On Friday (24 March), Gwyneth Paltrow finally took the stand in court amid her ongoing ski crash trial.
Back in 2016, the actress was involved in an incident in a ski resort in Utah with Terry Sanderson. Sanderson, 76, is suing Paltrow for allegedly crashing into him and causing him life altering injuries.
However, Paltrow has countersued. She testified that he collided with her and left her feeling “hurt and violated”. It seems the two have very different accounts of what happened.
Sanderson is seeking damages of $300,000. with Paltrow seeking just $1 and compensation for her legal fees.
When asked to recall her turn of events, she has said she was skiing at a moderate pace, before hearing something coming towards her from behind.
She then claims two skis that were not her own appeared next to her and a body which she described as ‘large’ pressing into her back.
“I was confused at first, and I didn’t know exactly what was happening,” she said.
“It’s a very strange thing to happen on a ski slope, and I froze, and I would say I got very upset a couple seconds later.”
Paltrow also added that she was confused at first, and was unsure if the ‘assault’ was of a ‘sexual nature’.
“That was a quick thought that went through my head when I was trying to reconcile what was happening.”
“I was skiing, and two skis came between my skis, forcing my legs apart, and then there was a body pressing against me, and there was a very strange grunting noise,” she continued.
“So my brain was trying to make sense of what was happening. I thought, ‘Is this a practical joke? Is someone doing something perverted? This is really, really strange.”
Later on, Paltrow reiterated that she is not accusing Sanderson of sexual assault.
However, after this, her accuser’s attorney said: “She’s lied under oath a number of times.”
Paltrow’s attorney immediately hit back – “Your Honor, that is slanderous and I want it withdrawn this moment.”
