Actress and Goop CEO Gwyneth Paltrow appeared in court Tuesday for the first day of a civil trial over claims she seriously injured a man in a skiing accident in Park City, Utah, in 2016.
Terry Sanderson, a 76-year-old retired optometrist, filed the suit against Paltrow, alleging that the Shakespeare in Love actress caused a violent collision that left him seriously injured on the ground while she and her entourage continued their descent down the slopes, AP reported.
The lawsuit states that Paltrow crashed into Sanderson, “knocking him down hard, knocking him out, and causing a brain injury, four broken ribs, and other serious injuries.”
Sanderson initially sued for $3 million, but after that suit was dismissed, he amended his claim and is now seeking $300,000. Paltrow has filed a counterclaim, seeking legal fees and $1 in damages. The Oscar winner has alleged that Sanderson is overstating his injuries and trying to exploit her wealth and celebrity.
“He demanded Ms. Paltrow pay him millions. If she did not pay, she would face negative publicity resulting from his allegations,” the actor’s attorneys wrote in a 2019 court filing, according to AP.
On Tuesday, the first witness to appear on the stand was Craig Ramon, an “acquaintance” of Sanderson who said he was the only person present at the time of the collision.
Ramon said: “We were skiing down the run, and then I heard this yell, this scream, and then I looked over and… then I see this skier [Paltrow] just slam into the back of Terry,” Sky News reported.
He continued: “She slammed him very hard. She hits him directly in the back, his skis go out, and he falls face down, so he’s kind of spread-eagled, and Gwyneth is on top of him and bounces off and slides about five or 10ft.”
Sanderson’s attorney, Lawrence Buhler, said Paltrow was “reckless” on the slopes.
Paltrow agrees that the pair collided on the slopes, but her attorneys have argued that the accident was Sanderson’s fault, and he crashed into Paltrow. Steve Owens, Paltrow’s lawyer, dismissed Sanderson’s claims as “utter BS” in court Tuesday, the BBC reported.
Owens told the jury that Paltrow had just started traveling down the slope when a pair of skis appeared between her legs, and a man collided with her. The BBC added that Owens argued Sanderson, who suffers from vision and hearing loss from a previous stroke, may not have seen the actress before he collided with her.
The proceedings are scheduled to last for up to eight days.
