CNN
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Actress Gwyneth Paltrow has spoken to testify in a Utah trial over a 2016 snow skiing accident.
The actress and businesswoman has been in the courtroom since the trial began on Tuesday when attorneys representing Paltrow and Terry Sanderson, a 76-year-old retired optometrist, gave their opening statements to a seated jury.
Sanderson accused Paltrow of ramming him and causing him lasting injuries and brain damage while the two of them were skiing on a beginner’s slope on a mountain in Utah in February 2016. Sanderson also claims that Paltrow and his ski instructor skied after the incident without having him. medical care.
Paltrow filed a countersuit against Sanderson in 2019, claiming he skied into her.
The two have been in a legal battle for seven years.
Paltrow spoke just before 4 p.m. local time and was questioned by Sanderson’s attorney, Kristin A. VanOrman.
The Goop founder said on the day of the ski collision with Sanderson, she was skiing with her two children, now husband Brad Falchuk and two children.
The collision happened on the first day of their trip, she said.
All of the children, who are around the same age, have taken skiing lessons, Paltrow said. She testified that although she could not remember the exact amount, these lessons cost several thousand dollars for all the children, plus tips.
When asked if she was a good tip, Paltrow replied “yes”.
Paltrow then repeated his claim that Sanderson skied directly into his back and caused the collision.
“He punched me in the back, yeah, that’s exactly what happened,” Paltrow said, as the attorney reread part of his description of events from a deposition.
On Friday, proceedings began with the conclusion of videotaped testimony from Richard Boehme, a biomedical engineer, who acted as an expert witness.
Mark Herath, a longtime friend of Sanderson and an avid skier, then spoke, talking about Sanderson’s skiing skills before the accident, among other topics.
Sanderson’s daughter, Shae Sanderson Herath, spoke shortly before noon local time. Sanderson Herath is married to Mark Herath’s brother.
Sanderson Herath said on the stand that his father “no longer trusts his brain.”
“From her daughter’s perspective, I feel like her life is exhausting,” she said.
In the days after the trial began, a series of witnesses testified, including Sanderson’s friend Craig Ramon, who was also on the tracks the day of the collision. Ramon was the first witness to testify at the trial on Tuesday.
Radiologist Wendell Gibby testified Wednesday that Sanderson “deteriorated” after the collision and stopped doing many of the activities he was doing before the incident. The jury also heard expert witness testimony from neuropsychologist Sam Goldstein, who assessed Sanderson in 2020 and testified to various changes in Sanderson’s mental health since the collision.
On Thursday, Sanderson’s daughter, Polly Sanderson Grasham, testified emotionally about how a year and a half after the accident she noticed her father’s “processing speed” seemed to have changed. Sanderson Grasham later said that her father was a “man of principle” and that she believed he wanted “someone at least to apologize or acknowledge or be held accountable for his decision that day”.
Video depositions from Alina K. Fong, a clinical neuropsychologist who treated Sanderson after the collision, and Richard Boehme, a biomedical engineer who testified as an expert witness, were also shown to the jury on Thursday. Boehme assessed Sanderson in 2021 and testified that he believed the injuries Sanderson suffered to his ribs could only be the result of being hit from behind.
In court documents originally filed by Sanderson and obtained by CNN in 2019, Sanderson said that while skiing at Deer Valley Resort, Paltrow allegedly “skied out of control … knocking him down hard, knocking him out and causing him injury. brain, and four broken ribs and other serious injuries.
According to Paltrow’s countersuit, she was “enjoying skiing with her family on vacation in Utah, when the plaintiff – who was uphill from Ms. Paltrow – rammed her back. She suffered a complete ‘bodily blow’ Mrs. Paltrow was angry with the plaintiff and said so. The plaintiff apologized. She was shaken and upset, and stopped skiing for the day even though it was still morning.
Sanderson originally sued Paltrow for $3.1 million, but later amended his complaint and is now seeking more than $300,000 in damages, according to court documents.
Paltrow seeks $1 in damages, plus attorney’s fees.
Cnn
