DENVER — A few moments at a backstage photo session four years ago are about to be relived, as lawyers for pop star Taylor Swift and a former disc jockey she accuses of groping her begin picking jurors Monday in their dueling lawsuits.
Radio host David Mueller sued the singer/songwriter, saying he was falsely accused and that she should have called police instead of his bosses, who fired him soon after the June 2013 encounter. He's seeking up to $3 million in damages.
Swift countersued, claiming sexual assault, setting up the civil trial where she is expected to testify amid tightened courthouse security.
Opening statements could begin Tuesday in the case that could last two weeks. Court documents say it is unlikely that either side will settle.
Swift is seeking a verdict that awards her just $1, while holding Mueller responsible and "serving as an example to other women who may resist publicly reliving similar outrageous and humiliating acts," her lawsuit says.
Mueller also is expected to testify, along with Mueller's former boss and members of Swift's entourage.
Mueller, then 51, was a morning host at a country music station when he was assigned to attend Swift's concert at the Pepsi Center in Denver. Mueller was backstage with his girlfriend when they met with Swift, then 23, in a curtained enclosure. They posed for a photo and left.
Later, Swift's bodyguard confronted Mueller with the allegation that he had reached under the singer's dress and grabbed her buttocks.
Mueller denied the allegation and asked that they call the police. He and his girlfriend were escorted out of the arena and a member of Swift's team called his boss.
Swift never went to the police. She tried 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," her attorney, Douglas Baldridge, has argued in court.
Mueller's attorney, Gabriel McFarland, argues that Mueller may have been misidentified after someone else touched Swift.
Swift's mother and a member of her team also are defendants in the lawsuit filed by Mueller.

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   Beyoncé penned a moving acceptance speech for Sunday’s BET Awards, in her first address since welcoming twins with her husband Jay Z.

The Queen Bey’s protégés Chloe x Halle were given the honor of delivering the superstar’s speech after Bey snagged the viewers’ choice award for Lemonade‘s “Sorry.”

“Thank you BET for this award and your tremendous support of Lemonade. This has been a journey of love, of celebrating our culture, honoring the past, and approaching the present and future with hope and resolve,” the speech began. © Lester Cohen/Getty Images for NARAS  

Beyoncé’s father, Mathew Knowles, confirmed the baby news on Twitter earlier this month and a source close to the “Formation” singer told PEOPLE that “Bey and Jay are thrilled and have started sharing the news with their family and closest friends.”

Guests at the award show and viewers sat eagerly during the speech, hoping for any mention of Bey’s new little ones. But, in true Beyoncé fashion, the mom-of-three kept mum.

“Thank you to my mother Tina Knowles Lawson for being my biggest, biggest teacher and consistent influence. Thank you to my entire family for so much love,” she continued in the speech.

“To my team at Parkwood, thank you. And thanks to all the fans, my BeyHive, for riding with me. I love and appreciate you. To everyone at the show tonight, you all look so beautiful and at home, thank you and have a wonderful, wonderful night. From, Beyonce.”  

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©Provided by New York Daily News Rihanna revealed she’d like to win an Oscar one day. - Mario Anzuoni/REUTERS 

Rihanna is going for the gold.

The “Work” asinger revealed that she's got lofty goals for her budding acting career, and hopes that one day she'll join the ranks of fellow singers-turned-actresses Cher and Jennifer Hudson and nab herself an Oscar.

"I'd love to get there one day," she told British tabloid The Sun. "Who doesn't want to be told they are doing a great job? Any validation that your work is impacting is rewarding... I don't think anyone makes an album thinking about winning a Grammy, or makes a movie thinking about winning an Oscar."

The 29-year-old singer already has eight Grammys under her belt, but has recently been increasing her high profile even further with a slew of acting roles.

She'll next appear on the big screen alongside pal Cara Delevingne in Luc Besson's "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets," where she'll play a shape-shifting alien.

But don't expect her to bring any prima donna behavior to the set like fellow pop star Mariah Carey, who recently made headlines for extreme demands on the set of "The House."

Rihanna says she offers "herself like clay" to her directors, and follows one rule very closely: "You don't do diva on film sets."

The "Needed Me" singer also divulged that in the future, she may be ready to take the crown from newly retired Daniel Day-Lewis when it comes to method actor master.

"It's pretty difficult to method act when it comes to playing a shape-shifting entertainer, but seriously, I have nothing but respect for the actors that do," she said. "I just do what's best for the role, what's best for me, I'd love to do something dark and different and challenge myself."

In addition to "Valerian," Rihanna appeared in the 2014 "Annie" remake, several episodes of "Bates Motel" and the action flick "Battleship," which earned her an infamous Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actress in 2012

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