She sketched a smile at the announcement of the verdict. Prosecuted for her involvement in a skiing accident at a Utah resort in 2016, American actress Gwyneth Paltrow won her case on Thursday, avoiding paying the $ 3.3 million in damages sought by the charge.
The jury of a court in this state in the western United States unanimously found that Gwyneth Paltrow, famous in particular for her role as Pepper Potts in the Iron Man films, was not responsible for the accident with retired medical professional, Terry Sanderson. The actress obtained the symbolic dollar that she claimed, the jury judging, after three hours of deliberation, that it was on the contrary Terry Sanderson who had caused the accident.
Four broken ribs
The 76-year-old Mr Sanderson, an optometrist, claimed the crash at an upscale Rocky Mountain resort broke four ribs and caused lasting psychological damage, launching a lawsuit in 2019 against the actress.
During their final argument before a court in Utah, Mr. Sanderson’s lawyers had argued that their client should be compensated for the irreversible brain damage he 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 to a sum of “3,276,000 dollars for the 17 years that Terry must deal with this irreversible brain damage”. Without success.
“False Allegations”
At the heart of the case, the question was which skier hit 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 Sanderson’s health, including pre-existing medical conditions. 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”.