Why was Gwyneth Paltrow questioned about Taylor Swift during skiing trial?

As the fourth day of Gwnyth Paltrow’s highly publicized skiing incident trial continues, the former actress took the stand and was asked an array of interesting questions. Among some of the questions Paltrow was asked, one of them was regarding her relationship with Taylor Swift.

The actress and Goop founder is currently facing trial in a civil lawsuit alleging she crashed into another skier at a Park City, Utah, ski resort in 2016, causing serious injuries to a fellow skier, Terry Anderson. Anderson is now a 76-year-old retired optometrist claiming he has serious injuries after Paltrow left him ‘stunned’ on the ski hill.

One dollar in damages

Paltrow, who denies crashing into the retiree, maintaining he crashed into her, took the stand in court today in Utah. Today, the plaintiff’s attorney Kristin VanOrman asked Paltrow about the single dollar in damages she is asking for if the jury rules in her favor.

Similarly, in 2017 Taylor Swift asked for $1 in damages if jurors ruled in her favor for her trial against the former Colorado radio personality, David Mueller. Mueller was seeking up to $3 million from Swift who was accused of costing Mueller his $150,000 salaried job after accusing him of groping her.

The court ruled in Swift’s favor and her attorney Douglas Baldridge described the one-dollar win as, “a single symbolic dollar, the value of which is immeasurable to all women in this situation.”

Paltrow’s one-dollar damages

On Paltrow was asked about her one dollar request, to which she responded, “It’s an actual dollar that I’m asking for,”

She added that the amount is, “symbolic because the damages would actually be more.”

The plaintiff’s attorney asked if Paltrow had learned about the symbolic amount through Taylor Swift’s previous public groping trial.

“Remember me asking you, is it symbolic and you said yes it is, and I asked you as well, well you learned about that through Taylor Swift, because she asked for $1 in symbolic damages, right?” the attorney asked.

Paltrow replied, “I think I said at that point that I had not been familiar with it but I since am.”

Paltrow’s attorney then objected to the relevance of VanOrman’s point. VanOrman later asked if Paltrow is “good friends” with Swift.

“I would not say we are ‘good friends,’” Paltrow said under oath. “We are friendly. I’ve taken my kids to one of her concerts before, but we don’t talk very often.”

VanOrman also asked whether it is “totally accurate” to describe Paltrow’s request as only a single dollar, as the actress’ countersuit also asks for her attorney’s legal fees to be paid.

Paltrow replied, “So I’m asking for a dollar for me and then reimbursement of attorneys’ fees, which is a separate thing.”

“I took it as I would receive that $1, which is all I am asking for,” she added.