Jury finds actress not at fault in ski accident

Hollywood star Gwyneth Paltrow has won her civil lawsuit court case brought by a retired optometrist over a 2016 ski-ing accident which he claimed had turned him into a recluse.

Terry Sanderson, 76, who suffered broken ribs said he suffered long-term damage from the collision in Utah.

He had claimed $300,000 in damages for the injuries he sustained when he collided with the 50-year Oscar winning actress on the ski-slopes.

Ms Paltrow counter-sued for one dollar and her legal fees.

The jury found on Thursday that  Paltrow was not at fault for the collision and therefore could not be held liable for for his injuries.

The case also has, at times, spiralled into absurdity. Paltrow’s legal team at one point offered to bring in “treats” for the bailiffs.

Ms Paltrow when asked how the collision affected her, replied, “Well, I lost half a day of skiing.”

Mr Sanderson, meanwhile, apologised for describing her in 2019 as screaming like “King Kong in the jungle".

Paltrow testified that she was “not engaging in any risky behavior,” and that Mr Sanderson bears responsibility for the collision because he skied “directly into my back”.

She also said that she briefly thought the collision was sexually inappropriate behaviour.

Mr Sanderson told the court that Paltrow crashed into him, and that since the collision he has become a “self-imposed recluse” who gets confused and feels unsafe.

In closing arguments on Thursday Mr Sanderson’s lawyer, Bob Sykes, said the accident changed him dramatically.

“He never came back that night as the same Terry,” he told the jury in Park City, Utah.

“We hope you will help bring Terry home from that mountain with your verdict.”

Stephen Owens, for Paltrow, said: “She has been a punching bag for two weeks.”

02:35 AM

Paltrow's defence release her statement saying she was defending 'integrity'

"I felt that acquiescing to a false claim compromised my integrity," Paltrow, 50, said in a brief statement released by her lawyers after the verdict.

"I am pleased with the outcome," she said.

Paltrow's main lawyer, Steve Owens, added in a statement he read outside court that “Gwyneth has a history of advocating for what she believes in – this situation was no different and she will continue to stand up for what is right.”

After the verdict was read, the judge polled the jury, which was unanimous on the decision. In civil court in Utah, only three-fourths of jurors need to agree on a verdict. The legal fees Paltrow asked for in her countersuit were not included in the jury’s verdict, leaving the bulk of the final award for the Park City judge to decide.

Addressing reporters after the verdict, Mr Sanderson questioned whether the lawsuit was worth it and said he believed that people tend to naturally trust celebrities like Paltrow.

“You get some assumed credibility from being a famous person," Mr Sanderson said. "Really, who wants to take on a celebrity?”

01:56 AM

Paltrow's lawyer says she will not comment on outcome

The judge, Kent Holmberg, allowed Paltrow to leave the courtroom discreetly first, saying ''everyone remain seated".

Throughout the trial, her legal team has tried to protect her privacy, and have complained repeatedly about cameras pointed at her in court.

Her lawyer told the judge that Paltrow would not be making any public statement, but that he planned to speak to reporters outside the court on her behalf.

The judge thanked the jury and added jurors were free to talk about the case publicly.

"The American system of justice relies on your time and your sound judgment and you have been generous with both," he told jurors.

01:36 AM

Paltrow wins her symbolic $1 in counter-suit

The pair had a brief conversation after the verdict. Paltrow leaned over and spoke to her accuser as she left.

Sanderson says she told him "I wish you well". He told reporters his reply was "thank you dear".

The jury, in siding with Paltrow and ruling that Sanderson was the one at fault, awarded Paltrow the $1 in symbolic damages that she had asked for in a countersuit.

The amount of money at stake in the suits paled in comparison to the typical legal costs of a multiyear lawsuit, private security detail and expert witness-heavy trial.

The trial has also shone a spotlight on Park City, known primarily as a ski resort that welcomes celebrities like Paltrow for each year's Sundance Film Festival.

Local residents increasingly filled the courtroom gallery throughout the trial. They've nodded along as lawyers and witnesses have referenced local landmarks like Montage Deer Valley, the ski-side hotel-spa where Paltrow got a massage after the collision, the Associated Press reported..

At times they appeared captivated by Paltrow's reactions to the proceedings, while at others they have mirrored the jury, whose endurance has been tested by hours of jargon-dense medical testimony.

01:19 AM

Plaintiff said he had become a 'recluse' but defence disputed impairment

Earlier this week, the Hollywood actress’s lawyers asked why Sanderson had brought the $300,000 civil lawsuit, and he replied: “No one believed how serious my injuries were.”

He described himself seven years on from the crash as a ”self-imposed recluse”, who now spent 90 per cent of his time in the house. “I don’t have the same spark I had. I have a much wider range of temperament than I did before,” he told the court in his testimony.

Neuropsychologist Angela Eastvold, an expert witness for Paltrow’s team, said on Wednesday that he was not showing any signs of mental impairment as a result of the collision.

Psychological evaluations on him showed that he scored high on narcissism and "likes attention", according to Dr Eastvold.

One legal expert told Law&Crime website before the verdict that the defendant’s celebrity status could work in her favour.

“The case boils down to who the jury believes and finds to be more credible,” said Texas-based personal injury lawyer and legal expert George Salinas.

“Juries tend to look at anyone making a claim for money damages with suspicion at the outset, and maybe more so when there is a celebrity on the other side.”

01:10 AM

Jury shown photos of accuser on adventure holidays

Earlier on Thursday the jury trying the Paltrow case was shown photos of her accuser enjoying adventure holidays in Peru and Thailand to challenge claims he had become a “recluse” who spent “90 per cent of his time at home” after the ski accident.

Sanderson said he was “living another life” after the 2016 collision with Paltrow on the Utah slope, which he says left him with broken ribs and severe brain injuries.

Paltrow’s lawyers brought the retired optometrist back on the stand on Wednesday to question how he was able to enjoy extensive travel around the world after the crash despite claims of debilitating symptoms.

They introduced photos into evidence of Mr Sanderson riding a camel in Morocco, trekking up to Machu Picchu in Peru and white-water rafting, some of which took place in the year after the accident.

On one holiday he was also pictured taking part in activities like skiing and cycling.

He also took a continent-wide loop around Europe with stops in the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, France and Belgium.

“Did you go to Peru?” Paltrow’s lawyer Steven Owens quizzed Mr Sanderson. “Walk the Golden trail? Did you do a zipline? Did you go to Europe? Did you go to the Netherlands three times? Rode bikes? Did bus tours?”

Earlier in the trial, Mr Sanderson’s team had a medical expert and family members testify that he could no longer enjoy his normal, active lifestyle due to the injuries he suffered in the crash.

He claimed that he had travelled because “it was part of the healing process” and that he “was told by several neurologists and cognitive therapists' to return to his routine of travelling, which happened “since retirement mostly”.

He added that the trips had been a struggle for him and that he had been unable to travel by himself. “Looking back at that time, I was determined to prove I didn't have any mental issues,” he said.

12:54 AM

Paltrow's defence painted Sanderson as 'obsessed'

The jury’s decision marks a substantial court defeat for Terry Sanderson, who broke four ribs and sustained a concussion after the two tumbled down the slope, with Paltrow landing on top of him.

Paltrow’s defence team tried to paint Sanderson as an angry, aging and unsympathetic man who had over the years become “obsessed” with his lawsuit against Paltrow.

They argued that Paltrow wasn’t at fault in the crash and also said, regardless of blame, that Sanderson was overstating the extent of his injuries.