Gwyneth Paltrow found herself skiing into an expensive lawsuit three years after an alleged “ski and run” incident at Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah.
In January 2019, a retired optometrist Terry Sanderson filed a $3.1 lawsuit against the Oscar winner after he alleged that she skied out of control back in February 2016.
According to CNN, Sanderson stated in court documents that while skiing at the Deer Valley Resort, Paltrow allegedly “skied out of control … knocking him down hard, knocking him out, and causing a brain injury, and four broken ribs and other serious injuries.”
Sanderson and his lawyers, Lawrence D. Buhler and Robert B. Sykes, detailed their suit against Paltrow in a press conference held on Jan. 29, 2019. In the press conference, Sanderson claimed that before the alleged collision, he “heard this just hysterical screaming like … King Kong in the jungle or something.”
Sykes added, “What Miss Paltrow did that day was knock Terry Sanderson down, pick herself up, dust herself off and ski off.”
In the suit, Sanderson also claims Paltrow and her ski instructor Eric Christiansen did a “ski and run” and skied away after the incident without getting him medical care.
Noora Raj Brown, SVP Communications for Paltrow’s company GOOP, told CNN, “This lawsuit is completely without merit. Anyone who reads the facts will realize that.”
In the docs obtained by CNN, Sanderson claims that as a result of his “injury” that he has suffered a permanent traumatic brain injury, “loss of enjoyment of life, emotional distress and disfigurement.”
In addition to the actress, Paltrow’s ski instructor, the resort and two other unnamed resort employees are also named in the lawsuit.
The lawsuit also alleges that Christiansen, who not witness the crash, “falsely” accused Sanderson of causing the incident.
Following the suit, Paltrow bit back, filing a countersuit of $1 (plus attorneys’ fees) for “symbolic damages.” According to TheCut, Paltrow denied being out of control. She said she skied slowly because her children Apple and Moses were there.
In the suit, Paltrow also alleged that Sanderson did not act differently after their collision and was not severely injured.
Reported by Page Six, her suit states: “Ms. Paltrow remembers what happened very clearly. She was enjoying skiing with her family on vacation in Utah, when Plaintiff — who was uphill from Ms. Paltrow — plowed into her back. She sustained a full ‘body blow.’ Ms. Paltrow was angry with Plaintiff, and said so. Plaintiff apologized. She was shaken and upset, and quit skiing for the day even though it was still morning.”
The matter will be decided in a civil court at a future date.
