Gwyneth Paltrow began testifying on Friday afternoon in her trial over a 2016 ski collision at a Utah mountain resort, in which a man claims that the movie star’s recklessness caused him lasting physical injuries, while she says the clash on the slopes was his responsibility.
The Oscar-winning actor took the stand about 5pm ET to answer questions about her crash with Terry Sanderson, the retired optometrist suing her.
Paltrow denied that she ever engaged in “risky behavior” on a ski run with which she said she was previously familiar. She also said that she skied as she normally would even though her children were present that day.
“I wouldn’t engage with risky behavior, with or without my children there,” she testified.
During the exchange, an attorney for Sanderson appeared to be trying to establish that Paltrow would sometimes ski in a more risky fashion if her children were with her.
Paltrow, however, denied ever doing that and said: “I have always been very open and honest with my kids. And they know me very well.”
Attorneys for Paltrow and Sanderson have been jostling to convince the 10-member jury which skier was positioned downhill and therefore had the right of way.
Paltrow, also a lifestyle influencer, has been present in court this week and has countersued Sanderson. Sanderson’s daughter testified on Friday just before Paltrow went on the witness stand.
Mark Stephen Herath, the brother of Sanderson’s son-in-law, was first on the stand on Friday.
He talked about the lingering effects on Sanderson of the skiing incident at the resort in Park City, Utah, the mountain town where the Sundance film festival also takes place.
He told the jury, of Sanderson: “His comprehension had gone down, he’d get confused … It was like day and night before and after the accident. I think he tried to go skiing a couple of times but I don’t think he’s gone since the accident.”
He called Sanderson’s condition “a dead end” and added: “He wasn’t mentally prepared to go skiing again.”
In a trial that the judge, Kent Holmberg, and attorneys for both parties have agreed will last eight days, with each side getting four days to call their own witnesses, Friday marks the final day that Sanderson’s attorneys can compel Paltrow to testify.
In previous depositions in the drawn-out case, she has said she “froze” when the crash happened, while she was on a beginners’ slope with one of her children.
“We came crashing down together. This man was behind me on the mountain,” she said in November 2020. “My knee – and our skis were still sort of tangled up. Our bodies were almost spooning and I moved away quickly. And my knee splayed open, and I was in shock.”
Next week, Paltrow’s team is expected to call medical experts, ski instructors and her two children, Moses and Apple.
The trial thus far has shone a spotlight on Park City and Deer Valley resort, where Paltrow and Sanderson collided. The resort is among the most upscale in North America, known for sunny slopes, après-ski champagne yurts and luxury lodges.
The proceedings have delved deep into the 76-year-old Sanderson’s medical history and personality quirks, with attorneys questioning whether his deteriorating health and estranged relationships stemmed from the collision or natural process of ageing.
The trial has touched on themes ranging from skier’s etiquette to the power – and burden – of celebrity.
Sanderson is seeking “more than $300,000” in damages, while Paltrow has countersued for $1 and attorney fees. The amount of money at stake for both sides is relatively small for such a case.
Lawyers for Paltrow spent much of Thursday raising questions about Sanderson’s mentions of her wealth and celebrity as well as what they called his “obsession” with the lawsuit.