Gwyneth Paltrow’s ski accident trial has been making headlines for much more than just the 2016 incident at the center of the case.
The Goop founder and retired doctor Terry Sanderson are on trial due to a 2016 skiing accident in Deer Valley, Utah. Per his 2019 lawsuit against the Contagion star, Sanderson claimed that Paltrow crashed into him on the slopes, which caused him multiple severe injuries. He further alleged that the accident was a hit and run and Paltrow fled the scene.
“Gwyneth Paltrow skied out of control and hit the back of Terry Sanderson, another skier, who was downhill, knocking him down hard, knocking him out, and causing a brain injury, four broken ribs and other serious injuries,” read court documents obtained by Us Weekly at the time. “Paltrow got up, turned and skied away, leaving Sanderson stunned, lying in the snow, seriously injured.”
The Oscar winner, for her part, has not only vehemently denied his allegations but also claimed he was the one who ran into her.
“This lawsuit is completely without merit, and we expect to be vindicated,” Paltrow said in a statement to Us in January 2019. One month later, she filed the countersuit and requested a symbolic $1 in damages.
In court documents obtained by Us at the time, the MCU star’s legal team claimed that “[Paltrow] was enjoying skiing with her family on vacation in Utah, when Plaintiff — who was uphill from Ms. Paltrow — plowed into her back. She sustained a full ‘body blow.’”
The documents continued: “Ms. Paltrow was angry with Plaintiff, and said so. Plaintiff apologized. She was shaken and upset, and quit skiing for the day even though it was still morning.”
The paperwork also noted that Paltrow and her ski instructor “remained on [the] scene” and “rendered aid” to Sanderson.
Paltrow and Sanderson have since taken the stand in the trial, which began on March 21 in Utah.
The Royal Tenenbaums star has been asked a serious of eyebrow-raising questions from the retired optometrist’s attorney Kristin VanOrman. In one line of questioning, the lawyer inquired about Paltrow’s friendship with Taylor Swift, who memorably sued a DJ for $1 in 2017, four years after he allegedly groped her.
“I think I said [when you first asked me] that I had not been familiar with [the 2017 trial] but I since am,” the Shakespeare in Love actress said in response to VanOrman’s question about her friendship with the “Shake It Off” singer. “I would not say we are good friends, we are friendly; I’ve taken my kids to one of her concerts before, but we don’t talk very often.”
In another headline-making moment, VanOrman asked Paltrow her height and remarked how “jealous” she was about the Iron Man star’s tall stature. She also commented on Paltrow’s body, calling her “small” before walking back her statement. “You’re small but mighty,” the attorney remarked, before clarifying, “Actually, you’re not that small.”
Paltrow’s lawyer Stephen Owens has also been under fire for his questions, apologizing after he asked Sanderson’s daughter Polly Sanderson Grasham if her sister, Jenny — who claimed that their dad was abusive — was a liar.
“I need to apologize, I was being an ass earlier,” the attorney told Grasham. “It was wrong for me to triangulate you, your dad, your sister, and your mom. I ask for your forgiveness.”
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