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PARK CITY — Actress Gwyneth Paltrow will face a jury in Park City on Tuesday that will consider whether she is at fault for injuring a man while skiing at Deer Valley Resort seven years ago.
A Utah man is seeking over $300,000 from the "Iron Man" and "Shakespeare in Love" actress, after claiming she ran into him on the slopes.
The lawsuit was filed in 2019, three years after the ski crash, by Terry Sanderson, a retired optometrist who worked in Soda Springs, Idaho. He said a ski collision between himself and Paltrow on Feb. 26, 2016, left him with a brain injury, four broken ribs and emotional damage.
"I've skied for over 30 years, I've never knocked anybody down and hurt 'em. I've never been knocked down or got hurt. I think this is kind of a unique situation," Sanderson said when the lawsuit was filed.
It initially also named Deer Valley Resort, Paltrow's ski instructor and other resort employees as defendants, complaining their actions after the collision caused additional harm, but claims against all other parties have been dismissed.
Initially, the lawsuit sought at least $3.1 million from Paltrow. Third District Judge Kent Holmberg dismissed some claims against Paltrow in May 2022, ruling that it was not a "hit-and-run ski crash" as Sanderson claimed. He decided Paltrow did not negligently inflict emotional distress and that Sanderson was not entitled to punitive damages.
An instructor verified that Paltrow did not leave immediately after the collision as Sanderson claimed, but stopped to give aid until she reasonably believed leaving would not lead to further injury. The order from the court also said Sanderson has continued traveling since the incident, showing his injuries were not debilitating.
Paltrow filed a counterclaim, alleging that Sanderson hit her from behind. She said she did not hear or see the man approach and had been skiing carefully and slowly to stay behind her children who were receiving skiing instruction.
The trial is scheduled to end on March 30, with eight full days in court. Jurors will consider the one remaining claim against Paltrow of "simple negligence" for her actions prior to the crash.
