On Friday, Gwyneth Paltrow gave testimony in a Park City courtroom for a trial related to a skiing accident that happened in Utah in 2016.
Terry Sanderson, a retired optometrist who was 76 years old at the time, has accused Gwyneth Paltrow of crashing into him while they were both skiing on a beginner slope at Deer Valley Resort in Utah in 2016. Sanderson suffered several serious injuries and claims that Paltrow left the scene after the collision.
At around 3 p.m. local time, Gwyneth Paltrow testified in court and was questioned by Terry Sanderson’s attorney, Kristin VanOrman. This happened on the fourth day of the trial, where various witnesses have already testified.
Actress Gwyneth Paltrow testified in court about a skiing accident that occurred on the first day of her trip to a resort in which she was skiing with her two kids, her now-husband Brad Falchuk, and his two children.
She described feeling shocked and worried that she was being violated due to a body pressing against her and a strange grunting noise. Paltrow added that her brain was trying to make sense of what was happening during the collision with Terry Sanderson, the 76-year-old retired optometrist who is now accusing her of negligence and abandonment.
During her testimony, Gwyneth Paltrow mentioned that she and her children were taking a ski lesson on the day of the crash. She also reiterated her statement that Terry Sanderson had skied directly into her back and caused the accident. Paltrow confirmed this when attorneys read back her version of the events from a deposition, stating “He struck me in the back, yes, that’s exactly what happened.”
Terry Sanderson filed the lawsuit in 2019, almost three years after the collision happened on the mountainside. He claims that the accident caused him numerous injuries, including a brain injury, four broken ribs, and emotional damage. Sanderson also alleges that Paltrow left the scene without providing him with her name or contact information, nor did she call for help.
Paltrow, on the other hand, filed a countersuit against Sanderson in 2019, claiming that he was the one who skied into her.
According to KSL.com, Sanderson initially sought $3.1 million in damages in the lawsuit he filed in 2019. However, in May 2022, Third District Judge Kent Holmberg dismissed some of Sanderson’s claims against Paltrow, ruling that it was not a “hit-and-run ski crash.”
Paltrow also filed a countersuit against Sanderson in 2019, where she blamed him for the crash. She stated that Sanderson was uphill from her and her family and suddenly collided with her back, causing a “full body blow.” Paltrow said that she was angry with Sanderson, and he apologized.
Both parties are seeking legal costs, with Sanderson now seeking $300,000 in damages, while Paltrow is seeking only $1 in damages. The trial is expected to continue into next week, with Paltrow’s team calling medical experts, ski instructors, and her two children, Moses and Apple, to the stand. The trial will resume on Monday and will be live-streamed on YouTube.