Gwyneth Paltrow is compared to Jeffrey Epstein by retired doctor in bizarre rant on the stand

The retired optometrist who sued Gwyneth Paltrow over a ski collision compared the actress to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in a bizarre rant on the witness stand as the much-watched trial draws to a close.

Terry Sanderson, 76, continued his testimony on Wednesday, making the wild comparison that Paltrow should be held “responsible” for the crash.

“I’m like, what’s going on here? This is clearly an issue that someone has to be responsible for, and if they are never responsible, what are they going to do? They’re going to do it again,” he began.

“Now we have the… island assault of young children,” he said, referring to Epstein’s infamous “pedophile island” in the Caribbean, where he trafficked and sexually assaulted dozens of girls.

A stunned Paltrow looked at her attorney who called Sanderson’s testimony “ridiculous.” The judge then told the jury to ignore Sanderson’s words. Closing arguments from both parties are expected to be heard on Thursday.

Sanderson is suing Paltrow, claiming she skied out of control and crashed into him, leaving him with four broken ribs and a concussion with symptoms lasting years after the collision.

After a judge dismissed his initial $3.1 million complaint, Sanderson amended the lawsuit and re-filed, asking for “more than $300,000.” In response, Paltrow filed for a token $1 and attorney fees.

On Wednesday, in the final hour of the Paltrow defense team’s final full day of calling witnesses, they called Sanderson back to the witness stand.

Sanderson’s shocking comparison on the witness stand followed a question from his attorney Kristin VanOrman, who asked, “Was it important to you to bring this lawsuit?”

Sanderson then told the court about the whole series of insults he received for suing a celebrity. This led him to compare Paltrow to Epstein.

After making the shocking comparison while on the witness stand, “Your Honor” could be heard from the other side to which Sanderson interjected “denial.”

“This is ridiculous testimony, he’s talking about—” Paltrow’s attorney Stephen Owens sputtered. The judge told the jury to ignore that part of the testimony.

Paltrow’s defense team spent most of their last full day checking the witness stand to call medical experts to testify.

Sanderson’s lawyers are expected to begin recalling their medical experts Thursday morning to refute Paltrow’s claims. Each side then has about an hour to give the jury their closing arguments.

Paltrow’s lawyers are expected to continue their bipartisan approach, both claiming that the actor turned lifestyle influencer did not cause the accident and that the fallout is not as dire as Sanderson claims. They’ve portrayed him as an “obsessed” man who makes “utter BS” claims against someone whose fame leaves them vulnerable to unfair, frivolous lawsuits.

Sanderson’s team will likely cite how the man who claimed to be the only eyewitness testified that Paltrow beat their client and continued the case as a contemporary David versus Goliath story where Sanderson sustained injuries and had the courage to face off against a movie star.

Sanderson testified on Friday that he continued to pursue damages seven years after the accident because the successive events that followed — his post-concussion symptoms and the allegation that he sued to exploit Paltrow’s celebrity — made the insult even worse. .

“That’s the goal: to make me regret this lawsuit. It’s the pain of trying to sue a celebrity,” he said Wednesday in response to a question from his attorney about Paltrow’s team investigating his personal life, medical records and extensive international travel itinerary following the crash.

While both sides devoted significant resources to emerge victorious, the verdict could ultimately be remembered as an afterthought dwarfed by the global attention the trial has attracted. The amount of money at stake for both sides pales in comparison to the typical legal costs of a multi-year court case, private security detail, and trial with heavy witness testimony.

With long lists of witnesses on call, attorneys have made tough choices about how to juggle their hired experts with relatives, doctors, and testimony from Sanderson and Paltrow themselves.

Paltrow’s defense team chose mostly experts to set up their final defense on Wednesday. They chose to call four medical experts to testify instead of Paltrow’s husband, television producer Brad Falchuk.

A day earlier, they read statements from Paltrow’s two children – Apple and Moses – instead of calling them to testify, as they had previously indicated they intended to do.

One of the most shocking testimonies is that of Paltrow and Sanderson. On Friday, jurors were stunned when Paltrow said in the stands that she initially thought she was being “violated” when the collision began.

Three days later, Sanderson gave a very different story, saying she ran into him and sent him “absolutely flying.”

The trial has also brought the spotlight to Park City, best known as a ski resort that welcomes celebrities like Paltrow to the Sundance Film Festival each year.

Local residents increasingly filled the gallery of the courtroom during the trial. They nodded along as lawyers and witnesses referred to local landmarks like Montage Deer Valley, the ski hotel spa where Paltrow got a massage after the collision.

At times they seemed fascinated by Paltrow’s reactions to the proceedings, while at other times they mirrored the jury, whose stamina was tested by hours of jargon-laden medical testimony.