- A Utah jury determined that Gwyneth Paltrow was not responsible for a skiing accident
- A juror said that Paltrow's expert witness presented a persuasive case in her favor
- Terry Sanderson's social media posts "did not help" the retired optometrist's case
On Thursday, a jury sided with actress Gwyneth Paltrow, finding she was not at fault for a 2016 ski accident involving a retired Utah optometrist who suffered broken ribs and a concussion following the fall.
Terry Sanderson filed a $300,000 lawsuit against Gwyneth Paltrow, stating that her careless skiing caused her to rear-end him at Utah's Deer Valley Resort on February 26, 2016.
Gwyneth Paltrow Not Liable in Ski Crash Accident
Sanderson said the crash left him with four fractured ribs, a concussion, and permanent brain damage that disrupted his everyday life and personal relationships. The jury, which began deliberations earlier in the afternoon, determined that Sanderson, not Paltrow, was responsible for the offense. Paltrow countersued Sanderson for $1 in addition to her legal bills, claiming she never met Sanderson.
Paltrow testified in court that Sanderson was responsible for the collision. She said she feared being assaulted when a man approached her from behind, placed his skis between hers, and groaned.
She also contested the testimony of Sanderson's witness Craig Ramon, a member of the ski meetup group Sanderson had organized that day. Ramon is the lone witness who testified that he was approximately 35 feet behind Paltrow and Sanderson at the time of the accident.
Per NBC News, Ramon told the court that he heard a scream and saw Paltrow strike Sanderson from behind a few seconds later. According to him, Sanderson was briefly unconscious and lying facedown in the snow.
He testified that Paltrow left after approximately four minutes without identifying herself or ensuring Sanderson was okay. Paltrow also denied leaving the accident scene before Sanderson reassured the group that he was okay, claiming that the instructor handled the matter on her behalf.
She stated that the instructor filed a report and disclosed her information after filing the report. According to the instructor's report, Paltrow was hit by a male skier. Apple Martin, who was 12 years old then, testified that although she did not witness the accident, she remembered that her mother was in a "state of shock" that day.
Sanderson, 76, claimed that the collision left him with a traumatic brain injury that has significantly impacted his daily life and relationships. The attorneys for Paltrow ascribed Sanderson's decline to pre-existing medical issues and age and brought medical specialists to testify in support of their claims.
Paltrow's attorneys also cited previous failed relationships and deposition from one of Sanderson's estranged daughters to refute that Sanderson's brain impairment is the sole cause of his difficult personal life.
Paltrow testified that she felt "very sorry" about Sanderson's deteriorating health following the encounter but that she was not "at fault." The retiree exposed himself to embarrassment when Paltrow's attorneys discovered photographs of him traversing the globe.
They used Facebook photos and postings to show the court Sanderson riding a camel in Morocco, climbing Machu Picchu in Peru, ziplining and biking, trekking with his girlfriend, doing Zumba, playing mini-golf, exploring an escape room, and more, all after the ski accident with Paltrow.
Sanderson visited the Netherlands three times, Morocco twice, Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Thailand, Peru, and Costa Rica all at least once since 2016, according to Paltrow's attorneys.
Sanderson had intended to secure a $3.3 million settlement when he filed the lawsuit in 2019, but the figure was lowered to $300,000 at trial. Paltrow requested a symbolic one, but she also demanded payment of her legal bills, which may reach hundreds of thousands of dollars, Daily Mail reported.
As Paltrow exited the courtroom, she approached Sanderson, touched his shoulder, and wished him luck. He said, "Thank you, my sweetheart."
Paltrow's legal team was led by the former president of the Utah State Bar and clerk for Utah Supreme Court Judge Richard Howe, Stephen Owens.
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Gwyneth Paltrow's Ski Trial Videos
Owens, who specializes in medical malpractice cases, left no stone abandoned in his attempt to clear Paltrow's name, including creating a sleek film demonstrating that the actress could not have physically caused Sanderson's injuries. Sanderson must also compensate Sanderson's attorney Lawrence Buhler, who constantly described himself as a "basic country lawyer," for his efforts.
The expenses are unknown; they will depend on the hourly fee of each attorney, the size of their team, the number of hours they worked on the case, and the amount paid to the experts who testified. Over 30 million people viewed Gwyneth Paltrow's ski test across YouTube and social media platforms, according to Variety.
The eight-day saga was extensively reported by major media outlets and distributed via online memes and viral videos. It was also a huge advantage for the Law and Crime Network, whose YouTube page streamed the trial live (the channel also has carriage deals with Roku, Samsung TV, and Sling TV, though those numbers only report quarterly).
Approximately 16.5 million people watched the live stream, according to the network. Additionally, 7.4 million people observed the event on Facebook, while 4.2 million consumed Oscar-related procedures on TikTok. Similar broadcasts on Court TV and the Associated Press live stream are not included in these numbers.
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