The decision comes after a highly publicised trial that captivated Americans’ attention with both Paltrow’s off-the-cuff statements on the stand and her clothing.
Paltrow sighed and glanced down at her hands clasped on the table as the decision was read. She remained solemn while the judge confirmed the results with each juror, only smiled when everyone was gone.
Terry Sanderson, a retired ophthalmologist, filed a $300,000 lawsuit against Paltrow after claiming she collided with him while skiing in 2016, leaving him with damaged ribs, a concussion, and brain trauma.
During the hearings, Paltrow maintained her innocence. She countersued Sanderson for $1 and legal expenses, claiming that it was the other way around and he had collided with her.
Sanderson was judged to be at blamed in the collision by the jury.
Their disagreement has prompted a controversy in the skiing community about the mountain’s laws, particularly the rule that whomever is farthest down the ski slope has the right of way. Both parties have argued over who was higher up the slope at the time of the incident.
Craig Ramon, Sanderson’s friend, testified throughout the trial that he observed the collision. He claimed to have seen Paltrow “slam” into Sanderson, swear, and then leave the scene around 4 minutes later while Sanderson was still on the ground.
Paltrow said that Sanderson struck her from behind while she was skiing “gently.” She reported feeling a person push against her back and saw two skis pass between hers.
She claimed she swore and felt violated at first, believing the collision was a sexual assault.
There was a person pushing up against me and a weird groaning sounds, she said.
She testified that she missed half a day of skiing as a result of the event, and her children and now-husband, who ate lunch with her that day, repeated that. Paltrow was “shaken” by the occurrence, according to her daughter Apple, who was 12 at the time and pulled out of skiing for the remainder of the day due to a painful knee.
Sanderson, now 76, said that his cognitive abilities had diminished as a result of the experience, which had a detrimental influence on his life and relationships. Sanderson’s deterioration, according to Paltrow’s counsel, was caused by previous physical issues and age.
After the ruling, Paltrow delivered a statement in which she praised the jury’s decision that she thought accepting a fraudulent claim jeopardised her honesty. She is delighted with the verdict, and she applauded Judge Holmberg and the jury for their hard work and compassion in processing this matter.
