Actress Gwyneth Paltrow will stand trial this week after being sued over an alleged hit-and-run ski crash in Utah in 2016. The star will reportedly take the stand in her defense.
The plaintiff, Terry Sanderson, a retired optometrist, sued the “Goop” founder in 2019, seeking $3.1 million in damages claiming that she crashed into him while skiing out of control at a Park City, Utah resort in February 2016 and seriously injured him.
According to the lawsuit, the optometrist claims that he suffered a traumatic brain injury and broken ribs due to the crash, leading to a loss of enjoyment of life. However, Paltrow’s lawyers say the man is lying.
Paltrow countersued in 2021 and alleged that it was, in fact, Sanderson who crashed into her.
The two will face off in court as the trial begins on Tuesday, March 21, at a Park City Courthouse and will last for eight days.
Sanderson, who is now 71 years old, had revealed to his doctor that he was blind in one eye a year before the accident, according to Paltrow’s lawsuit.
According to the counterclaim, the man also admitted that he does not remember exactly what happened.
The lawsuit states that Paltrow remembers the events of that day clearly. She was skiing when Sanderson, who was uphill from the actress, rammed into her back. Paltrow got angry with Sanderson, who then apologized.
Paltrow’s attorneys also claimed that in addition to problems with his vision, Sanderson had been diagnosed with 15 other chronic health issues.
The plaintiff’s doctors also performed brain tests on him that determined he had not sustained any deficits in his cognitive functioning after the accident.
A judge previously ruled against Sanderson’s punitive damages claim and only allowed him to seek $300,000, not $3.1 million.
Paltrow countersued $1 in “symbolic damages” and legal fees because she did not sustain serious injuries.
The doctor also claimed that the actress was “uncaring” after the crash, which Paltrow refutes.
Paltrow’s lawyers also took a jab at the doctor, saying that despite his claims of serious injuries, he had still found the strength to travel internationally several times since the accident.
