Gwyneth Paltrow WINS case against optometrist after jury found HE to blame for 2016 Utah ski accident and awards actress the token $1 charges she sought
- A jury in Park City, Utah, acquitted the actress of causing the ski accident
- The trial revolved around a 2016 skiing accident: Terry Sanderson, 76, sued Paltrow, 50, accusing her of crashing into him, but she claimed he hit her.
- The trial began on March 21 and lasted eight days: the Oscar-winning actress was in court every day
Gwyneth Paltrow has won her case against retired optometrist Terry Sanderson, who claimed she caused a skiing collision in 2016 that allegedly left him with lasting brain damage.
Jurors found Sanderson, 76, at fault for the accident at the posh Utah ski resort seven years ago. It took the jury just two hours and 20 minutes to reach their verdict.
The decision comes after eight days of live-streamed courtroom testimony that drew audiences from around the world and became a pop culture fixation.
Paltrow arrives in court on Thursday after a break as closing arguments were about to begin.
Terry Sanderson, 76, who was forced to change his tie on Wednesday after showing up wearing a tie emblazoned with a happy face, opted for a more low-key option for the final day of court.
Sanderson’s lead attorney, Lawrence Buhler, walked the jury through the questions in the case, saying they should answer “no” when asked if Sanderson was at fault and “yes” to a question about whether Paltrow is at fault.
Sanderson was skiing with a friend; Paltrow was on a family vacation with her and the children of her then-boyfriend Brad Falchuk. Falchuk and Paltrow got married in September 2018.
Sanderson filed for damages in January 2019, initially seeking $3.1 million. The sum was reduced by a judge to $300,000 in compensation for the injuries he suffered.
Paltrow then filed a countersuit asking for a token $1 and for her legal expenses to be covered.
Sanderson’s attorneys attempted to portray their client as alive and active before the accident, but significantly altered afterward.
He claims that she struck him in the back with such force that it left him with “permanent traumatic brain injury, four broken ribs, pain, suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, emotional distress and disfigurement.”
Sanderson told the court: “I remember everything was great and then I heard something I’d never heard at a ski resort, and that was a blood-curdling scream.”
‘And then boom, it was like someone got out of control and was going to hit a tree and die. that’s what i [remembered] until they hit me.
“I got hit in the back with such force…right on the shoulder blades, and the fists and the sticks were right there on the bottom of the shoulder blades, a bad, bad blow,” he added. I have never been hit so hard.
Gwyneth Paltrow (far right) reacts during closing arguments in her ski accident trial Thursday when Terry Sanderson’s (center) attorney told jurors her side of the story was incorrect
Paltrow, 50, who is being sued by Sanderson, made a series of remarks during closing arguments by Sanderson’s lawyers.
In his complaint, Sanderson argued that Paltrow “got up, turned around and skied away” without calling for help, leaving him “stunned, lying in the snow, seriously injured.”
Paltrow and her team said their ski instructor was at the scene and helped Sanderson.
Paltrow’s team argued that Sanderson’s decline, while very sad, was not related to the accident and pointed to previous medical problems.
They also stressed that Sanderson’s daughter, Jenny, said her relationship with her father had been troubled for many years.
And they noted repeatedly that Sanderson had emailed his daughters, saying, “I’m famous.”