Gwyneth Paltrow wins 2016 ski crash trial for a symbolic $1 in damages

On Thursday, a Utah jury found Gwyneth Paltrow not liable and ruled in her favor. This was in her counterclaim against retired optometrist Terry Sanderson, who sued the actress over a 2016 ski crash incident for over $300,000. Paltrow then countersued for $1 and attorney’s fees.

According to Variety, the bizarre, televised trial captivated social media for the past two weeks. Sanderson alleged that in 2016 the actress skied into him at the Deer Valley ski resort, leaving him with a concussion, four broken ribs and a brain injury. Sanderson originally sued for $3.1 million before a judge ruled against him seeking punitive damages.

As per the report, Utah law stated that the downhill skier has the right of way, but both Paltrow and Sanderson claimed that they were the one downhill. Paltrow testified first, telling the jury that it was Sanderson who had crashed into her first. “You skied directly into my fucking back,” Paltrow said.

Further recounting the incident, Paltrow mentioned how she was watching her children skiing down the slope when Sanderson hit her from behind. “I was skiing, and two skis came between my skis, forcing my legs apart,” she said before adding, “And then there was a body pressing against me.”

“My brain was trying to make sense of what was happening,” Paltrow said in the court. “I thought, ‘Is this a practical joke? Is someone doing something perverted?’” On Monday, Sanderson took the stand to share his side of the story and said, “I just remember everything was great and then I heard something I’ve never heard at a ski resort and that was a blood-curdling scream.”

As the report shares, both medical and ski experts were also brought to testify in front of the jury.

Also Read: Gwyneth Paltrow’s 2016 ski accident accuser takes the stand – “No one believed how serious my injuries were”