It was Hollywood actor Johnny Heard and Amber Heard’s high-profile trial that had our attention a few months ago. Now Oscar-winning star and founder of wellness and lifestyle brand Goop, Gwyneth Paltrow, is embroiled in a sensational real-life courtroom drama. The civil suit is about a 2016 ski accident in which the actor, 50, and retired ophthalmologist named Terry Sanderson, 76, collided.
So far, the trial has seen contradictory testimonies with emotions running high. Even Taylor Swift’s name came up.
What’s the case about? Who is suing whom and what’s at stake? We take a look.
What happened in 2016?
The crash took place on 26 February 2016 in Deer Valley Resort, a skiers-only mountain known for its groomed runs, apr?s-ski champagne yurts and posh clientele, in Utah, United States. Paltrow was on a beginner’s track with a ski instructor named Eric Christiansen.
Sanderson, a military veteran, claims that Paltrow was skiing behind him, which means that he had the right of the way. According to him, the crash was caused because of the actor’s recklessness. The accident left him with broken ribs and permanent brain damage.
However, the actress claimed Sanderson was uphill and hit her from behind. She denied that she was responsible for the collision.
Gwyneth Paltrow is accused in the lawsuit of crashing into Sanderson during a 2016 family ski vacation, leaving him with brain damage and four broken ribs. AP
What is the lawsuit against Paltrow?
In 2019, Sanderson filed a lawsuit against Paltrow. He initially sought $3 million but later dropped the amount to $300,000. The suit also included Deer Valley Resort, Paltrow’s ski instructor and two other resort employees.
Sanderson claimed that the crash knocked him out, caused a brain injury, and left him with “other serious injuries” such as four broken ribs. The suit also alleged that “neither Ms Paltrow nor Deer Valley lodge personnel notified emergency responders about the injured Dr Sanderson. They left him at the scene with serious brain injuries caused by Ms Paltrow”, according to a report on Bustle.
Sanderson amended the suit in 2022. He had originally claimed that he suffered emotional distress, but a third district ruled that there wasn’t sufficient evidence, according to a report on Insider. Paltrow is now the only defendant in the case and Sanderson is seeking $300,000.
Also read: Explained: Why Johnny Depp remains a ‘wife beater’ in UK but wins defamation case in USWhat has Paltrow been saying?
The actor has maintained that she was not responsible for the accident. She countersued Sanderson and accused him of exploiting her for her money and fame.
After Sanderson filed the suit in 2019, Paltrow’s representative told ABC News it was “completely without merit”. She later countersued him, requesting a symbolic $1 in damages and attorney fees, reports The Associated Press (AP).
What’s happened in the trial so far?
The ski collision trial, which began on 21 March, has now entered its second week.
In court last week, one of Sanderson’s attorneys, Lawrence Buhler said that Paltrow had turned to watch her children ski and “as she turns her head back down, she screams, then skis into the back of Terry Sanderson.”
The collision left the retiree “facedown in the snow, unconscious,” Buhler said. He added that Paltrow took off, bolting down the mountain, as Sanderson began to stir, complaining that his ribs hurt. Later, Sanderson went to an emergency room with a concussion and four broken ribs, according to a report in Washington Post.
The attorney said that Paltrow’s “neglect, her choices and her disregard for other people on the mountain all combined together” caused the brain injury. Sanderson, according to Buhler, was outgoing and charming. “But after the crash, he’s no longer charming”, the report says.
Terry Sanderson, the Utah man suing Gwyneth Paltrow, testifies in court. AP
Who has testified in the trial?
Two doctors spoke about Sanderson’s health before and after the trial. The other witnesses include Sanderson’s former girlfriend, a friend he skied with on the day of the mishap, his daughter and Paltrow. Her children are also expected to testify, according to a report in Bustle.
Only one of the witnesses claims to be at the ski resort and has seen the collision – Craig Ramon, Sanderson’s friend. He told the court that he was nearby when he saw the celebrity plow into Sanderson.
“I hear this scream and then I see this skier just slam into the back of Terry,” he said, adding that the impact was “very hard”. Ramon also claimed that the instructor was “very hostile” to Sanderson and that Paltrow did not provide her name or check to see if help was needed before leaving.
Sanderson’s daughter Shae Sanderson Hareth testified about the changes she saw in her dad’s behaviour after the accident, including an “awful experience” that occurred between her daughter and Sanderson roughly six years ago. Breaking down in tears, she claimed that it “damaged” her father’s relationship with his granddaughter.
What has Paltrow said in her testimony?
Paltrow took a stand on 24 March and maintained that Sanderson was responsible for the crash.
She testified that she felt someone’s body “press against” her back while “groaning and grunting in a disturbing way,” CBS News reports. She briefly thought it a “sexual assault” or a “practical joke”.
According to the actor, both fell over and then she pushed away as she was “very upset”. She recalled moving further downhill and shouting back “You skied directly into my f*cking back,” before apologising in court for her “bad language.”
Paltrow claimed that the ski instructor checked in on Sanderson and helped him up.
In court, the celebrity was questioned by one of Sanderson’s lawyers if she was “good friends with Taylor Swift”. The link is the $1 she sought in damages. It’s what Swift asked for in a countersuit in a 2017 case against former radio DJ. The actor said that she didn’t know about Swift’s trial.
“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,” Paltrow said, according to a report in The Independent.
Shae Herath, the daughter of Sanderson, testifies about her father’s health. She said that the accident changed his behaviour. AP
What has the accuser said in court?
Sanderson testified on Monday and claimed that he was “skiing easy” and “paying attention” before the crash.
“I just remember everything was great and then I heard something I’ve never heard at a ski resort and that was a blood-curdling scream… and then boom,” he said, according to CNN. “It was like somebody was out of control and going to hit a tree and was going to die. And that’s what I had until I was hit.”
He said that he had “never been hit that hard”. “All I saw was a whole lot of snow. And I didn’t see the sky, but I was flying,” Sanderson testified.
Disputing suggestions that he sued Paltrow to exploit her fame and wealth, Sanderson told the jury, “… I’m not in celebrity worship”.
According to Sanderson, the actor-turned-lifestyle influencer was cruising down the slopes so recklessly that they violently collided, leaving him on the ground as she and her entourage continued their descent down Deer Valley Resort. AP
What can we expect next?
Gwyneth Paltrow’s attorneys are expected to call a series of experts and read depositions from her two teenage children on Tuesday. Her defence attorneys will likely use their witnesses to continue making their two central, yet separate, arguments to the eight-member jury: That Paltrow did not ski into Sanderson and that he and his lawyers have exaggerated the extent of his injuries, reports AP.
The trial is scheduled for eight days. It is expected to finish this week.
With inputs from agencies
Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.