Gwyneth Paltrow has taken to the stand in the civil trial for a ski accident that occurred more than seven years ago.
Paltrow testified Friday about the details of the accident, which occurred on Feb. 26, 2016.
Terry Sanderson, a retired optometrist, filed a lawsuit in January 2019 accusing Paltrow of crashing into him on the slopes at Deer Valley Ski Resort in Utah, claiming he was left “seriously injured” as a result.
In an amended complaint filed in February 2019, Sanderson changed the value of damages he is seeking in the lawsuit from $3.1 million to $300,000.
Sanderson’s original complaint claims that Paltrow allegedly “skied out of control and hit the back of Terry Sanderson, another skier, who was downhill, knocking him down hard, knocking him out, and causing a brain injury, four broken ribs and other serious injuries.”
Paltrow filed a countersuit in which she claimed it was Sanderson who crashed into her, delivering a “full ‘body blow’” when he “plowed into her back.”
The award-winning actress called Sanderson’s lawsuit an “attempt to exploit her celebrity and wealth.” Paltrow said her injuries were “relatively minor” and that she is only seeking “symbolic damages” of $1 plus costs for her lawyers fees from Sanderson for defending herself against “this meritless claim.”
So far in the trial, the jury has heard opening remarks from both Paltrow’s and Sanderson’s attorneys as well as testimony from a slew of doctors — including Dr. Wendell Gibby, Dr. Sam Goldstein, Dr. Alina Fong and Dr. Richard Boehme — as well as a witness Sanderson’s defense claims is the sole witness of the crash. Sanderson’s ex-girlfriend and two of his daughters have also taken to the stand, as did Sanderson’s son-in-law’s brother.
Paltrow’s attorney said the Goop CEO’s husband, Brad Falchuk, who was her boyfriend at the time of the accident, and her two children, daughter Apple and son Moses, will take the stand in the trial.