A legal expert has weighed in on why he believes Gwyneth Paltrow won her ski crash lawsuit.
The 50-year-old had been in court for the past two weeks after 76-year-old optometrist Dr. Terry Sanderson sued Paltrow for $300,000, claiming he was left with four broken ribs and a brain injury after the two collided on a ski slope at the Deer Valley Resort in Utah in 2016. Sanderson was originally seeking $3 million, but this was dismissed by a judge.
Sanderson and Paltrow had both been vacationing at the Utah resort when an allegedly "out of control" Paltrow "bolted" down the slope and crashed into him. According to the lawsuit, obtained by Sky News, the Goop founder flew down the ski slope, "knocking [Sanderson] down hard, knocking him out, and causing a brain injury, four broken ribs and other serious injuries [...] Paltrow got up, turned and skied away, leaving Sanderson stunned, lying in the snow".
As a result of the incident, Sanderson and his legal team claimed that he has been left with brain damage, causing him to experience regular concussions and changes to his mood and personality. Paltrow countersued Sanderson for a symbolic $1 (and the cost of legal fees), stating that the collision was the optometrist's fault, not hers, and the jury subsequently found in her favor.
An eight-person jury deliberated for two-and-a-half hours to find Sanderson to be at fault for the collision, meaning that Paltrow was awarded her symbolic $1.
John J. Perlstein, a personal injury and wrongful death lawyer who was not involved in the trial, told People that Paltrow had likely won her countersuit because she had been "very believable."
He revealed that the verdict did not surprise him, saying: "I try a lot of cases and … it just never looked like it was a case. And she came across very, very believable. Her story appeared truthful, and his did not."
Perlstein continued: "Jurors don't like it when they don't believe you, you're never going to succeed. And she seemed very believable.
"Even if it was a coin toss as to what happened, you're on a ski slope, things happen. I don't know why he would bring the case. It never appeared to me, even giving him every benefit, that it appeared to be a case that one should bring.
"You're out doing something athletic, and you run into somebody or something, and that seems to be an expected consequence of your actions. I don't recall reading about anything like this before," he stated.
Following the verdict being read out, Paltrow had whispered in Sanderson's ear that she "wished him well" as she left the courthouse, to which he replied: "Thank you, dear."
