Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@gwynethpaltrow
Topics: Gwyneth Paltrow, Celebrity, Crime
Ben Thompson
Topics: Gwyneth Paltrow, Celebrity, Crime
Gwyneth Paltrow is set to stand trial after years of back and forth over a $3 million hit-and-run lawsuit.
The actress is being sued by Terry Sanderson, 76, who claims he was hit by her when skiing down a slope at Deer Valley, a ski resort in Utah.
Sanderson, who was 69 at the time of the incident, claims Paltrow collided with him and left him with a brain injury, concussion, four broken ribs and other serious injuries.
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The incident took place on 26 February 2016, and Sanderson sued the Goop founder nearly three years later in January 2019.
While heading down the resort’s 'Bandana' run, Sanderson noticed some 'Slow down' signs, leading him to decrease his speed. He then heard a 'hysterical scream', before he was hit in the back.
"It was just instantaneous," Sanderson said at the time.
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"I got hit in my back. ... It felt like it had just drove me forward.
"And then that’s all I remember to that point - just out."
The lawsuit initially sought $3.1 million in damages, but was later amended to seek an 'amount to be proven at trial'.
In a counterclaim filed on 20 February 2019, Paltrow sought 'symbolic damages' of $1 in addition to legal fees.
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She asserted that Sanderson was the one who hit her and accused him of exploiting her 'celebrity and wealth'.
Paltrow claimed that she sustained a 'full body blow' from the incident, and it discouraged her from skiing for the rest of the day.
The Shakespeare in Love star disputes the allegation that she skied away from Sanderson after the collision, claiming that he claimed to be 'OK' when an instructor checked on him.
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Paltrow's counterclaim also asserts that Sanderson's injuries were 'overstated', claiming that a doctor's examination showed no signs of any deficits in cognitive ability as the filing alleges.
"She did not knock him down," the counterclaim states, "or cause him to suffer a concussion, brain injury, or broken ribs."
During a press conference in 2019, Sanderson said: "I kept thinking, ‘I hope my head is still on straight and my neck is OK.
"Luckily I had friends that were supportive and called and checked in on me and helped me, and stayed with me in some cases, because I sat in a chair and I couldn’t do anything.
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"I couldn’t function. And so I’d get so tired I’d go to bed.
"You know, I’ve skied for over 30 years. I’ve never knocked anybody down and hurt them. I’ve never been knocked down or gotten hurt.
"They’re trying to twist the story around. It’s like, I have some pride in the truth, and so I guess maybe that’s why I want to push forward."
The trial is set to begin Tuesday morning (21 March) at Park City District Court in Utah.