8 bombshells from Gwyneth Paltrow Ski Crash Documentary after explosive lawsuit
Gwyneth Paltrow's legal battle with retired optometrist Terry Sanderson had fans gripped across the world, after he accused her of injuring him in a ski crash.
Retired optometrist Sanderson alleged Paltrow skied "out of control" and hit him at Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah, in 2016. The eight-day trial took place in March this year and saw jurors return a verdict in favour of Paltrow, who was awarded compensatory damages of one dollar.
Now, the explosive trial is laid bare in a brand new documentary available to stream on Discovery+. Gwyneth vs Terry: The Ski Crash Trial features a juror from the trial and key witnesses and promises to provide the inside story of the case. Here, we've taken a look at some of the biggest bombshells in the documentary.
Paltrow's lawyers were 'absolutely vicious'
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Gwyneth Paltrow and Terry Sanderson went head-to-head in court (AP)Gwyneth Paltrow had a team of lawyers behind her who helped her secure a victory in the lawsuit. Journalist Daniel Bates claims it seemed unfair from the off, explaining: "She’s got this massive fortune through GOOP, her luxury wellness brand. It didn’t seem like a fair fight."
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He added: "Terry Sanderson wasn’t able to hire a crack medical malpractice team. Gwyneth Paltrow’s lawyers were absolutely vicious." Bates also suggested Paltrow had other advantages over Sanderson.
"She knew it was being televised. She's been in front of a camera before, she understands how it works." Sanderson's ex-partner Karlene Davidson also believes it was an unfair trial from the beginning.
Despite the Court's efforts to screen jurors for bias, she believes: "The jury had to be slanted in their opinions. They were skiers and part of the Deer Valley community. Park City didn’t want to lose their celebrity status of stars coming."
However, personal injury attorney Ruth Shapiro disagreed. Speaking in the documentary, she said: "It's not a relaxing situation to be in a court before jury, no matter if you’re a Golden Globe or Academy Award winner, it's still nerve-racking."
Sanderson lived a 'completely different life' after the crash
Sanderson was 'outgoing' before the crash (AP)Neuropsychologist Dr Alina Fong testified at the trial. She explained to the court that her first meeting with Mr Sanderson came in 2017 and said he presented "a myriad" of symptoms indicative of having suffered a concussion.
"According to Terry’s report, these were quite significantly affecting his life," Dr Fong told the court. "It was affecting his personal life, his relationships. It affected him on so many levels, especially for someone who was used to loving life."
In the knew documentary, Bates went further. The journalist said: "Terry Sanderson's allegation was that, essentially, his accident was an inflection point in his life, before he was outgoing, he was sociable. Afterwards, he described it as living a completely different life."
Sanderson's ex-partner blames the trial for their split
Sanderson spoke about his relationship during the trial (Getty Images)During the trial, Sanderson broke down in tears as he recalled splitting from his partner in the aftermath of the ski crash. He told the court he "had to tell her to leave" and added: "I knew she didn't buy into this."
Sanderson told the court: "I said I'm not sure I'm going to get to back to normal again and I don't want you to feel that I'm a crippled vet and you're going to stick it out with me, because I know you would. But don't do it - you need your life. You run right now."
Speaking in the documentary, Davidson admitted she blamed the crash for the end of their romance. She said: "He pulled away and pushed me away to almost save me from having to deal with whatever was going on with him. I didn't want that relationship to end; I could've stayed with the man that I adored."
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Trial 'took a toll' on Paltrow
Paltrow wanted to put her family first (Getty Images)During the trial, Paltrow's children Apple and Moses were called to testify. They had been skiing with their mum on the day of the collision.
In her statement, which was read out by legal teams, Apple said she heard a "commotion" on the slope before skiing down for lunch. "[My mother] told us what happened… She came in and I noticed she looked a bit shocked, and I asked what happened and she said 'this a-hole ran into me, he ran right into my back'.
"She was in a state of shock and she decided after that she was not going to ski for the rest of the day which she never does, she always stays on, but she was in shock and a bit of pain," Apple said. Bates said the trial must have taken a toll on Paltrow as she has always tried to keep her family out of the spotlight.
"Her priorities have been family, GOOP, and you see that from her posts on Instagram. I think for her it's more important to be there, be a mum, be around her kids, and not necessarily be a 'walking the red carpet' celebrity," he explained.
Sanderson 'became like an old man' after the accident
Sanderson's life was changed completely (Getty Images)The impact the crash had on Sanderson was life-changing. His ex-partner explained in the documentary: "He became like an old man, he didn't want to do anything anymore, he felt like he wasn't capable or just didn't feel good about it. His joy was gone."
The jury began to swing toward Paltrow when her lawyer, Stephen Owens, revealed shocking evidence that suggested Sanderson's life wasn't falling apart. Court reporter Julia Jenae explained: "Owens has pictures of Terry on trips from all of these different countries, and he was able to show him happy and enjoying himself.
"The picture that was painted, this man that was unable to travel, unable to function, didn't have friends, yet he's travelling the world; it didn’t add up." However, Sanderson’s neurologist Alina Fong testified that he travelled on her advice as part of his recovery.
Sanderson was 'hurt more than he was letting on'
He tried to hide his pain (Getty Images)When Sanderson was involved in the crash, Davidson said he explained to her what had happened, but she believes he wasn't being honest about how much pain he was in. "He just said, 'I had been hit on the hill', he was definitely hurt more than he was letting on," she said in the documentary.
Paltrow was 'sympathetic' towards Sanderson
Paltrow didn't dismiss Sanderson's injuries (Getty Images)Throughout the trial, Paltrow insisted she wasn't to blame for the collision. Juror Samantha Imrie said the actress was, however, sympathetic towards Sanderson.
"Gwyneth Paltrow did not seem dismissive to Terry's injuries, or anything caused by the accident, however, she was very clear that this accident was not her fault," she explained. Indeed, Paltrow wished Sanderson well after the trial.
A now iconic picture of Paltrow leaning over to Sanderson and whispering to him was released after the verdict was reached. Sanderson later revealed that Paltrow had told him: "I wish you well."
Sanderson 'didn't know' he was hit by Paltrow
Sanderson didn't realise who had hit him (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)After the crash happened, Sanderson called his then-partner Karlene Davidson to tell her what had happened. She has now revealed he didn't know who it was who collided with him when the accident happened.
"At the time he didn't know, I don’t believe he said Gwyneth Paltrow, he didn't know who it was," she explained. "He just said, ‘I had been hit on the hill’, he was definitely hurt more than he was letting on."
Gwyneth vs Terry: The Ski Crash Trial is available to stream now exclusively on Discovery+
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