Gwyneth Paltrow is gearing up for court for a 2016 ski accident

Gwyneth Paltrow is set to make an appearance in court beginning on Tuesday. The ‘Royal Tenenbaum’ actress is being sued for her alleged role in crashing into a man while skiing in 2016 and fleeing the scene.

Paltrow will stand trial at the District Court in Park City, Utah for at least eight days and comes four years after Terry Sanderson, the man that she allegedly hit, filed a lawsuit against her in January 2019. A month after, Paltrow responded with a countersuit.

Both claim they were hit by the other

The lawsuits both refer to an incident that took place at the Deer Valley Resort in Park City in February 2016, where Sanderson, 76, a retired optometrist, claims that Paltrow ran into him from behind while skiing down the resort’s beginner-friendly slope with an instructor.

Sanderson insists that Paltrow slammed into him with such force that he has since suffered from “permanent traumatic brain injury, four broken ribs, pain, suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, emotional distress and disfigurement,” according to reporting by Law & Crime.

“Paltrow got up, turned and skied away, leaving Sanderson stunned, lying in the snow, seriously injured,” Sanderson’s original complaint stated.

“A Deer Valley ski instructor, who had been training Ms. Paltrow, but who did not see the crash, skied over, saw the injured Sanderson, and skied off, falsely accusing Sanderson of having caused the crash.” Sanderson has referred to the incident as a “hit and run”.

The ski instructor, Eric Christiansen was initially involved in the lawsuits but was removed when the judge decided to limit the argument about who crashed into who to be between Paltrow and Sanderson only.

The countersuit claims that the doctor is the one who ran into Paltrow and that he apologized after the crash, and she was able to leave the scene with minor injuries. Paltrow’s countersuit also points out that Sanderson himself has admitted that he does not have a clear memory about the day in question.

Paltrow has since insisted that her instructor did see the crash, and has accused Sanderson of attempting to “exploit her celebrity and wealth.”

What does the lawsuit entail?

Sanderson was initially suing Paltrow for $3.1 million, but the amount has since been reduced to $300,000. Paltrow on the other hand is only seeking one single dollar in damages to cover her legal fees.