The Hollywood actor and entrepreneur can finally move on from the 2016 Utah incident. After the verdict, she appeared to mutter: “I wish you well, Terry Sanderson.”
Gwyneth Paltrow has won her court battle over a 2016 ski collision at a posh Utah ski resort, with a jury ruling Thursday that the actress was not at fault.
After eight days of live-streamed courtroom testimony that made the case a pop culture fixation, a jury dismissed the complaint of Terry Sanderson, a retired optometrist who sued Paltrow over injuries he sustained when the two crashed on a beginner run at Deer Valley ski resort.
Paltrow thanks the judge and jury for their work
“I felt that accepting a false claim jeopardized my integrity,” Paltrow said in a statement issued by her representatives. She also expressed gratitude to the judge and jury for their efforts.
As Paltrow exited the courtroom, she touched Sanderson’s shoulder and said, “I wish you well,” according to reporters outside the courthouse. “Thank you, dear,” he replied.
In a statement read outside court, her attorney, Steve Owens, said, “Gwyneth has a history of advocating for what she believes in – this situation was no different, and she will continue to stand up for what is right.”
When the judge read the eight-member jury’s verdict in the Park City courtroom, Paltrow, an actor who has recently refashioned herself as a celebrity wellness entrepreneur, looked to her attorneys with a pursed-lips smile. She sat through two weeks of testimony in what became the most high-profile celebrity court case since actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard clashed last year.
After a jury finds her not at fault, Gwyneth Paltrow appears to whisper “I wish you well” to Terry Sanderson, the man who sued her over a 2016 ski collision in Utah. pic.twitter.com/8veYt0gQIk
— The Recount (@therecount) March 30, 2023
Paltrow’s attorney fees were not included in the jury’s verdict, leaving the majority of the final award up to a Park City judge to decide.
Paltrow’s lawyers described the complaint against her as “utter B.S.”
The dismissal brings to an end two weeks of court proceedings that focused on reputation rather than the monetary damages at stake in the case. Paltrow’s attorneys called the complaint against her “utter nonsense,” painting the Goop founder-CEO as uniquely vulnerable to unfair, frivolous lawsuits because of her celebrity.
Gwyneth Paltrow whispered “I wish you well” to Dr. Sanderson, the man who sued her over ski crash, as she left the courtroom with her $1 victory. pic.twitter.com/4p176ec19d
— Pop Base (@PopBase) March 30, 2023
During the trial, Paltrow testified that the collision was not her fault and that she was stunned when she felt “a body pressing against me and a very strange grunting noise.”
Throughout the trial, the term “uphill” became synonymous with “guilty,” as attorneys emphasized a little-known skiing code of conduct that states that the skier who is downhill or ahead on the slope has the right of way.
The celebrity trial was watched by millions of people around the world as if it were an episode of television. Viewers questioned both Paltrow and Sanderson’s motives, while attorneys asked witnesses questions that often had nothing to do with the collision and everything to do with their clients’ reputations.
In a press conference following the verdict, Sanderson questioned whether the lawsuit was worthwhile, claiming that people naturally trust celebrities like Paltrow.
The trial was held in Park City, a resort town known for hosting the annual Sundance Film Festival, where Paltrow would appear for the premieres of her films, including 1998’s “Sliding Doors,” when she was known primarily as an actor, not a lifestyle influencer. Paltrow is also well-known for her roles in the films “Shakespeare in Love” and “Iron Man.”
The jury’s verdict marks a painful defeat for Sanderson
The doctor who is suing Gwyneth Paltrow says he is suing her because celebrities need to be held accountable and that when celebrities aren't held responsible, they start doing things like molesting children on islands.
So we got a QAnon guy on our hands… pic.twitter.com/cgtawDyv21
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) March 30, 2023
Sanderson, the man who sued Paltrow for more than $300,000 for injuries he sustained when they crashed on a beginner run, suffered a painful court defeat as a result of the jury’s decision. Both parties blamed each other for the accident. After the two tumbled down the slope, Sanderson, 76, broke four ribs and suffered a concussion, with Paltrow landing on top of him.
After an earlier $3.1 million lawsuit was dismissed, he filed an amended complaint. In response, Paltrow countersued $1 and attorney fees, a symbolic action similar to Taylor Swift’s response to a defamation lawsuit filed by a radio host. Swift received $1 in 2017.
Sanderson was portrayed by Paltrow’s defense team as an angry, aging, and unsympathetic man who had become “obsessed” with his lawsuit against Paltrow over the years. They claimed that Paltrow was not at fault in the crash and that, regardless of fault, Sanderson exaggerated the extent of his injuries.
