Even before Gwyneth Paltrow’s ski crash test, things were off-piste.
It took three years before retired optometrist Terry Sanderson even filed a lawsuit over the 2016 Utah incident, and another four years of legal wrangling before a jury could sit.
But last week, a court in Park City, Utah, home of the Sundance Film Festival, finally heard opening arguments in what quickly turned into an outright spectacle, exacerbated by being televised.
Paltrow is accused of injuring retired optometrist Terry Sanderson, 76, after he allegedly went out of control.
Mr Sanderson’s lawyers told jurors they are seeking $300,000 (£245,000) in damages because Ms Paltrow was “reckless”. The amount was reduced from $3.1m (£2.5m) after a judge dismissed some of the charges.
His lawyers claimed that the actor was distracted by their nine-year-old son Moses, who yelled “Mom, Mom!” and hit Mr. Sanderson from behind, resulting in four broken ribs and permanent brain damage.
Stephen Owens, Ms. Paltrow’s lawyer, said she countersued for the $1 token he left for the jury.
He called the case “completely bullshit” and said it was Mr. Sanderson who ran into Ms. Paltrow.
Medical experts who testified on Mr. Sanderson’s behalf said the brain damage caused by the accident caused him to become more angry, unable to focus on the task, and “obsessed” with the case.
Two of his daughters testified emotionally about the matter, with one, Shai Herat, tearfully telling an anecdote in which he yelled at her 11-year-old daughter for no reason.
Ms. Paltrow’s lawyers attempted to discredit the women’s claims by using evidence from Mr. Sanderson’s youngest daughter, Jenny, that he emotionally and verbally abused her.
It was a shocking contrast to see Ms. Paltrow’s lawyer, whose health is an important part of her Goop brand lifestyle, pit family members against each other to try and win her case.
This was all based on the testimony of Ms. Paltrow herself, whose clothing choices were analyzed in court, as were her comments, not least her aviator glasses, which were compared to serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, after which she was never seen again.
As a witness, Ms. Paltrow denied engaging in “risky behavior” and stated that Mr. Sanderson “categorically” punched her in the back.
According to her, when Mr. Sanderson’s skis slipped between her skis and she felt him on her back, she initially thought she was being sexually abused. “Is this a joke? Is someone doing something perverted? A groan escaped his mouth,” he said. iron Man Stern told the jury.
The court was told that instead of fleeing the scene, the ski instructor turned over his notes to Ms. Paltrow’s family.
Ms. Paltrow made little secret of her disbelief. She couldn’t help laughing when Mr Sanderson’s lawyer Christine VanOrman asked if her boyfriend Taylor Swift had inspired her $1 lawsuit since the singer was suing the radio DJ.
Mrs. Paltrow said no. Undeterred, Ms. VanOrman then asked if Ms. Paltrow had ever made “intimate, personal gifts,” an obvious reference to the 2021 Goop Christmas video in which the Oscar winner jokingly put a vibrator in the singer’s bag. .
The judge prevented her from answering.
In another ruling that saved Ms. Paltrow from embarrassment, the judge denied Ms. VanOrman’s request to recreate the accident well in court, leaving the lawyer to do it himself. The cross-examination became so absurd that at times it seemed like a parody. Saturday night life.
Paltrow’s efforts to control her image included objecting to the Associated Press’ installation of a second video camera in court that was pointed at her the entire time—the judge removed it.
The few times when the camera angle was wide enough to see her reaction, it was revealing. When Ms Herat stated that the ski instructor who took her father down the mountain was an “angel” who “finally took care of him after being ignored for a long time in the mountains,” Ms Paltrow crossed her arms over her chest. and shook her head.
When Ms. VanOrman said the actress “lied repeatedly under oath,” her jaw dropped and her lawyer jumped to his feet to protest the “slanderous” remarks.
There’s a reason celebrity cases like this don’t get to court that often, not least because they’re not worth your time or money.
However, Mrs. Paltrow seems determined to fight this on all fronts, even bumping into Moses, now 16; her daughter Appel, 18; and her television producer Brad Falchuk on Monday morning to testify in her favor.
For them, we’re ready to hear from Mr. Sanderson speaking out against the woman he allegedly “thrown” from the scene of the accident that ruined his life.
If you get past the first week of testimony, it will be a real scene.
Source: I News
I am Michael Melvin, an experienced news writer with a passion for uncovering stories and bringing them to the public. I have been working in the news industry for over five years now, and my work has been published on multiple websites. As an author at 24 News Reporters, I cover world section of current events stories that are both informative and captivating to read.