A jury has ruled that Gwyneth Paltrow is not at fault for a 2016 ski collision that allegedly left the 76-year-old complainant with broken ribs and a concussion.
On Thursday, a jury dismissed retired optometrist Terry Sanderson’s civil lawsuit against Paltrow, which alleged that the Oscar-winning actress was responsible for a collision between the two while skiing at Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah. Sanderson originally sued Paltrow for $3.1 million, claiming the incident had resulted in a concussion, four broken ribs, and long-term brain damage, but he later re-filed for just over $300,000 after a judge threw out his initial lawsuit. Paltrow countersued for $1 and attorney fees, contending that the plaintiff ran into her from behind.
The trial, which began on March 21st and was livestreamed in its entirety, yielded several bizarre moments, including virtual and live recreations of the crash, Sanderson’s comparison of Paltrow to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and an exchange between the actress and Sanderson’s attorneys that scrutinized her friendship status with Taylor Swift, who also filed a symbolic $1 lawsuit in 2017. On the stand, Paltrow testified that she felt “violated” by Sanderson at first while she was “trying to make sense of what was happening.”
The proceedings also produced depositions from Paltrow’s children and their ski instructors, who affirmed Paltrow’s account of the day and immediate aftermath. Meanwhile, Sanderson’s case relied on the elderly man having “no joy left in his life” after the accident rendered him unable to maintain personal relationships or enjoy his usual pleasures like wine tasting, as supported under oath by his ex-girlfriend and a neuroradiology specialist, respectively.
Sanderson provided a statement at a press conference after the decision was announced on Thursday. Standing beside a member of his legal team, he called his characterization during the trial “a disappointment” and revealed that Paltrow had wished him well before exiting the courtroom.
Paltrow’s lawyer, Stephen W. Owens, did not offer any immediate comment on behalf of the actress.
BREAKING: A Utah jury found Gwyneth Paltrow was not at fault in a 2016 ski crash. The jury found Terry Sanderson, 76, who was suing Paltrow, at fault in the collision. pic.twitter.com/CQesiph5I0
Advertisement— NowThis (@nowthisnews) March 30, 2023
