美国国家公共电台 NPR Jury Begins Deliberations In Taylor Swift Groping Trial

 

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

For the last week, one of the biggest stars in pop music has been in court. A radio DJ sued Taylor Swift, her mother and her manager for falsely accusing him of assault and getting him fired from his job. Swift is countersuing for a dollar, saying the DJ put his hand up her skirt and groped her during a photo op. The case has gotten attention from advocates for survivors² of sexual assault who are praising Swift's frank and unapologetic stand - and a language warning for listeners here as we recount some of this testimony³.

Leila Fadel is at the court now. She joins us from Denver. And this case started last week, Leila. Remind us what's happened so far.

LEILA FADEL, BYLINE⁴: Well, today is the last day of this case. It began last week. David Mueller, the radio disc jockey here in Denver, is suing Swift, her mother and her manager for radio saying that they got him fired over a false accusation⁵. And Swift, as you mentioned, is countersuing. But she has now been dropped from that case that David Mueller is suing for. And the judge said, quote, "there is insufficient⁶ evidence that she acted improperly⁷ when she reported an assault that she truly believed happened." But that doesn't mean the case is over.

Today her mother, Andrea Swift, and manager, Frank Bell, are still being sued for about $3 million. And of course there is the countersuit for the $1. And that dollar her lawyer mentioned today in his closing statement, saying, quote, "it's a single, symbolic⁸ dollar, the value of which is immeasurable to all women in this situation."

CORNISH: I want to talk more about that idea of symbolism because as I said, anti-sexual assault advocates have been praising her testimony. What is it about what she had to say? Why did it resonate?

FADEL: Yeah. She's been getting a lot of praise over her cross-examination. And it got their attention because she was consistent. She was assertive⁹, and she really refused to be shamed, they say, on that stand. And so I'll just give you a few examples of things she said when Mueller's lawyer was questioning her.

So he mentioned that maybe it was an unintentional touch in another place. And she said, he didn't touch my rib¹⁰. He did not touch my hand. He touched my bare ass¹. In another instance, Mueller's lawyer asked why she wasn't critical of her bodyguard¹¹ for not keeping Mueller away from her. And her answer was, I'm critical of your client for sticking his hand under my skirt. So her zingers just kept going.

And in fact, Glamour¹² magazine compiled a list of her, quote, "top ten most powerful statements." And the reason this is seen as so incredible is because women are consistently shamed into keeping quiet. And according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, about two-thirds of women never report sexual assaults to the police.

CORNISH: And we should note that in this case of this alleged¹³ assault, it also was not reported to police.

FADEL: That's right. If this indeed happened, a 51-year-old man grabbed a 23-year-old young woman's behind in 2013, and it was kept quiet. He was quietly fired. During Swift's mother's testimony, she talked about wanting to vomit¹⁴ and cry at the same time when she found out and how she wanted to keep it quiet to protect her daughter and to stop her from having to relive the assault.

Today, both lawyers made closing statements, Mueller's lawyers saying he did not grope Swift, that he is the victim of a false accusation. And the lawyer asked, why would he do this after introducing himself, saying who he was employed by and taking a picture with her? Meanwhile, Swift's lawyer said that this case is about sending a message that no means no. Rich or poor, women shouldn't be shamed into silence, and aggressors should not be monetarily¹⁵ rewarded. And he said that Swift's story is backed up by several witnesses that testified last week, including her bodyguard and the photographer. The jury has begun deliberations, and we may hear news on the outcome as early as later today.

CORNISH: That's Leila Fadel from Denver. Thanks so much, Leila.

FADEL: Thank you.

1 ass   

n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人

参考例句：

• He is not an ass as they make him.他不象大家猜想的那样笨。
• An ass endures his burden but not more than his burden.驴能负重但不能超过它能力所负担的。

2 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

3 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 accusation   

n.控告，指责，谴责

参考例句：

• I was furious at his making such an accusation.我对他的这种责备非常气愤。
• She knew that no one would believe her accusation.她知道没人会相信她的指控。

6 insufficient   

adj.(for，of)不足的，不够的

参考例句：

• There was insufficient evidence to convict him.没有足够证据给他定罪。
• In their day scientific knowledge was insufficient to settle the matter.在他们的时代，科学知识还不能足以解决这些问题。

7 improperly   

不正确地，不适当地

参考例句：

• Of course it was acting improperly. 这样做就是不对嘛！
• He is trying to improperly influence a witness. 他在试图误导证人。

8 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。

9 assertive   

adj.果断的，自信的，有冲劲的

参考例句：

• She always speaks an assertive tone.她总是以果断的语气说话。
• China appears to have become more assertive in the waters off its coastline over recent years.在近些年，中国显示出对远方海洋的自信。

10 rib   

n.肋骨，肋状物

参考例句：

• He broke a rib when he fell off his horse.他从马上摔下来折断了一根肋骨。
• He has broken a rib and the doctor has strapped it up.他断了一根肋骨，医生已包扎好了。

11 bodyguard   

n.护卫，保镖

参考例句：

• She has to have an armed bodyguard wherever she goes.她不管到哪儿都得有带武器的保镖跟从。
• The big guy standing at his side may be his bodyguard.站在他身旁的那个大个子可能是他的保镖。

12 glamour   

n.魔力，魅力；vt.迷住

参考例句：

• Foreign travel has lost its glamour for her.到国外旅行对她已失去吸引力了。
• The moonlight cast a glamour over the scene.月光给景色增添了魅力。

13 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

14 vomit   

v.呕吐，作呕；n.呕吐物，吐出物

参考例句：

• They gave her salty water to make her vomit.他们给她喝盐水好让她吐出来。
• She was stricken by pain and began to vomit.她感到一阵疼痛，开始呕吐起来。

15 monetarily   

adv.金融地

参考例句：