Gwyneth Paltrow Got the Final Word in Ski Lawsuit: What Did She Say to Terry Sanderson?
Published March 31 2023, 10:23 a.m. ET
As their legal battle concluded on Thursday, March 30, 2023, one of Hollywood’s biggest stars had parting words for the man who sued her for more than $300,000 after they collided on the Utah ski slopes in 2016. So, what did Gwyneth Paltrow say to Terry Sanderson?
Cameras in the courtroom captured the scene in the Park City, Utah, courtroom as Gwyneth got up from her seat, walked over to the retired optometrist, and whispered something in his ear before striding out of the room. Plus, viewers saw Terry say something in return, and he later told reporters what they said to one another.
What did Gwyneth Paltrow say to Terry Sanderson?
Terry told The Associated Press and other outlets that as Gwyneth left the courtroom on Thursday, she touched his shoulder and said, “I wish you well.”
And the 76-year-old responded, “Thank you, dear.”
Thus ended a lengthy trial as a Utah jury decided who was at fault for a 2016 accident in which Terry and Gwyneth collided on a ski slope at Deer Valley Resort. Terry contended that Gwyneth was uphill from him and ran into him, leaving him injured. And he sued her for more than $300,000 over the injuries he suffered.
Meanwhile, the Oscar-winning star of Shakespeare in Love maintained that Terry was the uphill skier and that he ran into her. She countersued Terry for a symbolic amount of $1 as well as attorney fees.
The jury’s decision in Gwyneth’s favor was unanimous.
Ultimately, the jury decided that Gwyneth wasn’t at fault for her collision with Terry and awarded the Goop founder the $1 she asked for. Judge Kent Holmberg will determine the award Gwyneth will get for attorney fees. When asked by the judge on Thursday, the jury said their verdict was unanimous — well above the three-quarters threshold for consensus needed for a verdict in Utah — according to the AP.
“I felt that acquiescing to a false claim compromised my integrity,” Gwyneth said after the trial, in a statement published in her Instagram Stories. “I am pleased with the outcome and I appreciate all of the hard work of Judge Holmberg and the jury, and thank them for their thoughtfulness in handling this case.”
