In February 2016, Gwyneth Paltrow, Hollywood actor and Goop CEO was accused of colliding with retired optometrist Terry Sanderson, 76, on a ski hill at the Deer Valley resort in Park City, Utah.

Gwyneth Paltrow arrived at a Park City courthouse on Tuesday for the start of her trial in connection with this skiing accident in Utah in 2016.

Gwyneth Paltrow Ski Collision Case: 10 things to know about the trial

1. The trial began in a courtroom in Park City, Utah, on Tuesday as lawyers swapped opening remarks that focused on skiing etiquette and the impact that Paltrow’s fame may have played.

2. The trial is being aired live on YouTube.

3. While the trial is set to last for 8 days, one of Paltrow’s attorneys, Stephen W. Owens, stated that the trial would run around two weeks.

4. Sanderson, a retired optometrist, filed the complaint three years after the mountainside incident. He sued Paltrow with several claims.

5. He claimed that the collision left him with a brain injury, four fractured ribs, and mental trauma. He reportedly claimed Paltrow left the scene without providing him with her name, contact information or calling for assistance.

6. Paltrow lodged a countersuit against Sanderson, claiming that he skied into her. In it, she described the events of the day, blaming him for the accident. She recalled him being uphill from her and her family when he abruptly smashed into her back, giving a ‘full body hit.’ Paltrow stated that she was upset with Sanderson, and he apologised.

7. Her attorneys stated that a GoPro footage of the collision had disappeared since then.

8. According to documents given by Paltrow’s lawyers, on February 26, 2016, the actor was taking ski lessons while vacationing with her family.

9. Sanderson sought 3.1 million dollars in damages in an earlier understanding of the lawsuit. However, in May 2022, Third District Judge Kent Holmberg rejected part of Sanderson’s claims against Paltrow, stating that it was not a ‘hit-and-run ski collision.’  The 76-year-old is now demanding 300,000 dollars in damages.

10. Paltrow, her now-husband Brad Falchuk, her children Moses, 16, and Apple, 18, as well as 20 other witnesses, including physicians and ski instructors, are set to testify in the case.

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