‘Cameras in her face’: Gwyneth Paltrow’s lawyer blasts court

Gwyneth Paltrow’s lawyer has slammed the use of cameras in court as the Oscar-winning star faces a hearing over her horror skiing accident.

Gwyneth Paltrow has countersued, claiming a skier hit her with a “full body blow”. Picture: Getty Images.

Gwyneth Paltrow appeared frustrated as she left the courtroom on day two of her civil trial during a brief recess.

Her exit followed cross-examination of a radiologist who said the actress likely caused optometrist Terry Sanderson’s injuries during a 2016 ski accident.

Paltrow has returned to court for a jury trial stemming from a 2016 collision on a Utah ski slope, which Mr Sanderson claims left him with lasting injuries and brain damage.

Wendell Gibby testified that Mr Sanderson, 76, showed “typical hallmarks” of a traumatic brain injury and “deteriorated abruptly” following the incident at the Deer Valley Resort in Utah.

Gwyneth Paltrow’s lawyer points to the offending camera on day two of her court hearing. Picture: Court TV

Gwyneth Paltrow enters court. Picture: Rick Bowman/Pool

Under cross-examination by the Goop founder’s lawyer James Egan, however, the doctor admitted there was no proof the “abnormalities” in his functional MRI were caused by the ski accident.

As his testimony dragged on, Paltrow appeared annoyed by the prolonged questioning of Gibby, the Mail Online reports.

Lawyers for Paltrow read testimony provided by Mr Sanderson’s daughter, Jenny Sanderson, during their cross-examination of Mr Gibby.

Mr Gibby had earlier testified that the man’s relationship with his family became strained after the accident.

Gwyneth Paltrow and her lawyer were annoyed by the courtroom cameras. Picture: AFP

Terry Sanderson, on left, is suing Gwyneth Paltrow over a 2016 ski collision. Picture: Getty Images

According to her testimony, Jenny said she had not had a relationship with her father for 13 years and that he had always been “frustrated and quick to anger”.

Earlier, Paltrow’s lawyer complained about a camera being pointed directly at her during her ski crash trial, claiming reporters are violating courtroom decorum.

The Oscar-winning actor and her lawyer, Steve Owens, were visibly annoyed when they spotted a video camera pointed directly at the star the New York Post reports.

Mr Owens raised his complaint about the camera to Judge Kent Holmberg before the jury came in, saying it was a repeated offence against the rules that were agreed upon before the start of the trial.

“Your honour, we have a new camera pointed directly at my client right there on the right,” Mr Owens said, pointing to a camera.

“This has been a problem, for instance reporters being in front of my client’s car, going out yesterday. Cameras in her face.”

Gwyneth Paltrow has been accused of reckless behaviour. Picture: Getty Images

Gwyneth Paltrow shields her face with her notebook as she exits the courtroom. Picture: AFP

The judge reassured Mr Owens he would look into the issue during a court recess, noting he was aware of his previous complaints on the matter and that he “recognised it as a problem”.

While her lawyer did all the talking, Paltrow sat quietly in the courtroom, wearing a cream cardigan, brown corduroy pants with her hair tied back as she sipped on green juice, the New York Post reports.

PALTROW ACCUSED OF ‘CONSCIOUS DISREGARD FOR PEOPLE’

During opening statements on Tuesday, the court heard that Paltrow’s “conscious disregard for people” led her to seriously injure a man in a skiing accident that left him with permanent brain damage.

Mr Sanderson’s lawyer Lawrence D. Buhler said in opening statements that “distracted skiers cause crashes”.

“Defendant Gwyneth Paltrow knew that looking up the mountain and to the side, while skiing down the mountain, was dangerous,” he told the jury.

“And she knew that skiing that way … was reckless. Gwyneth Paltrow skied out of control.

“Knocking him down hard, knocking him out, and causing a brain injury, four broken ribs and other serious injuries.

“Paltrow got up, turned and skied away, leaving Sanderson stunned, lying in the snow, seriously injured.”

Mr Buhler said one of Paltrow’s children was trying to get their mother’s attention and asked her to watch them as they took to the slopes.

“They go to the left. Gwyneth Paltrow goes to the right,” he said.

“She looks up to see her children and as she looks down, she screams. She skis into the back of Terry Sanderson. Sanderson is face down in the snow unconscious.”

Mr Buhler said the actor spent “thousands of dollars a day” on multiple instructors for her young children, which allowed the family to skip lines.

Gwyneth Paltrow in court. The star is accused in a lawsuit of crashing into a skier during a 2016 family ski vacation, leaving him with brain damage and four broken rib. Picture: Getty

But in his opening statement, the Goop founder’s lawyer Steve Owens told jurors that Mr Sanderson’s entire case was “utter B.S.”.

“His memories of the case get better over the years. That’s all I’m gonna say. That’s not how memory works,” he said.

Mr Sanderson is seeking damages of US$300,000 (A$450,000), having had a previous claim for US$3.1m (A$4.6m) dropped.

Gwyneth Paltrow has claimed that it was Sanderson who ran into her. Picture: Getty Images

The Shakespeare in Love and Iron Man actress has countersued for $1 in damages and legal fees, claiming that Mr Sanderson hit her with a “full body blow” and that it was him who was responsible for the crash.

Her petition also accuses him of exaggerating his injuries and of wanting to simply exploit her fame and wealth, and it says that her group checked on Mr Sanderson after the crash.

Mr Sanderson – who had 15 documented medical conditions at the time of the crash – said he was fine, according to Paltrow’s legal team.

“He demanded Ms Paltrow pay him millions,” the actor’s legal team wrote in a 2019 courting filing. “If she did not pay, she would face negative publicity resulting from his allegations.”

Gwyneth Paltrow watches on in court during opening statements. Picture: CourtTV

A sombre-looking Paltrow, wearing a beige knit sweater, tweed harem pants and aviator-style reading glasses, shielded her face from reporters and photographers with a blue “GP”-initialled notebook when she entered and exited the courtroom on day one of the hearing, AP reports.

The jury trial is scheduled to last for eight days. The Oscar winner and her children are expected to testify.

Both Paltrow and Sanderson claim in court filings that they were farther downhill – and therefore had the right of way – when they were rammed into by the other.

“All skiers know that when they’re skiing down the mountain, it’s their responsibility to yield the right of way to skiers below them,” Mr Sanderson’s lawyer, Lawrence Buhler, told jurors.

OPENING STATEMENTS 💯⚖️ are underway in the #GwynethPaltrow ski crash case! @[e-mail]/NFdV0yThf2

— Julie Grant (@JulieCourtTV) March 21, 2023

The original claim, filed in 2019, also alleged that a ski instructor, who had been training Paltrow, witnessed the alleged incident but made no attempt to help Mr Sanderson.

It also claimed the instructor did not call for assistance and later accused Mr Sanderson of having caused the crash in a “false report to protect his client”.

Mr Sanderson previously said he waited for almost three years to file the lawsuit because he could not function properly as a result of the concussion, and also had some problems with lawyers.

Originally published as ‘Cameras in her face’: Gwyneth Paltrow’s lawyer blasts court