- By Sam Cabral
- BBC News, in Park City
1 hour ago
Image source, Getty Images
Many celebrities come to Park City for the annual Sundance Film Festival – but this past week the city was all about star and courtroom drama.
Gwyneth Paltrow’s legal team has now rested in a civil suit over a 2016 skiing collision with a retired optometrist at Utah’s upscale Deer Valley resort.
Terry Sanderson, 76, is seeking $300,000 (£244,000) in damages for physical and emotional wounds he attributes to the crash, an incident he says was caused by Ms Paltrow. He says he sustained brain damage and broken ribs.
The Hollywood actress denied being responsible and filed a countersuit.
Ms. Paltrow is seeking $1 plus compensation for attorneys’ fees. She was present at the daily negotiations.
On Wednesday, the Oscar-winner was wearing head-to-toe black as she exited a dark-colored SUV and stormed into the Third Circuit Courthouse.
Mr Sanderson was already in the courtroom and the two did their best to avoid eye contact as she passed.
More than seven years have passed since the accident on a beginner’s slope known as Bandana Run – a clash that left the former US Army captain and optometrist suffering a concussion that “completely changed” his life.
On Wednesday, medical experts called to the witness stand by Ms Paltrow’s defense team disputed that characterization.
“Mr. Sanderson does not currently require ongoing neurological treatment,” said Dr. Robert Hoesch, a neurologist, adding: “I would rate it [him] for dementia.”
The neuropsychologist Dr. Angela Eastvold argued the plaintiff suffered “at most a mild concussion” and showed no signs of brain injury.
“Anxiety can promote awareness of many of these difficulties,” she said.
dr Eastvold suggested that although evidence suggests “he’s really in distress,” a concussion from colliding with Ms Paltrow couldn’t be the cause of his struggles.
Mr Sanderson’s attorney Robert Sykes grew increasingly testy with witnesses as the day progressed.
The Salt Lake City attorney repeatedly described himself as “a simple country attorney” who wanted simple answers.
He accused witnesses of diagnosing Mr Sanderson from the witness stand and being as evasive as the ‘Queen of Denmark’ – a reference to Hamlet’s mother in the William Shakespeare play.
Tensions grew in the courtroom as Mr Sanderson briefly returned to the stand after testifying earlier this week.
video caption,
Watch: Paltrow trial continues with more tense exchanges
He apologized directly to Ms. Paltrow for describing her as screaming like “King Kong in the jungle” in a 2019 press conference — he meant to say she screamed like a woman being chased by King Kong, he clarified .
Turning to her, he said suing a celebrity was painful, but “someone has to be [held] responsible” for the incident. Ms. Paltrow was seen shaking her head vigorously.
The actress and her two children were skiing with her now husband Brad Falchuk and their two children when the accident happened.
The closing arguments in the process are scheduled to begin on Thursday.