After years of legal wrangling that culminated in a two-week civil trial, actress Gwyneth Paltrow emerged victorious Thursday when a jury ruled in her favor, finding that she did not permanently injure a retired doctor on a Utah ski slope.
The plaintiff’s legal team, however, indicated that the battle might not be over.
Dr. Terry Sanderson’s attorney, Robert Sykes, told TMZ they may file an appeal or request a new trial.
One argument they could put forth is that the court wrongfully allowed information to be presented about Sanderson’s past while disallowing that sort of evidence regarding Paltrow, he said.
“We sincerely disagree with the outcome and will consider all options moving forward,” Sykes told the entertainment news outlet.
Sanderson initially sued Paltrow for $3.1 million, claiming that the actress crashed into him on a beginner slope at the Deer Valley resort in Park City in 2016. The amount was later dropped to $300,000.
Paltrow countersued for $1 plus attorney fees.
Sanderson said the accident caused him permanent damage, including broken ribs, a concussion and a traumatic brain injury.
Sanderson’s daughter testified that her father’s personality changed so much after the crash that his granddaughter no longer wants to be around him.
Should a judge grant Sanderson an appeal?
Yes: 40% (6 Votes)
No: 60% (9 Votes)
Before the accident, Shae Sanderson Herath said, he was the kind of man “everyone seemed to love.” Now, she said her daughter “doesn’t like my dad.”
Paltrow, however, testified that Sanderson was the one who crashed into her that day.
She described seeing Sanderson’s skis appear between hers and hearing a man “groaning and grunting” as she felt the impact from behind.
It happened so fast and unexpectedly that she said she briefly wondered if she was being assaulted.
Before the trial began, Sanderson’s legal team demanded that Paltrow’s defense team not be allowed to show a text he sent to his daughter on the day of the accident.
He wrote, “I am famous …at what cost?” after learning the person he had collided with was a movie star.
In a court filing, Sanderson’s attorneys said the remark was irrelevant and argued that Paltrow’s defense team would use it to portray him as “some kind of gold digger hoping to cash in on a case against a celebrity.”
