American actress Gwyneth Paltrow assured a US court on Friday that she was not responsible for the skiing accident that earned her a lawsuit.
Terry Sanderson, a retired optometrist, accused the star of injuring him in that accident seven years ago, claiming damage estimated at more than $3 million.
Gwyneth Paltrow, the 1999 Oscar winner for her role in Shakespeare in Love, has filed a complaint.
Mr Sanderson says she encountered him while skiing in a “dangerous” manner which caused “four broken ribs and permanent brain damage” before escaping and leaving him unconscious.
On Friday, the fourth day of this lawsuit in Utah, the actress denied any responsibility, saying to the contrary, Mr. Sanderson “clearly rammed her at that ski slope.”
The collision happened in February 2016 in Deer Valley, an upscale resort town in the Rocky Mountains above Park City, a tourist town that hosts the Sundance Film Festival.
Gwyneth Paltrow also explained that she briefly feared it was a matter of sexual assault.
“I was skiing and two skis popped up between my skis and pushed my legs apart, then a body pushed against me and I heard a very strange growl.”
Ms Paltrow said she wondered if it was a “joke” or if “someone had done evil things”.
The actress, who has built a second career as a wellness guru with her brand Goop, admitted she left the scene of the accident because her ski instructor told her to.
The hearings will continue next week with testimony from Paltrow, Gwyneth Paltrow’s children and husband, and plaintiff Terry Sanderson.