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Gwyneth Paltrow insisted on the witness stand that the 2016 skiing accident at the upscale Utah ski resort was not her fault, claiming that the person who sued her had run into her from behind.
The actor-turned-lifestyle influencer testified that the accident shocked him — and the way the man skied between his legs made him worry he was being “violated,” he said.
“There was a body touching me and a very strange grunting sound,” he said.
“My brain is trying to figure out what happened,” added the lifestyle influencer, clarifying that the collision was not a sexual offense. Paltrow later explained that after the initial panic, she realized that the sudden collision was not sexual.
Paltrow is calm and collected
After sitting in court for four days, Paltrow remained calm and composed for more than two hours on the witness stand. Park City jurors sat bewildered as they denied fault for the collision.
Terry Sanderson, the retired optometrist who is prosecuting him, is expected to give his opposing account of the accident when he takes the stand for the first time on Monday.
Throughout Paltrow’s highly-anticipated testimony, the Goop founder-CEO calmly and repeatedly said that Sanderson, sitting a few feet across the court, ran into her — causing the two skiers to stop at the start of the race with Paltrow on top and Sanderson on the bottom. they. In the seconds after the collision, Paltrow admitted that she yelled at Sanderson and didn’t stop to ask if he was okay. Paltrow testified that she stood on the mountain as one of her family’s four ski instructors promised to give Sanderson contact information and submit an incident report.
In an exchange that touched on a recurring theme of trial, Sanderson’s lawyers tried to portray the decision as a reflection of celebrity negligence, while Paltrow insisted that she – not the 76-year-old man who sued her – was the injured party.
“You have to remember, when you are the victim of an accident, your psychology is not to think about the person who did it,” he said.
To draw the jury’s attention to Paltrow’s wealth, Sanderson’s attorney probed Paltrow about the price of a ski instructor at the scenic Deer Valley Resort and her decision to leave the mountain to get a massage the day of the accident.
Trial touches on the burden of celebrity
Sanderson and his multi-member legal team at one point spread themselves across the courtroom to reenact the accident for the jury, whose members were delighted after days of steaming through dense medical testimony about broken ribs, concussions and brain damage. .
Paltrow’s lawyers denied her participation in the re-enactment, leaving her sitting on the witness stand watching lawyers question her take on the role of the Oscar-winning actor.
Next week, Paltrow’s team may call her back to the stand, as well as medical experts, ski instructors and her two children, Moses and Apple.
The trial touched on themes ranging from the ethics of skiers to the power – and burden – of celebrity. The amount of money at stake for both sides pales in comparison to the typical legal costs of multiyear lawsuits, personal security details and the burdensome trial of expert witnesses.
During the week in Utah, Paltrow’s legal team asked for special restrictions, including limiting photography in the courtroom and in the public parking lot outside — where a cordon covers Paltrow’s way in and out. Unlike most courts, the court has not published a list of witnesses.
Paltrow’s lawyers argue that she did not cause the accident and that Sanderson’s injuries have been exaggerated. They have questioned Sanderson’s motivations for suing Paltrow, examining family members about post-accident communications about the celebrity and their distance.
‘I’m famous… What’s the cost?’
He has asked Sanderson’s two daughters whether their father thinks it’s “cool” to bump into celebrities like Paltrow – a characterization they reject.
After the crash, Sanderson sent an email to his daughter with the subject line: “I’m famous… What’s the cost?” His eldest daughter, Shae Herath, wrote back: “I can’t believe this is all on GoPro either.”
On Friday, Herath tried to explain the footage amid questions about whether the crash was recorded on a spectator’s helmet camera that caught the attention of Park City jurors – and online viewers who had tuned into live footage of the movie star’s trial.
Herath testified Friday that he didn’t know there was any footage and said the email showed a phone conversation before his father told him he thought it was footage of the collision from a GoPro walker. Cameras are a common accessory for skiers at resorts like Deer Valley.
While Sanderson’s attorneys are focused on their client’s deteriorating health, Paltrow’s legal team has engaged jurors with persistent questions about the mysterious, missing GoPro footage. No video footage was found or entered into evidence.
GoPro cameras are commonly used by outdoor athletes including skiers to capture action sports.
The proceedings have delved into the 76-year-old Sanderson’s medical history and personality changes, with lawyers questioning whether his deteriorating health and disconnected relationships were due to the collision or the aging process.
After a judge threw out the US$3.1 million lawsuit before Sanderson, Sanderson later demanded damages “in excess of $300,000.” Paltrow has countersued for a symbolic $1 and attorney’s fees, and one of her lawyers has repeatedly waved a $1 bill to the jury.
Sanderson’s lawyer compared the symbolic act of the $1 lawsuit to the 2017 countersuit filed by Taylor Swift against the radio host for the same amount in an attempt to draw attention to Paltrow’s celebrity. When asked if she was friends with Swift during a parade of arguments from lawyers, Paltrow said no, but that she was “friendly” with the singer.
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