely intentional, and I have never been so sure of anything in my life.'

The juror questionnaire document (pictured) asked potential jury members if they were fans of Taylor Swift and her music 

The jurors were asked if they went to Taylor Swift's concert in June of 2013, the year after she released her album Red

A fan waits outside at the Alfred A. Arraj Courthouse where jury selection began on Monday

Swift showed up to court through a side entrance away from the massive media presence near the main entryway 

A photograph taken on the day is expected to form part of the evidence against Mueller and shows him posing with the singer and Melcher.

In it, Mueller's hand is hidden behind the singer near her bottom but he claims the only physical contact they had was when their arms brushed as they took their positions.

The DJ says as many as 20 other people could have been in the room at the time and insists the security guard present did not react to anything during the meet and greet.

Mueller claims he was later confronted by one of Swift's security guards over the allegation and told the man he should call the police.

The juror questionnaire asked if the potential member knew the radio personalities on KYGO Radio where Mueller used to work. It also asked if the potential juror knew Swift's mother Andrea who is expected to testify during the trial 

He and Melcher were then escorted out of the Pepsi Center and he was fired two days later, after Swift's radio promotions manager Frank Bell told Mueller's bosses about the incident.

The police were not called because of Swift's wish to keep the situation 'discreet and quiet and confidential', according to her attorney Douglas Baldridge.

Mueller's lawyer, Gabriel McFarland, has argued in previous hearings that he could be the victim of mistaken identity.

Baldridge, meanwhile, has said Swift is upset by Mueller's claim that 'for some reason she might have some incentive to actually fabricate this story.'

A number of fans are expected to attend the trial, with 32 seats in the public gallery being made available each day. 

The trial continues tomorrow. The singer is expected to take to the witness stand herself on Wednesday.