Gwyneth Paltrow enters the courtroom for her trial Monday, March 27, 2023 in Park City, Utah (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, Pool
- Gwyneth Paltrow’s son’s ski instructor praised the actress’ skills when he testified on Monday.
- Eric Christiansen has taken a stand in Paltrow’s lawsuit over a 2016 crash.
- The ski instructor dismissed suggestions that he was helping Paltrow “cover up” the collision.
A Utah ski instructor who taught actress Gwyneth Paltrow’s children several vacations defended the star’s snowsports skills, testifying in court Monday that he always knew the “Goop” mogul to be a safe and responsible skier.
Eric Christiansen, a 44-year-old ski instructor, recalled the 2016 ski collision between Paltrow and Terry Sanderson, a retired optometrist who is in court this month fighting the lifestyle guru for negligent negligence stemming from the mountain accident at Deer Valley Resort arises in Utah seven years ago.
Christiansen was working with Paltrow’s son Moses Martin, then 10, when the controversial fall between Paltrow and Sanderson, 76, occurred on a beginner’s slope.
Sanderson sued Paltrow in 2019 for $3 million over the collision, alleging that she crashed into him, leaving him with four broken ribs and a traumatic brain injury, according to medical records presented in court. The actress later countered Sanderson for negligence, claiming he was responsible for the accident as he drove into her from behind.
Sanderson is now seeking $300,000 in damages compared to Paltrow, who is seeking $1 plus reimbursed attorney fees.
Witnesses at the trial so far, including both Sanderson and Paltrow, have given conflicting testimony as to who was at fault in the crash, but Christiansen was clear Monday in his conviction that he believed Sanderson was at fault.
Christiansen’s testimony began with a slow-motion video animation depicting the alleged collision, which the ski instructor did not personally witness.
After the crash, which Sanderson said Monday was preceded by a “blood-clotting” scream from Paltrow, Christiansen was among the first people to respond to the incident. Christiansen said he found the two intertwined on the floor, with Paltrow lying on top of Sanderson; He said he heard the actress say she was hit and never saw it coming.
In a report he wrote after the collision, Christiansen said Sanderson pulled Paltrow out from behind.
“I clearly perceived him as a mountaineer, and the mountaineer has a responsibility to avoid other skiers,” he said in court on Monday.
Christiansen continued to praise Paltrow’s skiing skills throughout his testimony, saying she was adept at making “short-radius turns” and dismissing the defense suggestion that Paltrow screamed before falling.
“Ms. Paltrow is not going down the hill screaming, there would be no reason for her to scream just to scream,” Christiansen said.
Sanderson’s legal team, meanwhile, continued to emphasize the financial relationship between Christiansen and Paltrow. The actress testified last week that while she can’t remember the exact cost, the ski day, which included lessons for her, her husband Brad Falchuk and their four children together, cost more than $9,000.
Christiansen said he has tutored Paltrow’s now 16-year-old son Moses on at least three different ski vacations the family has taken over the years, even sending the boy home with some of his homemade pottery on one occasion.
But the ski instructor denied allegations that he lied or helped Paltrow “cover up” the collision simply because she tipped him well.
“This is ridiculous,” Christiansen said of Paltrow’s attorney’s preemptive suggestion.
WATCH NOW: Insider Inc.’s Popular Videos
Loading…