Gwyneth Paltrow ski collision: Actress to stand trial for Deer Valley Resort crash

PARK CITY, Utah– Gwyneth Paltrow is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday in a lawsuit filed by a retired optometrist who said the actress-turned-lifestyle influencer had a violent encounter with him in 2016 while skiing in Utah at one of the poshest ski resorts in the United States collided.

Terry Sanderson, 76, said Paltrow skied down the slopes so recklessly that they crashed into each other, leaving him on the ground as she and her entourage continued their descent to Deer Valley Resort, a skier-only mountain known for its groomed slopes Aprs-ski champagne yurts and noble clientele.

“Gwyneth Paltrow went out of control,” Sanderson’s attorneys allege in the lawsuit, “hitting him hard, knocking him unconscious and causing a brain injury, four broken ribs and other serious injuries. Sanderson lay stunned in the snow, critically injured.”

In a case spanning years since the 2016 incident, Sanderson is suing Paltrow for $300,000 – claiming the Park City accident was a result of negligence and left him with physical injuries and emotional distress.

In ski resorts, the downhill skier has the right of way, so a key question in the case is who was further down the beginner’s slope when the collision occurred. Both Paltrow and Sanderson claim in court filings that they were further down the hill when the other rammed them.

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Sanderson also accused Deer Valley and its employees of engaging in a “cover-up” by not providing complete information on incident reports and by not following the resort’s safety guidelines.

After his original $3.1 million lawsuit was dropped, Sanderson amended the lawsuit and is now seeking $300,000. Paltrow — the Oscar-winning actress best known for her roles in Shakespeare in Love and Marvel’s Iron Man films — filed a countersuit, seeking attorneys’ fees and $1 in damages.

Paltrow has countered that he was indeed the culprit in the collision, overstating his injuries and attempting to take advantage of her fame and wealth. In addition to her acting career, she is also the founder and CEO of high-end wellness company goop.

In court filings, her lawyers dispute Sanderson’s claims, claiming he was the one who crashed into her – a collision that left her with a “full-body punch.” Their counterclaim alleges that members of Paltrow’s group checked on Sanderson, who assured them he was fine. It casts doubt on his motive and injury claims, noting that he had 15 documented medical conditions prior to the incident.

“He demanded that Mrs Paltrow pay him millions. If she didn’t pay, she would face negative publicity over his allegations,” her attorneys wrote in a 2019 court filing.

The Park City trial is expected to last more than a week.