The optometrist who faces ruin after losing bid for $300k from Paltrow and now pays legal fees
Terry Sanderson wasn’t exaggerating when he wrote the infamous email to his three daughters.
‘I am famous!’ he said, writing on February 29, 2016.
Three days earlier he had bumped into Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow on the ski slopes.
The collision had left bruises, both were left shocked and in pain.
But Sanderson’s words would come back to haunt him, and on Thursday night, the 76-year-old finds himself far more famous than he ever imagined, with his private life exposed and facing possible financial ruin.
On Thursday, a jury in the luxurious Utah ski town of Park City found that Paltrow was not guilty of causing the accident.
Terry Sanderson, a Montana-born optometrist who spent his working life in a small Idaho town, appears in court Thursday. He now faces financial ruin after losing his legal case to Gwyneth Paltrow.
As Paltrow was leaving court, she touched Sanderson’s shoulder and said, “I wish you the best,” she told reporters outside the courthouse. He replied: ‘Thank you dear’
Sanderson had hoped when he filed the lawsuit in 2019 to win a $3.1 million settlement; at trial, that amount was reduced to $300,000.
Paltrow sought a token $1 but, crucially, requested payment of her legal fees, which could run into hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Paltrow’s legal team was headed by Stephen Owens, a former president of the Utah State Bar Association who served as a clerk to Utah Supreme Court Justice Richard Howe.
Owens, who specializes in medical malpractice cases, left no stone unturned in his quest to clear Paltrow’s name, including producing a witty video illustrating how the actress could not have physically caused Sanderson’s injuries.
Sanderson’s lawyer, Lawrence Buhler, who repeatedly referred to himself as a “just a country lawyer,” will also have to be paid by Sanderson for his services.
Costs remain unclear: they will depend on each lawyer’s hourly rate; the size of his team; how many hours they spent on the case; and how much the experts called to testify were paid.
And while Paltrow is worth an estimated $200 million, Sanderson’s finances are much more modest.
Sanderson, 76, who was forced to change his tie on Wednesday after showing up in a tie emblazoned with a happy face, opted for a more low-key option for the final day of court.
Paltrow arrives in court on Thursday after a break as closing arguments were about to begin.
Born in Montana, he studied zoology in his home state before training in optometry at the University of the Pacific in Oregon.
For 40 years he worked in the remote southeastern Idaho town of Soda Springs, home to 3,000 people, 160 miles north of Salt Lake City.
He had three daughters: Jenny, Polly, and Shea.
He retired and now lives in a $700,000 bungalow in Salt Lake City.
Perhaps even more bruising than the financial damage is the reputational damage.
Sanderson, over the course of the seven-day trial, has seen his mental stability questioned and an uncomfortable light shined on his family.
His daughter Jenny had provided written testimony, calling her father “overbearing” and “easily frustrated.”
She claimed she did not feel loved or ‘nurtured’ by her father, saying he was ‘verbally abusive’ towards her and her mother, whom the court heard was having an affair.
Jenny said that she did not have a relationship with her father for 13 years.
Polly and Shea later testified in court, describing Jenny as concerned.
Polly denied her sister’s claim that their father was abusive, but said she was deeply disturbed after the accident.
Before the accident he was “fun-loving, very outgoing, definitely outgoing,” he said.
Shae Herath, one of Terry Sanderson’s three daughters, is seen taking the stand on Friday.
She said that her father was a lively and active man before the accident.
His testimony was emotional and heartfelt as he recounted how his father had been affected by the collision.
“I enjoyed the people, the dancing, the outdoor activity.”
After the accident, “I couldn’t tell the forest from the trees.”
Sanderson himself testified that the accident changed him profoundly.
Describing the physical and mental effects of the accident, he said: “I can’t ski anymore, they told me that if I did and I had another accident, I could end up full-time in a nursing home.”
Now I’m like living another life.
He became emotional when describing the end of his relationship with his former partner Karlene Davidson after the accident.
“It was a sad time for both of us, I know, and she’s in a great relationship now…and that was the purpose, and I think better than it would have brought her, honestly,” he said.
It’s hard to admit that.
Paltrow, on the stand, said she was “very sorry” for Sanderson’s deteriorating health following the incident, but said it was not her “fault.”
Sanderson alleges that he was left with four broken ribs and permanent brain damage. Paltrow denies running into her retiree and countersued, saying he was the one who dodged into her, leaving her angry and hurt.
And the retiree was exposed to further humiliation when Paltrow’s lawyers found photos of him happily traveling the world.
They used photos and Facebook posts to show court images of Sanderson riding a camel in Morocco, trudging to Machu Picchu in Peru, ziplining and biking, walking with his girlfriend, doing Zumba, playing miniature golf, exploring a escape room and more, all after the skiing accident with Paltrow.
‘Did you go to Peru?’ asked Owens, Paltrow’s attorney.
‘Walk the golden path? Did you do a zip line? Did you go to Europe? Did you go to Holland three times? riding a bicycle? Did you do bus tours?
Sanderson answered in the affirmative to each question.
Paltrow’s lawyers said Sanderson has visited the Netherlands three times, Morocco twice and Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Thailand, Peru and Costa Rica at least once since 2016.
On Thursday night, Sanderson’s reputation was in shambles.
Her finances could continue, if Paltrow collects the legal fees to which she is entitled.
As he left the courtroom on Thursday, he told her quietly: “I wish you the best,” he revealed.
He replied: ‘Thank you, dear.’