Actress Gwyneth Paltrow has been in court for opening statements in a lawsuit related to a ski crash at Deer Valley Resort in Utah in 2016. Terry Sanderson, a retired optometrist, is suing Paltrow for negligence, alleging that she crashed into him while skiing a beginner slope at the resort. Sanderson claims to have suffered brain injury and several broken ribs, resulting in over $3 million in damages.
Paltrow, on the other hand, countersued that it was Sanderson who ran into her. Her attorney, Steve Owens, said she is only asking for $1 in damages.
During the opening statements, Sanderson’s lawyer, Lawrence Buhler, brought up an email that Sanderson had written to his daughter after the crash, saying he was famous. Buhler said the email would be used against his client to downplay the seriousness of his condition after the accident. However, he added that the email does not prove that Sanderson did not sustain a serious brain injury or broken ribs.
Buhler also claimed that Paltrow violated ski etiquette by not giving Sanderson, who was skiing in front of her, the right of way. Instead, he alleges that Paltrow was distracted, watching her children ski behind her the morning of the crash. Buhler says that Paltrow knew what she was doing was dangerous.
Paltrow’s attorney countered Sanderson’s story, saying that Paltrow is a conservative skier who was making short turns on the right side of the trail when Sanderson crashed into her from behind. After they fell to the ground, Paltrow claims that Sanderson said he didn’t see her and apologized.
The case is ongoing, with Paltrow expected to testify. Last year, Deer Valley Resort and Paltrow’s son’s ski instructor, Eric Christiansen, were initially listed as co-defendants in the lawsuit for a claim of “negligent infliction of emotional distress.” However, the emotional distress claim was dismissed, and only Sanderson and Paltrow’s claims of negligence remain.
