Gwyneth Paltrow Speaks Out After Victory in Ski Crash Court Trial | “I Am Pleased With the Outcome”

Gwyneth Paltrow opened up after being held not guilty in Terry Sanderson's lawsuit over a 2016 ski accident. A jury determined on Thursday, March 30, that Sanderson, a 76-year-old retired ophthalmologist, was "100 percent" at blame in the February 26, 2016 crash at Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah.

Paltrow, 50, was granted $1 in damages plus legal expenses after the two-week trial that had less than three hours of deliberations, per PEOPLE. In an Instagram Story, Paltrow said she wanted to fight the case because she felt that "acquiescing to a false claim compromised my integrity."

"I am pleased with the outcome and I appreciate all of the hard work of Judge Holmberg and the jury, and thank them for their thoughtfulness in handling this case," said Paltrow, thanking everyone for their time and work on the case. Paltrow's lawyer, Stephen Owens added in a statement, "We are pleased with this unanimous outcome and appreciate the judge and jury's thoughtful handling of the case. Gwyneth has a history of advocating for what she believes in — this situation was no different and she will continue to stand up for what is right."

In the statement, Paltrow's opposing counsel, Sanderson's attorney, C. Peter Sorensen said, "We are disappointed in the outcome, but we love and support the legal process. We thank Judge Holmberg, the jury, and the staff for all their efforts. We will spend the next while evaluating and discussing where we go from here."

The verdict came after more than seven days of evidence from people like Paltrow, as well as plaintiff Sanderson, two of his children, and eyewitnesses to the collision's immediate aftermath. Paltrow said that she "absolutely froze" throughout the encounter, then grew outraged when she realized what had happened and yelled an obscenity at Sanderson. "Yes I did. I apologize for my bad language," she told the jury. "I said, 'You skied directly into my F-ing back,' and he said, 'Oh, sorry, sorry, I'm sorry', " she added. "I was pretty upset."

Both parties in the civil lawsuit concurred that the incident in question occurred, but they disagreed on who actually collided with whom, per PEOPLE. The jury was tasked with deciding who was the downhill skier, who crashed into whom, and what Paltrow and Sanderson did before and after the event on February 26, 2016, during the course of the two-week trial. At the end of the trial, the jury found that Paltrow was not at fault. 

In 2019, Sanderson initially filed a lawsuit against Paltrow, seeking over $3.1 million in damages. Paltrow, on the other hand, countersued for $1 and legal costs. Owens had said in closing arguments, "The easy thing for my client would have been to write a check and be done with it. But what does that tell her kids? 'Cost of business?' No. It's wrong. It's actually wrong that he hurt her, and that's why we're here."

References:

https://people.com/movies/gwyneth-paltrow-speaks-out-after-ski-trial-verdict/

https://www.instagram.com/stories/gwynethpaltrow/3070219052807505611/

https://people.com/movies/gwyneth-paltrow-ski-collision-trial-verdict/

Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Mike Windle