Gwyneth Paltrow Testifies She At First Thought Skiing Collision Was Sexual Assault

Gwyneth Paltrow testified in Park City, Utah on Friday after being sued by a retired optometrist who claimed she ran into him at Deer Valley Resort in 2016 and skied. Paltrow has denied causing the crash – and said she believes it was a sexual assault.

“It was a quick thought that came to mind when I was trying to reconcile what was going on,” she told E! News reported. “Two skis came between my skis, forcing my legs apart, then there was a body pressing against me and…a very strange growl.”

Paltrow clarified during her testimony that she was not accusing Terry Sanderson, the 76-year-old complainant, of sexual assault.

“My brain was trying to make sense of what was going on,” she continued. “I was like, ‘Is this a joke? Is someone… doing something evil? This is really, really weird. So my mind was going really, really fast, and I was trying to figure it out. what was happening.

Sanderson filed the civil lawsuit in 2019 and alleged in his complaint that Paltrow left him with “a brain injury, four broken ribs and other injuries” in addition to “serious psychological issues, including fear, anxiety and depression” as a result of the alleged skiing. collision.

Sanderson is currently seeking $300,000 after amending his original request of $3.1 million, according to NBC News. Paltrow has since filed a countersuit for “nominal damages in the amount of $1” and payment of his legal fees “to defend this baseless claim.”

“She was enjoying skiing with her family on vacation in Utah when the plaintiff – who was uphill from Ms. Paltrow – rammed her back,” the countersuit said. “She suffered a ‘shot to the body’. Ms Paltrow was angry with the claimant and said so. The claimant apologized.

Paltrow was reportedly vacationing with her husband, Brad Falchuk, whom she married in 2018, when the crash happened. The Goop founder testified that this was an important trip as it was “the first time that Brad and I introduced our children… to see if we could merge the families”.

The lifestyle mogul claimed Sanderson said he was fine before he went skiing and his children, Apple and Moses, stayed with their ski instructor to make sure. However, Sanderson’s daughter testified Friday that the accident irrevocably altered her personality.

“I really do, I really feel sorry for him,” Paltrow said Friday. “It looks like he had a really tough life, but I didn’t cause the accident so I can’t be responsible for anything that happened to him afterwards.”

The trial is expected to last eight days and began on Tuesday. Paltrow’s children are due to testify next week.