Gwyneth Paltrow is standing trial this week after being sued over a ‘hit and run’ ski crash. It’s said the Goop founder is expected to take the stand on Friday in her own defence against the 2016 accident.
The health queen is being sued by retired optometrist Terry Sanderson, who alleged he was seriously injured after an ‘out of control’ Gwyneth ploughed into him at Deer Valley Ski Resort in Utah, back in February 2016.
The Oscar-winning actress has countersued against Terry, alleging it was actually him who skied into her and delivered ‘a full-body blow.’ The two are now facing off in a Park City courtroom, after the trial kicked off Tuesday morning and is expected to last eight days.
Terry first sued Paltrow back in 2019, seeking $3.1m (£2.5m) in damages. After that claim was dropped, he is now seeking $300,000 (£245,000).
He claims he has been left with a traumatic brain injury, broken ribs, and a loss of enjoyment of life – with Gwyneth’s lawyer denying the injuries.
In his original 2019 claim, it was claimed that ‘Paltrow got up, turned and skied away, leaving Sanderson stunned, lying in the snow, seriously injured.’ It was also said a Deer Valley ski instructor who had been training the star actually witnessed the crash, but made no attempt to help.
According to court documents, Gwyneth is $1 million (£800,000) in damages, plus the cost of her legal fees.
The actress and her team claim that Terry, who was 69 years old when Gwyneth countersued in 2021 - for a symbolic $1 (80p) and legal fees - had told his doctors a year before the accident that he was blind in one eye. The star’s lawyers also wrote that the retired eye doctor ‘admits he does not remember what happened’ in their counterclaim.
The document states, ‘Ms. Paltrow remembers what happened very clearly. She was enjoying skiing with her family on vacation in Utah, when Plaintiff – who was uphill from Ms. Paltrow – plowed into her back.’
Whilst neither Gwyneth nor Terry have yet taken to the stand, yesterday neuro-radiology expert Dr Gibby testified on behalf of Terry saying, 'Terry had been a high-functioning, active person... After the accident, he deteriorated abruptly and many of the activities he loved to do, he stopped doing.'
She also suggested that Gwyneth's counterclaim was implausible adding, 'The force of injury of just falling over would not be the same as if you had someone striking you and knocking you over. If you have the combined force of two people, that would also increase... his likelihood for injury.'
Paltrow’s husband, Brad Falchuk, and her two children 18-year-old Apple and 16-year-old Moses are also expected to testify - seeing as they were confirmed to have been at the scene alongside Gwyneth - as are Terry Sanderson's children.