(Los Angeles) American actress Gwyneth Paltrow, accused of being the cause of a 2016 skiing accident in Utah, came out of her trial on Thursday cleared, thus avoiding paying the damages requested by the accusation.
The jury of a court in this western state of the United States found, unanimously, that Mme Paltrow, famous for his role as Pepper Potts in the Iron Man films, was not responsible for the accident that occurred with a retired health professional, Terry Sanderson.
“I am happy with this outcome,” said Gwyneth Paltrow after the verdict was announced. “I feel that allowing false allegations to pass called into question my integrity,” she added.
The trial, broadcast live from the small town of Park City, provoked intense media interest around the world – and also among Internet users, who multiplied the humorous diversions of the images of the hearing.
PHOTO POOL, VIA REUTERS
Terry Sanderson, a 76-year-old retired optometrist, says the collision with actress Gwyneth Paltrow at an upscale Rocky Mountain resort in 2016 broke four ribs and caused lasting psychological damage.
The actress obtained the symbolic dollar that she claimed, the jury estimating, after three hours of deliberation, that it was on the contrary Mr. Sanderson who had caused the accident.
76-year-old Mr Sanderson, an optometrist, claimed the collision at an upscale Rocky Mountain resort had broken four of his ribs and caused lasting psychological damage, launching lawsuits in 2019 against Mrme Paltrow. He asked her for damages of 3.3 million dollars.
During their final argument, Mr. Sanderson’s lawyers had argued that their client should be compensated for the irreversible brain damage he had suffered and which affects his quality of life.
They were asking the court to award his client $33 for each hour of the day from the accident until the death of Terry Sanderson, which they estimated could take place in 10 years.
The calculation comes down to a sum of “3,276,000 dollars for the 17 years that Terry must deal with this irreversible brain damage”.
Without success.
” For pleasure ”
At the heart of the case, the question was to know which skier had struck the other.
According to the complainant, Gwyneth Paltrow ran over him while skiing in a “dangerous” manner, before fleeing, leaving him unconscious.
The actress claims on the contrary that it was Terry Sanderson who hit her in the back. Her lawyer assures that she “was not going fast” and that she was scared when Mr. Sanderson appeared behind her.
“He hit her. He hurt her,” the actress’ lawyer, Stephen Owens, said Thursday, “and he asked her for $3 million afterwards, just for fun. It is not fair “.
The trial, which lasted more than a week, saw specific details about Mr. Sanderson’s health, including pre-existing conditions, exposed.
Some members of his family also testified to describe a man with a difficult character, even before the accident.
At the start of the case, Stephen Owens claimed that the optometrist was “obsessed” with the complaint and that the file was based on “false allegations”.
Leaving the courtroom, the actress approached the dismissed plaintiff to talk to him. The latter later said that she had wished him “the best for the future”.