GWYN WINS
Gwyneth Paltrow wins ski accident trial for $1 as jury finds actress not liable in Terry Sanderson lawsuit
ACTRESS and beauty mogul Gwyneth Paltrow has won a lawsuit brought against her by a doctor who said she caused him lifelong injuries following a ski crash.
Paltrow, 50, was awarded a symbolic $1 after eight days of testimony as part of a countersuit to an action brought by optometrist Terry Sanderson.
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The Goop founder was sued by optometrist Terry Sanderson, 73, for $300,000 who claimed that a collision on the Park City, Utah, slopes gave him broken ribs and brain injuries in 2016.
For days, the actress was grilled with questions ranging from the details of the accident to allegedly giving singer Taylor Swift an explicit present.
After the decision was read, both parties appeared to be stoic with Sanderson hanging his head.
In closing arguments, Paltrow's attorney claimed that his client was "pounded like a punching bag" throughout the trial after Sanderson allegedly slammed into her from behind.
"[Sanderson] hit her, he hurt her, and he's not entitled to be rewarded for hurting her," Owens said.
He implored the jury to side with Paltrow, claiming that she could have easily paid out, but refused to honor the alleged lies.
Meanwhile, Sanderson's team claimed that he has suffered years of debilitating mental health issues following the accident and that he "never returned home that night as the same Terry."
"Terry has tried to get off that mountain but he's really still there," his attorney said in the final argument.
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The retired doctor said in the lawsuit filed back in 2019 that the collision left him with a brain injury, four broken ribs, and emotional damage.
Initially, Sanderson sought at least $3.1million from Paltrow, but Third District Judge Kent Holmberg dismissed some of the claims made against the Iron Man actress in May 2022.
The judge ruled that this collision was not a "hit-and-run ski crash,"; as Sanderson had claimed.
Paltrow didn't immediately leave after the crash like Sanderson had claimed, an instructor verified.
Throughout the trial, the actress expressed sympathy for Sanderson's alleged mental health struggles but stood firm that she wasn't at fault.
At one point, she claimed that she believed she was being "sexually assaulted" when she was hit, as she allegedly felt the blow and then heard Sanderson "making some strange noises that sounded male."
While witnesses could confirm that the incident was not a hit-and-run, no one was able to verify who was at fault for the accident, leaving the final choice with the jury.
As she left the courtroom, Paltrow was seen to whisper "I wish you well" to Dr Sanderson as she passed him.
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