As Gwyneth Paltrow’s ski trial comes to a close on Thursday, DailyMail.com takes a look back at the most bizarre moments from the past eight days.
The Oscar-winning actress has turned heads with her outfit for the past two weeks as she stands trial for causing brain damage to retired ophthalmologist Terry Sanderson, 76, in a 2016 skiing accident.
Sanderson claims Paltrow skated him on the beginners slope of Bandana Run at Deer Valley Resort in Utah. He is suing for $300,000 in damages.
But Paltrow claims the retired doctor actually slammed her in, doing the interview for a dollar and the cost of her legal fees.
She and Sanderson have now taken the stand, resulting in several moments that have gone viral on the internet.
Gwyneth Paltrow’s trial in a 2016 skiing accident led to several viral moments, with the Oscar-winning actress claiming she lost half a day of skiing and the retired doctor suing her, Terry Sanderson, right, mimicking a scream she heard
One of the most viral moments from the two-week experience came when Gwyneth Paltrow took the stage, speaking about the impact her February 2016 accident had on her.
Well, we lost half a day of skiing, she said.
This response — especially when compared to Sanderson’s claims that the accident left him with broken ribs and brain damage — has led to plenty of derision online, even from fellow actress Busy Philips.
The White Chicks star, 43, posted a selfie to her Instagram with fellow actress Jane Tulloch and used Gwyneth’s quote as her caption.
For the photo, the two women leaned in front of the camera with stiff faces, both holding what looked like an espresso martini.
Twitter also became a gateway for reactions to Gwyneth’s statement, with one user writing: “I hate to tell you this but if you’re only hitting the slopes now you’ve missed half a day of skiing which is the worst thing that can happen to anyone.”
Another said: ‘He could make more money – but Gwyneth won’t get back the half day of skiing she lost. So who’s the bad guy here????
2. Plaintiff’s lawyers asked Paltrow how tall she was and said she was “jealous”
As Paltrow continued to testify on Friday, viewers were gobsmacked by plaintiff’s attorneys who asked the actress how tall she was — she sounded more like a fan than a lawyer.
Kristen Van Orman, one of Sanderson’s attorneys, began her questioning of the actress by asking, “May I ask, how tall are you?”
Paltrow then replied that she was “just under 5’10”, to which Van Orman told her, “Well, I’m so jealous.”
In an apparent effort to reassure the attorney, Paltrow insisted that she believed she was shrinking, and Van Orman said she believed she was.
‘You and I are both,’ VanOrman replied. “I have to wear these four inch heels just to be 5’5”.
Singer Taylor Swift was dragged into court proceedings when Paltrow’s attorneys asked if she was friends with the singer. Swift is pictured here at the iHeartRadio Awards earlier this month
Paltrow complimented the lawyer, who quickly thanked him: “Well, they’re very nice.”
3. The plaintiff’s lawyers asked if she was a good friend of Taylor Swift
In another bizarre exchange between VanOrman and Paltrow, the Iron Man star was asked by the lawyer if she was good friends with Taylor Swift, who symbolically fended off DJ Taylor Mueller, whom she accused of sexual assault.
Paltrow replied: No. I wouldn’t say we’re good friends, we’re friendly. I’ve taken my kids to one of her concerts before, but we don’t talk anymore.
Van Orman then asked Paltrow if she had given Swift gifts, to which Paltrow’s attorneys objected on the basis of relevance.
The judge upheld his objection, saying Van Orman might also ask her about Oprah, since it would be just as important.
4. Plaintiff’s attorneys ask Paltrow about her tipping habits
As VanOrman continued her unique style of questioning the defendant, she decided to ask Paltrow about her changing habits.
“Now I suppose–and you’re under oath here–that you’re a good tipper?” Van Orman asked.
Paltrow laughed at the question, and simply replied, “Yes.”
“Awesome,” said Van Orman. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
The exchange went viral on Twitter, where it has been viewed more than two million times.
Sanderson’s attorney Cresciton Van Orman appeared to be a fan of Paltrow as she questioned the actress on the stand.
5. Paltrow’s lawyers were told they couldn’t bring the “bonuses” to the bailiffs
Early in the trial, Paltrow’s security team wanted to thank the bailiffs for helping protect her from the paparazzi during the trial.
Bailiffs apparently helped shelter the actress as she left her car and entered the courtroom, as her lawyers tried to avoid erratic cameras in the courtroom and photographers outside who were trying to get a picture of the star.
“My clients’ private security wanted to bring bailiffs rewards for how helpful they were,” her attorney Stephen Owens told Jude Kent Holmberg on just the second day.
So I wanted to do it transparently, and see if there were any objections.
But Sanderson’s attorneys objected, and Holmberg replied, ‘Well, there is an objection, thank you, but no thank you.
He added, “If the parties decide to do it later, that’s okay too.”
Attorney Stephen Owens asked Judge Kent R. Holmberg if they could bring the rewards to the bailiffs
In her testimony on Friday, Paltrow said she initially feared she was being sexually assaulted when she was hit from behind on a ski slope, saying she felt her legs between hers when she and Terry Sanderson fell to the ground.
Paltrow, 50, said she yelled “I skated straight back” at the pensioner who accused her of brain damage in a skiing accident.
The actress, who was one of the first to accuse Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment, said she was momentarily intimidated by the possibility that Terry Sanderson was an attacker.
Gwyneth Paltrow appeared in court in Utah on Friday for the fourth day of her trial in a skiing accident
She said she thought, “Is this someone doing something perverted?”
“I was trying to piece together what was going on behind me,” she added.
She said she quickly realized it wasn’t a sexual attack, but rather someone slammed into her from behind.
7. Retired doctor recreates the “blood-curdling shriek” he said he heard
As Sanderson took the stage, he paraphrased the “horrific bloody shriek” he claims he heard just before Paltrow crashed him down the ski slope. in injury.
Mimicking the voice: “Everything was fine and I heard a horrible scream. Then Boom! It was as if someone was out of control, was going to crash into a tree and die.”
Sanderson recounted the moment of the plane crash in his testimony on Monday
Sanderson also said he remembered a man in a Deer Valley Resort ski suit who showed up afterwards and instead of offering to help, angrily blamed him for the crash.
This man, said to be Gwyneth Paltrow’s ski instructor, took the stand after lunch after Sanderson accused him of refusing to help him and calling the ski instructor a “bully” in court this morning.
Asked directly if he yelled at Sanderson as he was hit, Christiansen said “no one was unconscious.”
8. Sanderson says he can no longer enjoy wine tasting after a breakup
The doctor who testified on Sanderson’s behalf, Dr. Wendell Gibby, claimed that the retired ophthalmologist could no longer enjoy wine tastings after the crash.
Before his February 2016 accident, Gibby said, Terry was an active, high-functioning person. Every day he did a lot of things. Group meetings, wine tastings, skiing, volunteer work.
“After the accident, his condition suddenly deteriorated and many activities that I loved to do stopped.”
Paltrow gave Sanderson a stunned look before looking at her lawyer, who called the testimony “ridiculous.” Then the judge told the jury to ignore Sanderson’s words
In his testimony, Sanderson compared Paltrow to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, before a judge decided to strike the comments off the record.
‘What is going on here?’ Sanderson asked what he says he has rejected Paltrow for accountability. Obviously, this is an issue that someone needs to be held accountable for.
“And if they were never held accountable, they would do it again,” he continued. “Now, we have molested young children on an island.”
But Paltrow’s attorneys objected to this testimony, pointing out that he was referring to Jeffrey Epstein – an entirely separate case, and the judge upheld the objection on the basis of relevance.
Sanderson was seen traveling extensively after the accident, despite his alleged brain injury.
Paltrow’s attorneys called Sanderson to the stand Wednesday to ask him questions about his extensive travels after the plane crash.
They provided photos as evidence of Sanderson riding a camel in Morocco, heading to Machu Picchu in Peru.
While on vacation, he has also been photographed taking part in activities such as skiing and cycling.
He also did a continent-wide circuit around Europe with stops in the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, France and Belgium.
While on vacation, Sanderson has been photographed participating in activities such as skiing and cycling
The photo, dated 2018, shows Sanderson walking around with a group
11. SANDERSON Compared Paltrow to King Kong and Godzilla
Terry Sanderson did not deny on Wednesday that he likened Paltrow to “King Kong out of the jungle.”
He simply said that he disagreed with his intentions when making the comment, and said, “I meant to say that King Kong chased someone out of the woods.”
The defense then said that Sanderson’s daughter testified of him referring to Paltrow as “Godzilla” — something Sanderson says he does not remember but does not dispute.
He claimed, “You hit me and ran me.”
12. Paltrow’s lawyer had to make an apology to Sanderson’s daughter
At one point during the trial, Paltrow’s attorney was forced to apologize to Sanderson’s daughter.
“I need to apologize, I was an a** ex,” he told Polly Grasham before continuing his questioning, saying he “triangled” her, her mother, and her father.
