(CNN) Gwyneth Paltrow could speak as early as Friday in a courtroom in Park City, Utah, during an ongoing trial over a 2016 skiing accident she was involved in, but first the man suing her will have his say .
The actress and businesswoman has been present in the courtroom since the trial began on Tuesday, when attorneys for Paltrow and Terry Sanderson, a 76-year-old retired optometrist, presented their opening arguments before a sitting jury.
Sanderson is scheduled to testify Friday, his attorneys said.
At the end of Thursday’s trial, Sanderson’s attorneys indicated that Paltrow would comment on Friday “if there is time.”
Sanderson has accused Paltrow of colliding with him and causing permanent injuries and brain damage when the two of them were skiing a beginner’s slope on a Utah mountain in February 2016. Sanderson also alleges that Paltrow and her ski instructor drove away after the incident without receiving medical attention.
Paltrow filed a counterclaim against Sanderson in 2019, alleging that he drove into her.
The two have been in a legal battle for seven years.
In the days since the trial began, a number of witnesses have testified, including Sanderson’s friend Craig Ramon, who was also at the runway on the day of the collision. Ramon was the first witness to testify at the trial on Tuesday.
Radiologist Wendell Gibby testified Wednesday that Sanderson “deteriorated” after the collision and stopped many of the activities he was engaged in prior to the incident. The jury also heard expert testimony from neuropsychologist Sam Goldstein, who evaluated Sanderson in 2020 and testified about various changes in Sanderson’s mental health since the collision.
On Thursday, Sanderson’s daughter, Polly Sanderson-Grasham, gave an emotional testimony about how, a year and a half after the crash, she noticed that her father’s “processing speed” appeared to have changed. Sanderson-Grasham later said her father was a “principled man” and she believes he wanted “someone who on that day at least apologizes or acknowledges or is held accountable for their decision.”
Also played to the jury on Thursday were video testimonies from Alina K. Fong, a clinical neuropsychologist who treated Sanderson after the collision, and Richard Boehme, a biomedical engineer who testified as an expert witness. Böhme examined Sanderson in 2021 and testified that he believed the injuries Sanderson sustained to his ribs could only have been the result of a blow from behind.
In the court documents, originally filed by Sanderson and obtained by CNN in 2019, Sanderson explained that while skiing at Deer Valley Resort, Paltrow allegedly “spun out of control … knocked him out hard, knocked him out, and caused a brain injury.” and four broken ribs and other serious injuries.”
According to Paltrow’s counterclaim, she was “enjoying skiing with her family while on vacation in Utah when the plaintiff — who was uphill from Ms. Paltrow — plowed into her back.” She suffered a full ‘body hit’. Ms. Paltrow was angry with the plaintiff and said so. The plaintiff apologized. She was shaken and upset and stopped skiing for the day even though it was still morning.”
Sanderson initially sued Paltrow for $3.1 million but later amended his lawsuit and is now seeking more than $300,000 in damages, according to court documents.
Paltrow is seeking $1 in damages plus attorneys’ fees.