On Thursday , a jury sided in favor of actor Gwyneth Palatrow. They ruled that she was not to blame for the 2016 ski accident where she collided with an elderly Utah optometrist. She suffered broken ribs as well as a concussion.
Terry Sanderson filed a $300,000. lawsuit against Paltrow alleging that Paltrow’s reckless skiing caused him to collide with her from behind at Utah’s Deer Valley Resort on February 26, 2016. He said that Sanderson suffered four broken ribs, brain damage, and a concussion in the collision.
The jury began deliberations earlier in afternoon and agreed that Sanderson was at fault and not Paltrow.
Paltrow responded by suing for $1 and her legal fees. She claimed that Sanderson was not the one she had run into.
Paltrow stated that she felt that giving in to a false claim had compromised her integrity. She made this statement following the verdict. “I am happy with the outcome and I appreciate Judge Holmberg’s hard work and the jury for their thoughtfulness in handling the case.
Paltrow stated that Sanderson was responsible for the collision. She said that she thought she was being attacked when Sanderson came up behind her and put his skis between her legs.
“Mr. Paltrow stated that Sanderson had “categorically” hit me on the slope.
She also refuted Sanderson’s account of Craig Ramon as a witness, who was part of a meetup group Sanderson had set up to ski that day. Ramon was the only witness to the accident and testified that he was 35 feet behind Sanderson and Paltrow.
Ramon said that he heard a scream, and then saw Paltrow hit Sanderson from behind. Sanderson was unconscious for a short time and lying face down in the snow, he said. Ramon testified that Paltrow departed after four minutes, without asking for identification or waiting to find out if Sanderson was okay.
Paltrow refuted Ramon’s claims, calling into question his reliability.
Paltrow stated that he claimed he was only 40 feet away from Paltrow and colorblind. “I don’t know how he could be positive about what was seen, especially considering how much he changed the story.”
Paltrow denied that he had been at the accident. Sanderson told the group that he was fine, and that the instructor took care of the situation for her. She said that the instructor had filed a report on her and shared her information.
According to the instructor’s report, a male skier had hit Paltrow that day.
Paltrow had lunch after the accident with her children and her husband. She then resigned from the rest of the ski days due to a sore knee. Apple Martin and Moses Martin, her children, testified that Paltrow was shaken and had said Sanderson ran into them.
Apple Martin, aged 12, testified that she saw the accident but that her mother was in shock that day.
Sanderson, aged 76, claimed that he suffered a traumatic brain injury in the accident that left him with cognitive impairments that have negatively affected his daily life and relationships. Paltrow’s lawyers attributed Sanderson’s decline to pre-existing conditions and aging, and called on medical experts to back their claims.
Paltrow’s lawyers also brought up past failed relationships and a deposition by Sanderson’s daughter to contest the notion that Sanderson’s strained personal life is due to a brain injury.
