Gwyneth Paltrow spent much of the week in a Park City, Utah, courthouse preparing to take the stand in a trial related to a 2016 skiing incident at the Deer Valley Resort.
Retired optometrist Terry Sanderson filed the lawsuit in 2019, accusing Paltrow of colliding with him while skiing, knocking him unconscious and causing injuries that led to a deterioration in his physical and mental health.
Paltrow has denied the claims from the outset, with a representative for her saying: “This lawsuit is completely without merit. Anyone who reads the facts will realize that.”
In fact, the 50-year-old founder and CEO of Goop filed a countersuit, asking for $1 plus the cost of attorney’s fees. She said Sanderson was the one who crashed into her from behind and was just trying to “exploit his celebrity and wealth,” People reports.
A large part of the testing thus far has focused on proper ski etiquette, which states that the person furthest down the mountain has the right of way.
Both Paltrow and Sanderson claim to have been the downhill skier in the accident.
Dr. Wendell Gibby, a neuroradiology expert hired by Sanderson’s attorney, says his injuries are evidence that he was struck from behind, but reported GoPro video of the incident has since disappeared.
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Shortly after the incident, Sanderson allegedly sent a series of emails to his daughter with the subject line “I’m famous…At what cost?” Sanderson’s daughter replied that she couldn’t believe the accident was captured by GoPro, but Sanderson noted that the video had not been recovered.
Paltrow’s team has attempted to use the email subject line as evidence of Sanderson’s interest in her fame and wealth.
They also argued that the medical complications that Sanderson, 76, has experienced since the accident are due to his age and pre-existing conditions, not the accident.
The day the accident happened also happened when Paltrow was introducing her children to her then-boyfriend Brad Falchuk.
Falchuk, her now-husband, is expected to be called to the stand to testify in her defense, along with their 18-year-old daughter Apple and 16-year-old son Moses.
Paltrow is expected to testify on Friday. or early next week, as the eight-day trial progresses.
with cable news services
