Gwyneth Paltrow not liable in ski crash lawsuit

Gwyneth Paltrow is not liable for an accident on a swanky US ski slope, a jury ruled Thursday, as it dismissed a claim from a retired optometrist. Terry Sanderson, 76, had alleged a collision in Utah with the star left him with four broken ribs and lasting psychological
damage, for which he demanded she pay $3.3 million. Paltrow
countersued for a symbolic $1.
After an eight-day civil trial, the jury in Park City unanimously found the ‘Shakespeare in Love’ actress did not cause the 2016 crash, a position she had maintained all along. “I felt that acquiescing to a false claim compromised my integrity,” Paltrow, 50, said after the verdict. “I am pleased with the outcome,” she added.
The live-streamed hearing sparked headlines around the world, and became a hot topic on social media, generating memes and making perhaps unwitting stars of the lawyers involved.
The Oscar-winner was in court every day, listening attentively to evidence, including Sanderson’s claims that she had run into him with such force that he became airborne. “I got hit in my back so hard and it was right at my shoulder blades, a serious, serious smack. I’ve never been hit that hard, and I’m flying,” he told the jury earlier. “Last thing I remember, everything was black.”
The plaintiff said the crash, which happened at the tony Deer Valley resort, had left him with permanent brain damage and had altered his personality such that he could no longer enjoy life.
“These are golden years,” attorney Lawrence Buhler told the jury Thursday before they began their deliberations. “These are the most valuable years when you can enjoy your retirement and actually do things like travel. Terry doesn’t want to be brain injured. He wants to live life to its fullest,” Buhler said. “He’s got this issue that a big part of him was left up on that… ski run.”
Buhler asked the jury to award Sanderson $33 for every waking hour since the incident and continuing until his death, which he said actuarial tables indicate might come in 10 years. -Agencies