Gwyneth Paltrow speaks with retired optometrist Terry Sanderson, left, as she walks out of the courtroom following the reading of the verdict in their lawsuit trial, Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Park City, Utah. Paltrow won her court battle over a 2016 ski collision at a posh Utah ski resort after a jury decided Thursday that the movie star wasn’t at fault for the crash. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, Pool)
Internationally-acclaimed actress Gwyneth Paltrow will not receive attorney’s fees in relation to her recent negligence case.
In late March, an eight-person jury unanimously found the “Iron Man” actress was not at fault in a 2016 ski crash on Bandana Run, the beginner’s slope at the Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah.
In a Saturday ruling, Third District Court Judge Kent Holmberg explained that Paltrow’s attorneys and attorneys for the man who sued her over the disputed skiing accident agreed to drop the issue – ending the final chapter in the long-running case.
More Law&Crime coverage: Gwyneth Paltrow ski crash trial ends with emotional closing arguments and defense attorney complaining about actress being ‘lumped in with other celebrities’
Holmberg’s opinion did not detail why the two sides ultimately came to an agreement, according to the Associated Press.
The “Shallow Hal” actress, 50, was sued by retired optometrist Terry Sanderson, 76, in 2019. He claimed that the accident left him with permanent brain damage and various other maladies. Some of those injuries, like four broken ribs, were not contested by Paltrow’s defense team. The actress hotly disputed who caused the crash in the first place. She claimed Sanderson skied directly into her back that cold February day and cost her a “half a day of skiing” and time with her family.
In March, after just two hours and 20 minutes of deliberation, at least six jurors agreed with the actress’ version of events – finding that Sanderson was 100 percent at fault for the crash. The verdict was a clean sweep for Paltrow, who won exactly one dollar in damages.
“I felt that acquiescing to a false claim compromised my integrity,” Paltrow said in a statement following the verdict. “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.”
In her counter lawsuit, Paltrow also requested attorney’s fees – which was not up for jurors to decide.
That issue was shelved by the court during various sidebars away from jurors’ ears during the eight-day-long trial. The court itself was due to decide the merits of the request during a later hearing.
Prior to closing arguments, Holmberg entertained motions for directed verdicts, including a motion by the defense to take the issue of attorney’s fees off the table entirely. The court demurred on Sanderson’s request for a directed verdict on attorney’s fees, which are limited to bad faith claims under Utah law.
Who would have won that battle, had it occurred, will remain open question.
During the nearly two-week-long trial, jurors heard from an eyewitness to the crash who claimed Paltrow was at fault. A ski instructor working for Paltrow’s family that day — who admittedly did not see the crash and was named a defendant in the original lawsuit – put the blame on Sanderson. Various medical experts testified about the plaintiff’s physical and mental health before and after the crash. Jurors also patiently sat through hours of physics equations about force and velocity by experts with dueling maths.
More Law&Crime coverage: Gwyneth Paltrow ski crash trial ends with emotional closing arguments and defense attorney complaining about actress being ‘lumped in with other celebrities’
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Gwyneth Paltrow, Terry Sanderson drop attorney’s fees issue