Award-winning actress and the CEO of wellness brand Goop Gwyneth Paltrow was sued over a ski accident that occurred in 2016. The actress denied the claims and countersued the original plaintiff.
Now the verdict is out and people are shocked… Keep reading to learn more.
Most people associate Gwyneth Paltrow with a very luxurious lifestyle because of her wellness brand Goop. So when news of her very public trial broke out people were interested to see what it was about.
Paltrow was being sued by Terry Sanderson, a retired optometrist for an incident that apparently occurred back in 2016. The crash between Sanderson and Paltrow occurred at Deer Valley Ski Resort in Utah on 26 February 2016. Apart from the time and place it occurred, the two parties did not agree on many other facts related to the accident.
The trial began on March 21, 2023, and both sides rested on March 30, letting the jury deliberate over the facts and come to a verdict.
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Sanderson filed his original complaint in January 2019, in which he accused Paltrow of having “skied out of control” into him. As a result of that, “knocking him down hard, knocking him out, and causing a brain injury, four broken ribs and other serious injuries.”
The following month, he changed the damages he sought in his complaint from $3.1 million to $300,000.
But Paltrow filed a countersuit in February 2019. She claimed it was Sanderson who “plowed into her back,” and delivered a “full ‘body blow’,” leaving her “shaken and upset.” As a result, she said she sustained “relatively minor” injuries.
In her countersuit, she said the lawsuit was an “attempt to exploit her celebrity and wealth.” She asked for “symbolic damages” of $1 “plus her costs and attorneys’ fees” for having to defend herself against “this meritless claim.”
During the trial, the jury heard Paltrow’s and Sanderson’s accounts of the accident and had to make a decision based on the testimonies they heard about who had been responsible for the crash.
In Sanderson’s testimony, he claimed he had been downhill while Paltrow had been uphill. “There was nothing in front of me.” He described his recollection as hearing a “blood-curdling scream” before he “got hit in my back so hard.” After that he says, “everything [was] black.”
“I tried to move, and I could not move a limb. I couldn’t move my head. I couldn’t move my body,” the retired optometrist said. “Nothing was responding.”
As a result of the accident, he said his personality has changed. He said his speech is now “upside-down and backward.” He also said he doesn’t feel “as engaged” in activities and no longer does he “have that same spark” as he did before, calling himself a “self-imposed recluse.”
Paltrow’s testimony however told a completely different story about the accident. She recalled skiing that day with her daughter Apple and son Moses, and her husband Brad Falchuk (who at the time was only her boyfriend).
She stated, “Mr. Sanderson skied directly into my back.” She said she was “extremely upset” in the aftermath of the crash.
When Sanderson’s attorney asked her whether she had “some sympathy for Mr. Sanderson’s declining brain,” she added, “I really do. I feel sorry for him. It seems like he’s had a very difficult life.”
“But I did not cause the accident,” she firmly stated. “So I cannot be at fault for anything that subsequently happened to him.”
The trial heard testimonies from various people including two of Sanderson’s children, Sanderson’s ex-girlfriend, a person Sanderson’s attorney claims is the sole witness to the crash, a ski expert, Deer Valley employees, and more.
The jury unanimously sided with Paltrow who was incredibly pleased with the verdict. She said in a statement, “I felt that acquiescing to a false claim compromised my integrity.” “I am pleased with the outcome and I appreciate all of the hard work of Judge Holmberg and the jury, and thank them for their thoughtfulness in handling this case.”
Paltrow’s attorney, Steve Owens, also said in a statement, “We are pleased with this unanimous outcome and appreciate the judge and jury’s thoughtful handling of the case. 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.”
As the famed actress left the courtroom, she could be seen leaning toward Sanderson and whispering to him, “I wish you well,” a moment a lot of people noticed.
The actress used the legal system to defend herself and emerged victorious. What do you think about this trial? Let us know in the comments below.
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