Last year, Taylor Swift went to court to battle former DJ David Mueller and won. But, according to the New York Daily News, Mueller has a new DJ-ing job. Mueller is reportedly working for a Mississippi radio station under the name Stonewall Jackson, a name that is supposedly a tribute to the Confederate general. Speaking to the Daily News, Delta Radio CEO Larry Fuss defended his decision to hire the disgraced DJ for a morning show on KIX 92.7.
“I sat down with him face-to-face in Minneapolis before I offered him the job and talked to him about it,” Fuss explained. “He’s either the world’s best liar, or he’s telling the truth. I tend to believe his version of the story and most people who have talked to him face-to-face do believe his version of the story.”
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During a photo opportunity with Swift in 2013, Mueller apparently reached under her skirt and groped the pop star. After Swift alerted Mueller's boss, Mueller was fired, and the DJ sued Swift for $3 million in damages in 2015. Swift famously countersued for a symbolic single dollar — an amount Mueller paid via a Sacagawea sent in the mail. Mueller has maintained his innocence since the alleged incident occurred and went on Good Morning America to plead his case to the public after the case closed.
"I didn't do what they say I did," Mueller said on GMA. "I didn't do it. I never grabbed her. I never had my hand under her skirt — and I can pass a polygraph [test]."
But Mueller did indeed lose the case, and in the process he's become a symbol of men who maintain their innocence despite evidence to the contrary. Speaking at her trial, Swift was almost humorously candid. She repeatedly said the word "ass," at one point telling Mueller's attorney, "I'm critical of your client sticking his hand under my skirt and grabbing my ass."
"I’m told it was the most amount of times the word 'ass' has ever been said in Colorado Federal Court," Swift told TIME for their Person of the Year: Silence Breakers issue.
Standing up against Mueller, Swift made a statement for sexual assault survivors everywhere. Her case had low stakes — she was suing for only $1 — which meant the cultural stakes were even higher. Swift wasn't suing for money, she was suing to make a larger point about sexual harassment and the way survivors are treated.
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And yet, after all that, Mueller is back to DJ-ing, and under the name of a Confederate general, no less. Fuss's decision to hire Mueller — and believe him, no less, despite the fact that the court dismissed his case — is the direct antithesis of the #MeToo movement. The movement, which gained traction in the wake of film producer Harvey Weinstein's downfall, wants the public to recognize and believe women when they come forward with tales of sexual assault and harassment. By hiring Mueller, Fuss negated Swift's court win. He also admitted that he believes Mueller; he doesn't, then, believe Swift, a woman coming forward with an assault experience. What else are women supposed to do to be believed?
The backlash for Fuss has been swift (ha) as users come for his decision to hire and believe Mueller. A few Twitter users obtained Fuss' email, and have been sending pleas his way to reverse his decision. Others plan on asking advertisers to pull their funding from the station.
Larry Fuss,#TimesUp.
— Jess ?️? (@JTMASTER13) January 30, 2018
You might want to look into the hashtag. Because I can tell you right now, the backlash you are receiving right now for your hiring decisions goes way beyond just Taylor Swift fans. This is about women, respect for women, and we will no longer be silent.
#TimesUp for Larry Fuss, the employer and enabler of the sexual predator David Mueller at Kix 92.7 in Mississippi pic.twitter.com/xo3EwdKnCg
— B (@whateverbridg) January 30, 2018
I'm suffering and listening to this radio station so I can get a list of advertisers so we can let them know to pull their ads off the station. Since Larry Fuss thinks we "need to get over it" we'll go after his pocketbook ?
— alyssa | dyin in a getaway car (@captnduckling) January 30, 2018
At this point in the #MeToo and Time's Up narrative, these kinds of decisions won't fly under the radar. Social media has been galvanized as a force to protect and support women; decisions made in the offices of radio stations are now subject to public scrutiny, which means Mueller (or Stonewall Jackson, good God) and Fuss now have to answer to the public.
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