( ) –– Actress Gwyneth Paltrow took the stand to testify this Friday in the trial for a ski accident in Utah during 2016, in which she was involved.
Terry Sanderson, 76, accuses Paltrow of colliding with him while skiing, fracturing four ribs and causing a traumatic brain injury with long-term effects. Sanderson also claimed that Paltrow and his ski instructor left the scene after the incident without providing him with medical attention.
Paltrow’s testimony
Paltrow began testifying shortly before 3 pm local time on Friday and was questioned by Sanderson’s attorney, Kristin A. VanOrman.
The Goop founder said that on the day of the accident with Sanderson, she was skiing with her two children, her now-husband Brad Falchuk and his children. The crash occurred on the first day of her trip to Deer Valley Resort, she recounted.
Actress Gwyneth Paltrow (Credit: Rick Bowmer-Pool/Getty Images)
All of the children, who are about the same age, were taking a ski lesson on the day of the accident, Paltrow said. He explained that while he couldn’t remember the exact cost of the lessons, they spent several thousand dollars on them, plus tips. Asked if he tipped well, Paltrow replied, “Yes.”
The actress then repeated her claim that Sanderson was the one who slipped directly on her back and caused the crash.
“He hit me in the back, yes, that’s exactly what happened,” Paltrow said, as the attorney read a portion of her description of events from a statement.
At one point, VanOrman wanted to use Paltrow in a courtroom re-enactment of the ski accident, but had to settle for acting out the scenario herself after the judge shot down the idea.
Paltrow testified that she did not understand what was happening during and right after the accident with Sanderson, describing him making a sort of grunt.
According to her testimony, two skis entered between hers, forcing her legs apart and then “there was a body pressing against me and I heard a very strange growl.”
VanOrman walked around the courtroom trying to show where the skis were and how Paltrow and Sanderson were positioned, based on how Paltrow described the incident.
Paltrow said that at one point in the incident, she didn’t know if it was an accident and was left paralyzed.
Both went down together, Paltrow said, confirming that her knee and her two skis were entangled. In his statement, which the lawyer read, Paltrow added: “Our bodies almost stuck and I walked away quickly.”
He added that he did not ask about Sanderson’s condition after the crash.
When later asked if she believed the testimony of Craig Ramon, Sanderson’s friend who was on the track the day of the crash and testified Tuesday, Paltrow said no. Ramon is the only eyewitness to the accident, according to Sanderson’s legal team.
In her testimony, the actress maintained that she was not skiing in a risky manner when the crash happened in 2016. “I was not engaging in any risky behavior.”
When asked if her reason for avoiding risky behavior was because her kids were there, Paltrow replied, “I wouldn’t have it with or without my kids there.”
“I feel very sorry for him. It seems that he has had a very difficult life, but I did not cause the accident so I cannot feel responsible for anything that happened to him after that,” he said. He also added that the lawsuit against him is “unfair.”
Paltrow has been attending court since the trial began Tuesday with opening statements from lawyers representing the actress and Sanderson.
Gwyneth Paltrow leaves court on March 23 in Park City, Utah. Terry Sanderson sued the actress, alleging that she recklessly crashed into him while the two were skiing down a beginner’s slope at Deer Valley Resort, Utah, in 2016.
The keys of the case
The legal battle between Sanderson and Paltrow has been going on for years. In court documents obtained by , Sanderson testified that while skiing at Deer Valley Resort in Utah, Paltrow allegedly “lost control while skiing… knocking him down hard, knocking him unconscious, causing brain damage, and fracturing four ribs and other injuries.” serious”.
For her part, Paltrow filed a counterclaim against Sanderson, a retired optometrist, alleging that he skied toward her.
According to Paltrow’s counterclaim, she “was enjoying skiing with her family while on vacation in Utah, when the plaintiff – who was up the hill from Mrs. Paltrow – crashed into her back. She received a ‘full body hit’. Mrs. Paltrow was angry with the plaintiff, and she said so. The plaintiff apologized. She was shocked and upset, and she stopped skiing for the day even though it was still morning.”
The trial reached its fourth day this Friday. The day began with the conclusion of the videotaped testimony of Richard Boehme, a biomedical engineer, who served as an expert witness.
Mark Herath, a longtime friend of Sanderson’s and an avid skier, took the stand and discussed the plaintiff’s skills in the sport before the accident, among other topics.
Sanderson’s daughter, Shae Sanderson Herath, also testified shortly before noon local time. Sanderson Herath is married to the brother of Mark Herath.
Sanderson Herath said on the stand that his father “doesn’t trust his brain anymore.” “From her daughter’s perspective, I feel like her life is exhausting,” he said.
What did the previous witnesses say?
Several witnesses have testified during the trial, including one of Sanderson’s friends, Craig Ramon, who was also on the ski slopes the day of the crash. Ramon was the first to testify on Tuesday.
Radiologist Wendell Gibby testified Wednesday that Sanderson “deteriorated” after the crash and stopped doing many of the activities he did before the incident. The jury also heard expert witness testimony from neuropsychologist Sam Goldstein, who evaluated Sanderson in 2020 and noted several changes in Sanderson’s mental health since the collision.
On Thursday, another of Sanderson’s daughters, Polly Sanderson Grasham, gave emotional testimony about how, a year and a half after the accident, she noticed that her father’s “processing speed” seemed to have changed. Sanderson Grasham later said her father is a “man of principle” and that she believes he wants “someone to at least apologize, acknowledge or be held accountable for his decisions that day.”
Video testimony from Alina K. Fong, a clinical neuropsychologist who treated Sanderson after the crash, and Richard Boehme, a biomedical engineer who testified as an expert witness, were also shown to the jury Thursday. Boehme evaluated Sanderson in 2021 and testified that he believed Sanderson’s rib injuries could only have been the result of a blow from behind.
Sanderson initially sued Paltrow for $3.1 million, but later amended her demand and is now seeking an additional $300,000 in damages, according to court documents.
Paltrow is seeking $1 in damages, plus attorneys’ fees.
With information from Lisa Respers France and Chloe Melas.
