Trial in a lawsuit accusing Gwyneth Paltrow of a 2016 hit-and-run skiing incident in Park City, Utah, will begin this week.
In the lawsuit, retired optometrist Terry Sanderson alleges the Goop founder was skiing downhill at Deer Valley Resort when he collided with him and then skied away. Sanderson was left behind with a brain injury and broken ribs, according to a Deseret News report about the lawsuit, which was filed in 2019.
Sanderson originally sought $3.1 million in damages, but the amount will now be established during the jury trial, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.
The trial will begin Tuesday morning in Park City District Court and is scheduled to last eight days, court spokeswoman Tania Nashburn told the Times. Both parties, including Paltrow, are expected to be present during the trial.
Sanderson, who was 69 at the time of the accident, had noticed signs to slow down and slowed down, he told reporters at a news conference after filing the lawsuit. He then heard a “hysterical scream” just before he was struck.
“It was instant,” Sanderson said. “They hit me on the back. … It felt like I was pushed forward.”
In her response to the complaint, Paltrow claimed that it was actually the retired doctor who hit her from behind, as he was the one moving down the hill.
“She received a ‘full body blow.’ Ms. Paltrow was angry with the plaintiff and she said so,” the response to the lawsuit said, according to the Deseret News. “The plaintiff apologized. She was shocked and upset, and she stopped skiing for the day even though it was still morning.”
A month after Sanderson filed his lawsuit, the “Shakespeare in Love” Oscar-winning actor filed a countersuit, seeking “token damages” of $1, plus legal fees. Any other amount awarded would be donated to charity.
“She did not knock him down,” the counterclaim stated, according to the Deseret News. “He knocked her down. He wasn’t knocked out. Immediately after the collision, he got to his feet and addressed Mrs. Paltrow. Mrs. Paltrow expressed her anger that he bumped into her and he apologized to her. She did not cause the collision.”
This is not the first time Paltrow has been sued for an alleged collision. A couple claimed in a 2000 lawsuit that Paltrow rear-ended them while he was driving a rental car, leaving them with “permanent and serious injuries.” Records showing the outcome of the case were not immediately available.
