The man who accuses US actress Gwyneth Paltrow of hitting him in a skiing accident assured in court on Monday that the accident had changed his “nature”.
• Also read: Gwyneth Paltrow takes position during skiing accident trial: Pictures say it all
“I’m living a different life now,” said Terry Sanderson, the 76-year-old retired optometrist who says Ms Paltrow punched him at a Utah racetrack in 2016, causing him four ribs, broken bones and brain damage before he fled , left him unconscious.
After that, “my dealings with my family became more difficult,” he said. “Something is wrong with my nature […] Communication is not that fluid anymore.”
Mr. Sanderson is seeking more than $3 million in damages from the Oscar-winning actress in 1999 for her role in Shakespeare in Love, who in turn is suing for a token dollar and reimbursement of her attorney’s fees.
According to Gwyneth Paltrow, it was Terry Sanderson who hit her.
But the latter insisted on Monday: “I was hit very hard in the back, right on the shoulder blades. (…) I’ve never been hit so hard, and I found myself flying.”
When asked about an email he later sent to his daughters about the collision, with the subject “I’m famous,” he explained, “I didn’t choose my words well. I tried to bring lightness to a serious situation and it backfired.
“It’s the other personality that inhabits my body now,” he added.
For the actress’ attorney, Stephen Owens, Mr. Sanderson’s personality changes would be more associated with natural aging.