The trial in a lawsuit that accuses Gwyneth Paltrow of a 2016 hit-and-run skiing incident in Park City, Utah, is set to begin this week.
In the lawsuit, retired optometrist Terry Sanderson alleges that the Goop founder was skiing downhill at the Deer Valley Resort when she collided with him, then skied away. Sanderson was left behind with a brain injury and broken ribs, according to a Deseret News report on the lawsuit, which was filed in 2019.
Sanderson originally sought $3.1 million in damages, but the amount will now be set during the jury trial, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.
The trial will begin Tuesday morning at the Park City District Court and is scheduled to last eight days, court spokesperson Tania Nashburn told The Times. Both parties, including Paltrow, are expected to be present during the trial.
Sanderson, who was 69 at the time of the crash, had noticed signs to slow down and decreased his speed, he told reporters at a news conference after filing the suit. He then heard a “hysterical scream” just before being struck.
“It was just instantaneous,” Sanderson said. “I got hit in my back. ... It felt like it had just drove me forward.”
In her response to the complaint, Paltrow claimed it was actually the retired doctor who hit her from behind as he was the one moving downhill.
“She sustained a full ‘body blow.’ Ms. Paltrow was angry with Plaintiff, and said so,” the response to the complaint said, according to Deseret News. “Plaintiff apologized. She was shaken and upset, and quit skiing for the day even though it was still morning,”
A month after Sanderson filed his claim, the Oscar-winning “Shakespeare in Love” actor filed a counter lawsuit, seeking “symbolic damages” of $1, plus legal fees. Any other amount granted would be donated to charity.
“She did not knock him down,” said the counterclaim, according to the Deseret News. “He knocked her down. He was not knocked out. Immediately after the collision, he stood up and addressed Ms. Paltrow. Ms. Paltrow expressed her anger that he ran into her, and he apologized. She did not cause the collision.”
This isn’t the first time Paltrow has been sued over an alleged collision. A couple claimed in a 2000 lawsuit that Paltrow had rear-ended them while driving a rental car, leaving the pair with “permanent and serious injuries.” Records showing the outcome of the case were not immediately available.
———
