Jury finds Gwyneth Paltrow not to be at fault over the 2016 ski collision that left a doctor with brain injury
A jury has unanimously decided the actress was found not at fault over a ski collision with a retired optometrist.
Hollywood star Gwyneth Paltrow has won her case against the sensational trial of the 2016 ski collision with retired optometrist Terry Sanderson.
Mr Sanderson claims the crash left him with “permanent traumatic brain injury, four broken ribs, pain, suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, emotional distress and disfigurement”.
He was seeking damages of $US300,000 ($A450,000), having had a previous claim for $US3.1m ($A4.6m) dropped.
The Shakespeare in Love and Iron Man actor countersued for just $US1 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.
But after two weeks of wild testimony, a unanimous jury found the actress did not cause the crash.
Paltrow has opted not to make a statement following the verdict, during which the jury awarded her the requested $1 sum she sued over.
Courtroom videos showed her breathing a sigh of relief as the verdict was read, which was quickly followed by a statement from Judge Holmberg congratulating the parties on their professionalism during the high-profile trial.
It came as closing arguments included claims that Paltrow and her ski instructor Eric Christiansen changed their story of what happened that day at the Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah.
Mr Sanderson’s legal team alleged Christiansen changed his version of events because Paltrow “tipped him well”. Mr Christian denied during his testimony that he falsified his report as “ridiculous”.
Mr Sanderson, meanwhile, appeared to make a wild comparison to Jeffrey Epstein in his final testimony, saying Ms Paltrow needed to be held “accountable”.
“I guess like, what is going on here? This is obviously an issue that someone needs to be accountable for, and if they’re never accountable, what are they gonna do? They’re gonna do it again,” he said.
“Now we have the … molesting of young children on an island,” he said.
The judge told the jury to disregard Mr Sanderson’s statement.
Robert Sykes, Sanderson’s lawyer, told jurors in his closing argument that Paltrow was a “good mother” and that she wasn’t necessarily lying about the “confusing” ski accident.
“I believe Gwyneth Paltrow when she says she believes Terry hit her in her back,” Mr Sykes told jurors. “The issue is, a sincere belief doesn’t make it [a reality]”.
PALTROW ACCUSER SORRY FOR INSULT
The man suing Gwyneth Paltrow over a skiing accident more than six years ago has apologised to the actress for describing her in a 2019 press conference as screaming like “King Kong in the jungle”.
Terry Sanderson, 76, made the apology having returned to the stand on Wednesday US time, having already testified earlier in the week.
Mr Sanderson said he had meant to say she screamed like a woman being chased by King Kong, rather than compare her to the giant primate.
Turning to face the Oscar winner, Mr Sanderson said the experience of suing a celebrity had been a painful one, but “somebody has to be [held] accountable” for the incident.
Ms Paltrow wasn’t having it though, vigorously shaking her head throughout the testimony.
PALTROW’S SON DIDN’T SEE COLLISION
Gwyneth Paltrow’s son Moses says he didn’t see the ski collision but heard her yelling at retired optometrist Terry Sanderson after the crash.
In a statement read to court, Moses Martin, 16, said he was with his instructor Eric Christiansen when he heard his Oscar-winning mother yelling.
“I saw my mother and a person behind her who had crashed.
“When I skied over, I heard my mum yelling at the guy. She was saying something along the lines of “what the f word? You just ran into me”.’
The Goop founder’s ski crash trial is heating up as both sides attempt to prove they were not responsible for the collision that allegedly left Mr Sanderson badly injured.
Paltrow’s lawyers on Wednesday called biomechanical engineer Irving Scher, who testified that the 50-year-old actress’ version of the collision matched the laws of physics.
The case revolves around “hit-and-run” claims on the slopes of the exclusive Deer Valley ski resort in Park City, Utah in February 2016.
In an attempt to explain physics to the jurors, Dr Scher drew stick figures to show how Terry Sanderson and Paltrow would have been travelling that day and where their centres of gravity would have been, the New York Post reports.
Jurors saw first-hand what Paltrow believes happened on the slopes when the defence played an animation of the crash.
Attorneys for @GwynethPaltrow played reconstructive animation of the ski crash she’s being sued for in court Monday. The animation was used to help the jury understand what allegedly happened, using the video and testimony from Paltrow’s ski instructor Eric Christiansen. pic.twitter.com/04kCh97qLe
— Law&Crime Network (@LawCrimeNetwork) March 27, 2023
Ski safety expert and accident investigator Paul Baugher said based on the facts he had seen, Sanderson was at fault for the crash.
Asked if Paltrow had been in control, Mr Baugher said: “Yes”.
Mr Sanderson is seeking damages from the Academy Award-winning actress.
He said she skied into him and took off, while he suffered a traumatic brain injury that depleted his quality of life and ruined his relationships.
Paltrow is countersuing for $1, plus the cost of legal fees. She testified last week that she thought she was being sexually assaulted when Mr Sanderson allegedly rammed into her.
PALTROW ROASTING SENDS INTERNET WILD
Earlier this week, Paltrow was mocked on the internet after a quote from her court case went viral.
During her courtroom testimony, Paltrow was asked about the “losses” she herself suffered from the accident.
“Well, we lost half a day of skiing,” she responded.
The quote quickly went viral on social media with Twitter users mocking the actor over her response.
Fellow actor Busy Philipps also joined in the roasting, posting a selfie of herself and Jen Tullocon posing with cocktails on Instagram.
She captioned the post with the line: “Well, we lost a half day of skiing.”
Philipps’ social media followers praised her online trolling over the weekend.
“God I love some good New York shade,” one user wrote.
Another called the actor’s caption “everything,” with a third telling Philipps to “drop the mic”.
Others joked that Paltrow should receive an Oscar for her performance on the stand, with one proposing a new Ryan Murphy “American Crime Story” series called “I Lost Half a Day of Skiing”.
Other social media users sarcastically offered “thoughts and prayers” to Paltrow while others posted mocking memes.
“Thoughts and prayers to Gwyneth Paltrow, who suffered the loss of half a day of skiing,” one person tweeted.
However, the bizarre trial has not been lost on social media users, with one comparing Paltrow’s now-viral quote to another moment which raised eyebrows among viewers.
Earlier in the trial, the court heard how Mr Sanderson was no longer able to enjoy wine tasting as a result of injuries he says he sustained in the accident.
“Catching up on Gwyneth Paltrow case and spoiled for choice who to empathise with. Gwyneth lost half a day’s skiing, the plaintiff can no longer enjoy wine tastings. Has the universe experienced such suffering before?!” one person tweeted.
Mr Sanderson claims the crash left him with “permanent traumatic brain injury, four broken ribs, pain, suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, emotional distress and disfigurement”.
He is seeking damages of $US300,000 ($A450,000), having had a previous claim for $US3.1m ($A4.6m) dropped.
The Shakespeare in Love and Iron Man actor has countersued for just $US1 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.
Paltrow’s husband, Brad Falchuk, and the two children she shares with ex Chris Martin — Apple, 18, and Moses, 16 — are set to take the stand before the trial’s expected end on Thursday.
WITNESS TOLD FRIENDS ACTOR FLED THE SCENE
A witness who testified about the 2016 ski collision had posted messages online just weeks after the crash that told how the actor “took out Terry and took off.”
Craig Ramon, 48, who was the first witness to testify last week, took the stand again on Monday morning local time to confirm the authenticity of the online post, which had only been referenced in an email between Mr Sanderson and his daughters.
The post, which gave an account of what happened on the day of the crash, was provided to the defence on Friday by a viewer who had unearthed it from an online archive.
“You could not make this up. Gwyneth took out Terry last week. Last Saturday, her son broke his arm skiing at Park City,” Mr Ramon wrote on the group Meet Up chat.
“Gwyneth was staying at the Montage. She took her plane out of Millionaire Airport. What makes me mad is Gwyneth took out Terry and then took off.”
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