Gwyneth Paltrow Trial: Plaintiff Scores High for Narcissism, Doctor Says

Attorneys in the Gwyneth Paltrow trial ploughed through witness questioning and social media photos on Wednesday during the trial in Utah, where a man claims she crashed into him while skiing in Park City. During cross-examination, neuropsychologist Dr. Angela Eastvold testified that plaintiff Terry Sanderson scored high on “narcissism” and that he “may lack empathy,” citing records from a previous evaluation.

Sanderson, 76, has accused Paltrow, 50, of crashing into him while they were both skiing in Park City, Utah. He claims that the accident left him with “permanent traumatic brain injury, four broken ribs, pain, suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, emotional distress and disfigurement.” Sanderson, a retired optometrist, is seeking $300,000 in damages. The actress has filed a countersuit for $1 in damages, claiming he collided into her.

Dr. Eastvold also told the court on Wednesday that other evaluations showed that Sanderson was likely “overreactive [and] explosive.” She also pointed to a record that allegedly indicated that he experienced chronic anxiety and depression since the Nineties.

Another neurologist, Dr. Robert Hoesch, also testified on Wednesday afternoon, saying that he believes Sanderson would have recovered from a concussion following the collision, if not for his underlying anxiety and depression.

Paltrow’s lawyer Stephen Owens presented the jury with travel photos from Sanderson’s Facebook page post-collision. The images featured Sanderson in Peru, floating along the Amazon, and a photo of him with a moose during a hike.

When asked why he continued to travel after the skiing incident, Sanderson said that neurologists and cognitive therapists recommended getting back to his routine as “part of the healing process.”

“Looking back on that time, I was determined to prove I didn’t have any mental issues,” he said. “Everything I did was to stamp that in my record, that this guy is trying hard.”

The day prior, the court heard excerpts from statements given by the actress’ children, Apple and Moses Martin. Apple, who was around 11 or 12 at the time of the alleged collision in 2016, said her mother had been “in a state of shock.” The actress’ daughter said that she had never seen her mother “shaken up like that” following the crash.

The high profile trial has been marked by several peculiar incidents including a bizarre line of questioning by Sanderson’s lawyer Kristin VanOrman. His attorney asked Paltrow if the $1 she is seeking in damages was inspired by a 2017 case in which Taylor Swift sued former DJ David Mueller for battery and sexual assault and sought a symbolic $1 in damages. The actress replied 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.”

On Thursday, the eight-person jury is expected to to deliberate after closing arguments.