Gwyneth Paltrow Thought Ski Crash Was ‘Practical Joke’

Gwyneth Paltrow took the stand Friday in a Park City, Utah, courtroom on the fourth day of her ongoing trial over a 2016 skiing accident.

Retired optometrist Terry Sanderson, 76, has accused Paltrow, 50, of crashing into him while they were both skiing, and claims the accident left him with a brain injury, four broken ribs, and emotional damage. The actress has filed a countersuit, claiming Sanderson collided into her.

On Friday, Paltrow testified that after Sanderson allegedly hit her, he began making grunting noises. She claimed that a set of skis forced her legs apart and that “there was a body pressing against me and there was a very strange grunting noise.” The actress said she froze, and that her “brain was trying to make sense of what was happening.” She added, “I thought, ‘Am I… is this a practical joke? Is someone, like, doing something perverted?’ This is really really strange.”

Paltrow confirmed that her and Sanderson’s skis became tangled, and in her deposition — read by Kristin VanOrman, Sanderson’s lawyer — said that “our bodies were almost spooning and I moved away quickly.”

VanOrman also brought up singer-songwriter Taylor Swift during questioning, asking the actress if the $1 that she is seeking in damages was inspired by a 2017 case in which Swift sued former DJ David Mueller for battery and sexual assault and sought a symbolic $1 in damages. Paltrow said that she had not been aware of Swift’s suit at the time. When asked by VanOrman if the two were “good friends,” Paltrow replied “No.”

“I would not say we’re good friends,” the actress said. “We are friendly. I’ve taken my kids to one of her concerts before, but we don’t talk very often.”

Sanderson also alleges that Paltrow left him injured at the scene without calling for help or giving him her name or contact information. Sanderson referred to the collision as a “hit and run” and initially sought $3.1 million in damages. After the suit was dropped, Sanderson amended his complaint and is now seeking $300,000.

During a court hearing on Wednesday, lawyers for the retired optometrist called Dr. Gibby, a neuroradiologist. The witness claimed that Sanderson had been a “had been a very high-functioning, high-energy person” prior to the crash and that after the collision, “he deteriorated abruptly and many of the activities he used to do he stopped doing.”

The neuroradiologist also stated that because Sanderson’s injuries were on his side, it suggested that the actress had been skilling downhill before hitting him. Although Paltrow’s attorneys argued that Sanderson had suffered from medical conditions before the ski crash, including vision and hearing loss from a previous stroke, Dr. Gibby said the the “abrupt change in his functioning” was not brought on by his pre-existing conditions. Neuropsychologist Dr Sam Goldstein, a second witness, claimed that “there was an acute, adverse change in his behavioural and emotional function.”

According to a filing for Paltrow’s countersuit, obtained by Rolling Stone, the actress “was enjoying skiing with her family on vacation in Utah, when Plaintiff — who was uphill from Ms. Paltrow — plowed into her back. She sustained a full ‘body blow.’ Ms. Paltrow was angry with Plaintiff, and said so. Plaintiff apologized. She was shaken and upset, and quit skiing for the day even though it was still morning.”

Representatives for Paltrow declined to comment.

Paltrow’s attorney Stephen Owens told the jury that Sanderson’s claims that Paltrow fled the scene after the collision was “utter B.S.”

Owens said that the Sanderson had confirmed he was fine after the crash, and that after the crash, the Utah man posted a “very happy, smiling picture” of himself online riding a toboggan.

In the actress’ counterclaim, she alleges that the retired optometrist apologized to her after slamming into her back and knocking her down.

The lawsuit states that Paltrow is seeking “symbolic damages in the amount of $1, plus her costs and attorney’s fees to defend this meritless claim.” Any additional funds potentially awarded by the jury will be donated to a charitable organization, per the filing.