Gwyneth Paltrow Given Ruling In Ski Crash Case And It’s A Shocker
Gwyneth Paltrow has won her ski crash case and was awarded a symbolic $1.
When it comes to celebrities, civilians on the street can’t help but be intrigued by any window that reveals private details of the stars’ personal lives. Such was the case last year when millions of people tuned in to watch the ugly, seven-week-long Johnny Depp and Amber Heard court trial, and, more recently, such was the case when Marvel star Gwyneth Paltrow was taken to court over a ski incident that happened in Utah in 2016. Now, after the much shorter eight-day trial, the jury’s verdict is out, claiming that Paltrow did not cause the ski collision that retired optometrist Terry Sanderson asserted she did, according to Deadline.
Terry Sanderson initially wanted to sue Gwyneth Paltrow for $3 million, but when that motion was denied, the retired optometrist revised his suit for $300,000. While Paltrow could have settled and avoided national attention, the Shakespeare in Love actress decided to countersue for $1 to show an example to her children, Apple and Moses, ages 18 and 16, respectively.
Similar to the Depp-Heard trial, Gwyneth Paltrow’s case has become a national obsession, with fans choosing for themselves, based on the inconsistent statements, which skier was to blame for the accident, with most people agreeing with the jury that Paltrow was not at fault. According to Sanderson’s statement, the Goop founder recklessly slammed into him while skiing in Deer Valley, Utah, consequentially causing a traumatic brain injury. Meanwhile, Paltrow insisted that it was the other way around that Sanderson had slammed into her back in what she had initially (and momentarily) believed was an act of sexual assault because of the man’s grunts.
No witnesses were brought forth for the trial, so the entire case was founded on the two skier’s testimonies, which were obviously conflicting. Nevertheless, the jury decided they had enough information to declare Gwyneth Paltrow not at fault and claim Sanderson was the one who had slammed into the actress. Paltrow will now receive a symbolic $1, similar to the dollar Taylor Swift received in 2017 in the singer’s sexual assault trial against ex-DJ David Mueller.
During the trial’s closing statements, Sanderson’s lawyers argued that the collision at the ski resort permanently changed Sanderson, metaphorically leaving the old Sanderson at the top of the mountain, saying, “He never came home.” Meanwhile, Gwyneth Paltrow’s lawyers argued that Sanderson was trying to get a payday out of the actress, having expected her to settle, which she didn’t do.
Keeping it classy, after the jury awarded Gwyneth Paltrow as the winner of the suit, the actress stopped by the desk where Sanderson sat and whispered that she wished him well, to which the retired optometrist responded, “Thank you, dear.”
Aside from colliding with fellow skiers and appearing in court, Gwyneth Paltrow has kept herself busy with her wellness company, Goop, for which she is the founder and CEO. The entrepreneur has been retired from acting for four years. Her last screen appearance was in 2019 when she reprised her role as Pepper Potts in Avengers: Endgame, and she has no current plans to return to Hollywood.
