Gwyneth Paltrow’s ski crash trial could be decided as early as this afternoon, with final arguments due this morning before the jury is sent out to deliberate.
The denial follows an extraordinary afternoon in court when retired optometrist Terry Sanderson, 76, compared 50-year-old Paltrow to pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and was confronted with a stack of photos taken of him on vacation in Peru after the 2016 crash Show Morocco.
Sanderson sued the Goop guru in 2019, three years after a ski run pileup that left him with four broken ribs and permanent brain injuries.
While the father-of-three says the actress bumped into him while he let out what he described as “the best hysterical scream you’ve ever heard,” Paltrow says he crashed into her — causing them to lose half a day of skiing have.
The trial over a 2016 skiing collision between Gwyneth Paltrow, 50, and retired optometrist Terry Sanderson, 76, which was suing them over injuries, is expected to end on Thursday
Sanderson’s attorneys are expected to begin calling back their medical experts Thursday morning to refute Paltrow’s claims
Paltrow’s attorneys are expected to continue their two-pronged approach, both arguing that the actress did not cause the accident and that its effects are not as bad as Sanderson claims
Both Sanderson and Paltrow arrived early on the final day of the trial at Park City District Court in Park City, Utah, with the Goop boss in a navy blue Stealth Luxe coat, $278 Rayban aviator goggles, a pair of brown pants and matching chunky boots.
Sanderson, who was forced to swap ties on Wednesday after appearing in a happy-faced tie, opted for a more low-key choice for the final day of court.
Witnesses for Sanderson will appear first, including Craig Ramon, 48 – his friend and the only person to have seen the crash.
Sanderson testified Friday that he continued to pursue claims for damages seven years after the accident because the ensuing cascading events — his post-concussion symptoms and allegations that he sued to exploit Paltrow’s celebrity — made the injury even more insulting.
His attorneys are also likely to recall some of their medical experts, and Paltrow herself could be brought back to the witness stand after first testifying last Friday.
Yesterday the court heard from a number of medical experts brought in by the defense, all of whom said Sanderson’s brain trauma was unlikely to have been caused by the 2016 crash.
Terry Sanderson, 76, who is suing Gwyneth Paltrow over a skiing accident, arrived at the Park City courtroom on Wednesday wearing a brightly colored tie with garish smiley faces on it, but later swapped it for one with a more subtle imprint than he was preparing for to take the witness stand
The neurologist Dr. Robert Hoesch told the court that Sanderson’s symptoms – which include confusion and personality changes – were not due to the skiing accident but to underlying medical conditions
dr Angela Eastvold, a neuropsychologist and concussion expert who reviewed Sanderson’s medical history, said she doesn’t think Sanderson suffered more than a mild concussion and that any ongoing symptoms could be explained by other medical conditions
One, the neurologist Dr. Robert Hoesch even told jurors that Sanderson’s symptoms were the result of the court battle itself, saying: “My job is to help the patient and his family accept that this mild event seven years ago is not causing all of these problems that he has now.
He added, “Suing someone to go through a process, a process that’s nationally recognized, can create a lot of anxiety and if you’re prone to it, it will make things worse and slow your recovery.”
But the most dramatic moment of the day came at the end when Sanderson himself took the witness stand, only to be confronted with a stack of photos of himself on holiday after the accident – a time when he says he was suffering from debilitating post-concussion syndrome and had become a ‘hermit’.
Paltrow’s attorney Stephen Owens rattled off a series of targets, showing court photos of the 76-year-old on a camel in Morocco, at Machu Picchu in Peru and at a car show in Frankfurt.
In bizarre testimony Wednesday, Sanderson compared Paltrow to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after he said she must be “held accountable” for the crash
Paltrow gives Sanderson a stunned look before glancing over at her attorney, who called the statement “ridiculous.” The judge then asked the jury to ignore Sanderson’s words
Under cross-examination, Sanderson compared Paltrow to Epstein when asked if he regretted pursuing the lawsuit, which infuriated Owens, calling it “ridiculous testimony” while the actress looked stunned.
Sanderson said: “Well, that’s the purpose, I guess. It’s meant to make me regret this lawsuit, and that’s the pain of suing a celebrity. It’s just very difficult. I will tell everyone, you will be exposed.’
In a reference to Epstein’s infamous Caribbean island, he added: “This is obviously an issue for which someone must be held accountable and if they are never held accountable, what will they do?
“You will do it again. Now we have child molestation on an island.”
A stunned Paltrow looked over at her attorney, who called Sanderson’s testimony “ridiculous.” The judge then asked the jury to ignore Sanderson’s words.
Along with Sanderson, the court has previously heard from Paltrow, as well as her two children with Coldplay singer Chris Martin.
Apple, 18, and Moses, 16, said their mother went “crazy” from the accident and had to stop skiing after the accident – instead she went to the spa at Deer Valley’s Montage Hotel for a massage.
Apple said: “I ran into this A-hole. He ran right into my back… [She] was visibly upset and in a bit of pain…so she went to the spa for a massage.’
While Apple (left) and her Moses Martin (right) were “ready, willing and able” to testify in person, her mother’s attorneys chose to have transcripts of their testimonies read aloud
Paltrow’s account of hitting Terry Sanderson was shown in an animated reconstruction, as the defense claims he was actually the one who hit the actress from behind
Among the most bombastic statements were Paltrow and Sanderson. On Friday, judges were riveted as Paltrow said on the stand that she initially thought she would be “hurt” when the collision began.
Three days later, Sanderson gave a completely different account, saying she encountered him and “absolutely let him fly”.
The trial has also thrown the spotlight on Park City, best known as a ski resort that welcomes celebrities like Paltrow to the Sundance Film Festival each year.
Local residents increasingly filled the courtroom gallery during the trial. They nodded as attorneys and witnesses pointed to local landmarks like Montage Deer Valley, the ski hotel spa where Paltrow got a massage after the collision.
At times they seemed captivated by Paltrow’s reactions to the proceedings, while at other times they reflected the jury, whose endurance was being tested by hours of medical testimony.