Actress Gwyneth Paltrow spoke out after winning a $300,000 lawsuit against her over a ski accident in 2016.
On Thursday, following the win, Paltrow, 50, posted a statement on Instagram.
“I felt that acquiescing to a false claim compromised my integrity. I am pleased with the outcome and I appreciate all of the hard work of Judge [Kent] Holmberg and the jury and thank them for their thoughtfulness in handling this case,” she wrote, per Fox News Digital.
Paltrow’s lawyer, Stephen Owens said, “Gwyneth has a history of advocating for what she believes in – this situation was no different and she will continue to stand up for what is right.”
After the two-week trial and multiple witnesses, including Paltrow’s two children, Moses and Apple, the jury ruled in her favor and placed her accuser, Terry Sanderson, 76, “100 percent at fault” for the ski accident. He was ordered to pay “$1 in damages in addition to her attorney fees.”
As Paltrow proceeded to leave the courtroom, she placed her hand on Sanderson’s shoulder and whispered, “I wish you well” to which he responded, “Thank you, dear.”
Samantha Imrie, who was juror No. 11, told ABC News she thought Paltrow’s testimony was believable, but also considered her acting career.
“I think there was, in the back of my mind, yes, this woman’s an actress and I took that into account, but I didn’t feel she had a reason to lie under oath,” she said. “She’s always in the spotlight so she always has to be honest.”
Imrie also believed Sanderson was being honest, too.
“He was telling his truth and I think unfortunately some of that has been distorted due to some other factors, but I do think he did not intend to tell a truth that wasn’t his truth,” she added.
Ultimately, Imrie said she felt the expert witnesses, like Dr. Irving Scher, who testified on Paltrow’s behalf, helped her reach a conclusion, according to ABC News.
“He’s a snow sports expert in many different ways. I think the fact that Dr. Scher could speak to the din settings and he specifically studied snow science, that he had a stronger opinion,” Imrie said to ABC News.
in 2019, Sanderson, 76, filed a “negligence suit” against Paltrow, claiming she crashed into him while skiing on a mountain at a resort in Park City, Utah. Sanderson also claimed the Goop founder skidded away after the crash in 2016.
Gwyneth Paltrow accuser, 76, shown as active world traveler despite claiming he's a 'self-imposed recluse' https://t.co/ls0XzTRs8P
— Fox News (@FoxNews) March 30, 2023
According to the lawsuit, Sanderson allegedly suffered “permanent traumatic brain injury, four broken ribs, pain, suffering, loss of enjoyment of life.” He also suffered emotionally and became disfigured, as a result.
Paltrow “countersued for $1” along with “attorney fees.”
Fox News reported that during the trial, Paltrow testified “what went through [her] mind when it happened,” claiming Sanderson was attempting to sexually assault her during the collision, which led her to become “extremely upset.”
“I was confused at first, and I didn’t know exactly what was happening. It’s a very strange thing to be happening on a ski slope. I froze, and I would say I got very upset a couple seconds later,” she recalled on the stand.
Paltrow also claimed that while the incident occurred, “Two skis came between my skis forcing my legs apart and then a body pressed against me” and it felt as though they were both “spooning.”
“My brain was trying to make sense of what is happening,” she added. “I thought, ‘Is this a practical joke? Is someone doing something perverted?’”
Paltrow said her “mind was going very, very quickly,” and her “mind was trying to ascertain what happened.”
According to Fox News Digital, Paltrow later claimed Sanderson was the one who actually “hit” her in the crash and she stayed with him until the ski instructor permitted her to leave.
