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Jury sides with Gwyneth Paltrow in Utah ski crash trial

The eight-person jury ruled that Terry Sanderson was 100 per cent at fault, and awarded Paltrow the US$1 in symbolic damages that she had asked for in a countersuit.

Jury sides with Gwyneth Paltrow in Utah ski crash trial

Gwyneth Paltrow looks on as her attorney objects during the closing arguments of her trial, in Park City, Utah, U.S., March 30, 2023. Rick Bowmer/Pool via REUTERS

A jury in Utah ruled on Thursday (Mar 30) that Oscar-winning actor Gwyneth Paltrow was not responsible for injuries sustained by a man during a ski slope collision at an upscale Park City resort in 2016.

Terry Sanderson, a retired optometrist, suffered a concussion and four broken ribs in the incident. He said the injuries led to a traumatic brain injury and had sought more than US$300,000 in damages from Paltrow at a civil trial.

Sanderson, 76, said a woman he later learned was Paltrow was skiing out of control when she ran into his back and sent him flying on a hill at Deer Valley Resort. A friend of Sanderson's testified that he saw Paltrow crash into the former doctor.

Gwyneth Paltrow speaks with retired optometrist Terry Sanderson, left, as she walks out of the courtroom following the reading of the verdict in their lawsuit trial, Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Park City, Utah. Paltrow won her court battle over a 2016 ski collision at a posh Utah ski resort after a jury decided Thursday that the movie star wasn't at fault for the crash. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, Pool)

Paltrow said she did not cause the accident and that it was Sanderson who struck her from behind.

The eight-person jury sided with Paltrow, ruling that Sanderson was 100 per cent at fault, and awarded Paltrow the US$1 in symbolic damages that she had asked for in a countersuit.

“I felt that acquiescing to a false claim compromised my integrity,” Paltrow said in a statement released by her representatives. She also thanked the judge and jury for their work.

As Paltrow left court she touched Sanderson’s shoulder and told him, “I wish you well,” Sanderson told reporters outside court. He responded, “Thank you dear.”

Paltrow's attorney, Steve Owens, added in a statement he read outside court that “Gwyneth has a history of advocating for what she believes in – this situation was no different and she will continue to stand up for what is right.”

The Shakespeare In Love actor, also known for her Goop lifestyle brand, smiled as the verdict was read. 

During her testimony, Paltrow had told jurors that she was skiing with her two children when "two skis came between my skis, forcing my legs apart, and then there was a body pressing against me and there was a very strange grunting noise."

Both fell to the ground with Paltrow on top of Sanderson, in a heap of skis and limbs, she said.

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow leaves Park City District Courthouse Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Park City, Utah. (Kristin Murphy/The Deseret News via AP)

"I did not cause the accident, so I cannot be at fault for anything that subsequently happened to him," she said.

Addressing reporters after the verdict, Sanderson questioned whether the lawsuit was worth it and said he believed that people tend to naturally trust celebrities like Paltrow.

“You get some assumed credibility from being a famous person," Sanderson said. "Really, who wants to take on a celebrity?”

Source: Agencies/sr

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