Gwyneth Paltrow spoke in court about the February 2016 incident where she and retired optometrist Terry Sanderson collided at Deer Valley Resort while skiing on the mountain. The actress, 50, testified that she had a fleeting thought that the incident could be sexual assault. “It was a quick thought that went through my head. There was a strange grunting noise and a body behind me so I was trying to make sense of what was going on. My mind was going very quickly,” she said on the stand on Friday, March 24.
#GwynethPaltrow said that she briefly thought the ski crash may have been an assault of a “sexual nature” when recalling the collision. “There was a body pressing against me and there was a very strange grunting noise,” the famed actress said. pic.twitter.com/OFEHJhA2Ku
— Law&Crime Network (@LawCrimeNetwork) March 24, 2023
The lawyer then pressed for more details, asking, “You said you went to the right and went crashing down together and your bodies were almost spooning and your knees splayed opened and you were in shock?” to which the goop founder said, “yes.”
During the court appearance, Gwyneth also denied blame — saying that Sanderson “categorically hit me on that ski slope, and that is the truth.”
"Mr Sanderson categorically hit me on the ski slope and that's the truth" says Gwyneth Paltrow, testifying in ski collision lawsuit.https://t.co/PAiZ4D1RJB
📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/oJ87ncmAxJ
— Sky News (@SkyNews) March 24, 2023
She then doubled down saying, “that is the truth” as the cross-examining lawyer brought up height: “if you two stood next to each other, do you think someone would confuse the two of you?” the lawyer inquired. Gwyneth indicated she’s just under 5’10”, and that Sanderson is 5’5″.
Plaintiff’s lawyer: “May I ask how tall you are?”
Gwyneth Paltrow: “I’m just under 5'10.”
Lawyer: “I am so jealous.”
Paltrow: “I think I’m shrinking though.”
Lawyer: “I have to wear 4-inch heels just to make it to 5'5.”
Paltrow: “Well, they’re very nice.” pic.twitter.com/nB2kc503Ac
— The Recount (@therecount) March 24, 2023
The Shakespeare In Love actress was seen seated in court alongside her attorney Steve Owens, on Tuesday. Both Steve and Terry’s lawyer Lawrence Buhler made their opening arguments to the judge and jury, following introductions.
Terry, 76, has alleged that Gwyneth had crashed him to as she was skiing “out of control,” according to CNN. He said that she “knock[ed] him down hard, knocking him out, and causing a brain injury.” He also said that he had had four broken ribs and more injuries. He said the actress and her instructor had skied away, and they didn’t help him get medical help.
In response to Terry’s lawsuit, Gwyneth filed a countersuit, where she claimed that he crashed into her from behind, “sustain[ing] a full body blow,” as she was “enjoying skiing on vacation with her family.” She said that even though she was “angry,” he apologized, but she still decided to stop skiing for the day, because she was “shaken and upset” from the incident.
Terry is seeking $300,000 in damages, after initially trying to sue Gwyneth for $3.1 million. The actress is only seeking $1 and attorney’s fees in her lawsuit. The trial is taking place in Park City, Utah, and it’s anticipated to last a little more than a week. In her countersuit, Gwyneth’s lawyers accused him of trying to take advantage of her celebrity status. “He demanded Ms. Paltrow pay him millions. If she did not pay, she would face negative publicity resulting from his allegations,” they wrote in a 2019 filing, per HuffPost.
Terry did not file his lawsuit until 2019, three years after the incident had occurred. He claimed that he had trouble with his lawyers, and he also said that the results of the concussion he allegedly suffered from during the collision had made it difficult for him, according to USA Today. Outside of her countersuit, the Goop founder does not appear to have publicly addressed the lawsuit.
The rule for ski resorts is that the skier downhill has the right of way, so much of the trial is expected to focus on who was further downhill when the collision occurred. Both Gwyneth and the optometrist have claimed that they were further downhill when their crash took place.