In a recent appearance on The World's First Podcast hosted by Erin and Sara Foster, actress Gwyneth Paltrow revisited the highly publicised ski crash trial in which she was involved, expressing strong frustration and describing the legal process as "ridiculous." The incident at the centre of the trial took place in Park City, Utah, on 26 February 2016, when retired optometrist Terry Sanderson, then aged 76, accused Paltrow of crashing into him while skiing, leading to severe injuries.
Sanderson initially filed a lawsuit demanding $3.1 million in damages from Paltrow, alleging that she had been skiing erratically before colliding with him. He later reduced his claim to $300,000. Paltrow denied these allegations, stating that Sanderson was actually at fault and questioned the severity of his claimed injuries. Sanderson asserted that he was knocked unconscious and suffered a brain injury as well as four broken ribs. Paltrow also testified that she feared Sanderson was attempting to sexually assault her prior to the collision, a claim that he strongly denied. On the stand, she recounted, "I was skiing and two skis came between my skis, forcing my legs apart, and then there was a body pressing against me. And there was a very strange grunting noise. So my brain was trying to make sense of what was happening."
The case, which was filed in 2019 but only proceeded to trial four years later, culminated in a jury decision that found Sanderson "100 percent" liable for the collision. Paltrow filed a countersuit and had requested a symbolic $1 in damages, which Sanderson paid. Despite this, he later reflected that pursuing the lawsuit was not worthwhile given the estimated legal fees reaching into the seven-figure range.
Reflecting on her decision to take the case to trial rather than settling, Paltrow emphasised on the podcast, "I’m not going to be shaken down here. I’m not doing that." Following the trial verdict in March 2023, she released a statement underscoring her choice to preserve her "integrity" by not settling the lawsuit. The trial drew significant media and social media attention, heightened in part by Paltrow's fashion choices during the proceedings. Notably, she wore a cream-coloured mock turtleneck sweater paired with aviator-style glasses, projecting a "cozy casual-cool" look that became a distinctive feature of the trial's coverage.
After the verdict was delivered, Paltrow reportedly approached Sanderson and said, "I wish you well," a remark that generated mixed interpretations regarding its sincerity. The trial’s media coverage also included debates over whether Paltrow’s celebrity status influenced the jury's perceptions. A documentary released later in 2023 featured an interview with Sanderson’s former partner Karlene Davidson, who suggested that the jury may have been biased by Paltrow's fame. Davidson stated, "Park City didn't want to lose their celebrity status of stars coming in and what they had to offer at Deer Valley." She also noted changes in Sanderson’s personality after the crash, which she believed supported his claim of a lasting brain injury.
The legal dispute and trial over the Park City ski collision between Gwyneth Paltrow and Terry Sanderson thus drew public fascination not only due to the involvement of a well-known actress but also because it highlighted complex questions around personal injury claims, celebrity influence in legal contexts, and the challenges of adjudicating incidents on ski slopes.
Source: Noah Wire Services