American actress Gwyneth Paltrow, who is accused of causing a 2016 skiing accident in Utah, was released from her trial on Thursday, avoiding paying the damages prosecutors are asking for.
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A jury in this western U.S. state unanimously found that Ms. Paltrow, best known for her role as Pepper Potts in the Iron Man films, was not responsible for the accident involving retired physician Terry Sanderson.
“I’m happy with this result,” said Gwyneth Paltrow after the verdict was announced. “I feel like allowing false accusations to be made has called my integrity into question,” she added.
The trial, broadcast live from the small town of Park City, attracted a great deal of media interest worldwide – and also from Internet users, who multiplied the humorous distractions of the negotiation images.
The actress got the token dollar she demanded, with the jury finding after three hours of deliberation that, on the contrary, it was Mr. Sanderson who caused the accident.
Mr Sanderson, 76, an optometrist, claimed the collision at a posh Rockies resort shattered four of his ribs and caused permanent mental damage, and filed a lawsuit against Ms Paltrow in 2019. He demanded from her damages of 3.3 million dollars.
During their most recent argument, Mr Sanderson’s lawyers had argued that their client should be compensated for the irreversible brain damage he had suffered, which was affecting his quality of life.
They asked the court to award his client $33 for each hour of the day from the accident to Terry Sanderson’s death, which they estimated could happen in 10 years.
The bill totaled “$3,276,000 for the 17 years that Terry had to deal with this irreversible brain damage.”
Without success.
“For pleasure”
The focus of the case was the question of which skier hit the other.
According to the plaintiff, Gwyneth Paltrow “dangerously” ran him over while skiing before fleeing, leaving him unconscious.
On the contrary, the actress claims it was Terry Sanderson who punched her in the back. Her lawyer asserts that she “wasn’t fast” and that she was frightened when Mr. Sanderson came up behind her.
“He hit her. He hurt her,” the actress’ lawyer, Stephen Owens, said Thursday, “and he asked her for $3 million afterwards, just for fun. It’s not fair”.
The trial, which lasted more than a week, uncovered specific details about Mr Sanderson’s health, including pre-existing medical conditions.
Some members of his family also testified to describing a man with a difficult character even before the accident.
At the start of the case, Stephen Owens claimed the optician was “obsessed” with the complaint and that the case was based on “false allegations”.
The actress left the courtroom and approached the dismissed plaintiff to speak with him. The latter later said she wished him “the best for the future”.