Overview

Gwyneth Paltrow Ski Collision Trial refers to the trial of actress and Goop founder Gwyneth Paltrow vs. Terry Sanderson, a 76-year-old man who alleges that Paltrow broke his ribs and gave him a concussion as the result of a skiing accident at a Utah ski resort in 2016, where Paltrow allegedly collided with Sanderson. According to Sanderson, Paltrow left him injured on the mountain and did not call for help. Paltrow believes that Sanderson crashed into her from behind. The filing of the lawsuit was reported in 2019 and the trial began in March 2023, which was livestreamed on YouTube, resulting in online reactions, memes and conjectures similar to the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard trial. Paltrow counter-sued Sanderson for a "symbolic $1" and attorney's fees. Some believed Sanderson only filed the lawsuit because Paltrow is famous and wealthy. On March 30th, Paltrow was found not guilty.

Background

On January 30th, 2019, The Guardian^[1] reported that Salt Lake City, Utah resident Terry Sanderson, a 76-year-old optometrist, filed a lawsuit against actress Gwyneth Paltrow and Deer Valley Resort in Utah in relation to a February 26th, 2016 skiing accident that took place at the resort. According to the report, Sanderson alleges that, while on a beginner run, he heard a scream, then Paltrow crashed into his back "between his shoulder blades," which knocked him unconscious. A witness and relative of Sanderson, Craig Ramon, backed up the story.

The Washington Post^[2] also reported on the story that day, quoting Sanderson as claiming he had "serious brain injuries" and four broken ribs as a result of the crash. He was also quoted as saying "my brain felt like I’d been injected with novocaine" after he regained consciousness on the mountain. He claims that a ski instructor, Ramon, helped him up. Reportedly, Paltrow got back on her feet and skied away down the mountain. According to the lawsuit, Sanderson suffered a closed brain injury that includes symptoms like short-term memory loss and skiing away broke the National Ski Area Association’s Responsibility Code, which claims you must stay in control and be able to stop your skis to avoid crashes.

Paltrow reportedly denied the claims, acknowledging that the crash happened but claiming that Sanderson hit her, as she was downhill from him. The report claims that it took three years to file the lawsuit because Sanderson "dragged his feet, ran into problems with previous attorneys and was dealing with the inability to function properly because of the concussion." The lawsuit seeks $3.1 million in damages resulting from the accident. Paltrow is counter-suing for a "symbolic $1" and attorney's fees.^[15]

Developments

2023 Trial Day One

On March 21st, 2023, the trial of Sanderson vs. Paltrow began. The first, eight-hour day was livestreamed on the Law&Crime Network YouTube^[3] channel, garnering over 277,000 views in eight days. The next day, the channel uploaded a highlight reel and summary of the first day, garnering over 698,000 views in eight days (shown below)

Several highlights from the first day were also uploaded by the channel, including testimony from witness Craig Ramon who described the alleged crash (shown below, left) and footage of Paltrow's lawyer explaining with the lawsuit is "BS," garnering over 325,000 and 24,000 views respectively in eight days (shown below, left and right).

Trial Days Two and Three

On March 22nd and 23rd, 2023, the second and third days of the trial were livestreamed on the Law&Crime Network YouTube^[4][5] channel. On March 22nd, the YouTube^[6] channel uploaded a highlight showing testimony from Sanderson's doctor where he claims that based on x-rays, it appears as though Paltrow did hit Sanderson. On March 23rd, BBC^[7] reported that Sanderson's mood "deteriorated after the accident. That day, the NBC News YouTube^[8] channel uploaded footage of Paltrow's lawyer asking Sanderson's daughter what happened to allegedly missing emails and GoPro footage of the crash, which he calls the "most important piece of evidence," to which she responds that it's, "somewhere out there in the cybersphere" (shown below).

Trial Days Four and Five

On March 24th and 27th, 2023, the fourth and fifth days of the trial were livestreamed by the Law&Crime Network YouTube^[9][10] channel. On the 24th, Paltrow testified, where she claimed that the crash was not her fault and that Sanderson crashed into her back. The Law&Crime Network YouTube channel uploaded a video going over the most important moments from her testimony, including Paltrow claiming she wasn't aware of the "rule of common decency" where you have to stay with an injured skier and share contact information (shown below, left). She also explains how when she was allegedly crashed into, she thought she might have been sexually assaulted by a man due to the weight and grunts.

Sanderson was also cross-examined that day, where he was asked about alleged contradictions in his story, discussed the changes in his mental state since the alleged injury and cried while discussing how his relationship with his daughters changed after the injuries. A highlight reel was uploaded on March 28th (shown below, right).

Trial Day Six

On March 28th, 2023, the sixth day of the trial was livestreamed by the Law&Crime Network YouTube^[11] channel. That day, FOX News^[12] reported on a moment from the trial where a biomechanical engineer claimed that Paltrow's version of the story "matches the laws of physics" (clip shown below, left) An animation was also shown to the court that played out the alleged details of the crash based on Paltrow's story (shown below, right).

Trial Day Seven

On March 29th, 2023, the seventh day of the trial was livestreamed on the Law&Crime Network YouTube^[13] channel. Several highlights were uploaded to the channel as the day went on, including footage of Platrow's lawyer pushing to dismiss the case^[14] and testimony from a neuroradiologist who claims Sanderson had brain injuries prior to the alleged accident (shown below).

Verdict

On March 30th, 2023, the last day of the trial was livestreamed on the Law&Crime Network YouTube^[21] channel. The jury found that Gwyneth Paltrow was not at fault^[22] over the ski collision with Terry Sanderson, awarding her the $1 counter-sued and attorney's fees.

Online Reactions

Reactions to the lawsuit began after it was announced in 2019. A clip of Stephen Colbert reacting to the news during his show was uploaded to YouTube^[16] in February 2019, garnering over 700,000 views in four years. As the trial went on throughout March 2023, clips from it began going viral online, most of them comedic. For example, on March 24th, 2023, Twitter^[17] user @stevemorris__ started a thread sharing clips from the trial, writing, "This trial is so absurd" (shown below). Clips include Paltrow bantering about her height and Paltrow saying she "lost half a day of skiing" due to the accident. In an extended version of that same clip, the prosecutor asks Paltrow if she's friends with Taylor Swift.^[20]

This trial is fully an Adderall talking to a Xanax pic.twitter.com/R3DP1Wic41

— Steve Morris (@stevemorris__) March 24, 2023

On March 26th, 2023, Twitter^[18] user @sirfrederiq posted a video of someone running down a car with a bus, writing, "Gwyneth Paltrow skiing," garnering over 23,000 likes in three days (shown below). The perceived absurdity of the trial resulted in articles discussing the event's top memes, with GQ^[19] reporting, "Gwyneth Paltrow’s trial is one big meme."

Gwyneth Paltrow skiing https://t.co/I1e4c5ZPG9

— F (@sirfrederiq) March 26, 2023

Meme / Reaction Examples

I Wish You Well

As Gwyneth left the courtroom, she whispered in Sanderson's ears "I wish you well." Twitter page @therecount^[23] posted the moment the actress approaches the skier, garnering 440,900 views and 1,6200 likes in three hours. (seen below)

After a jury finds her not at fault, Gwyneth Paltrow appears to whisper “I wish you well” to Terry Sanderson, the man who sued her over a 2016 ski collision in Utah. pic.twitter.com/8veYt0gQIk

— The Recount (@therecount) March 30, 2023

The moment also became a viral catchphrase on social media, as users commented on the actress's attitude throughout the trial. For instance, Twitter user @TomZohar^[24] posted the Chef Slowik Whispering to Tyler meme to represent what Gwyneth's last words to Sanderson felt like to him. The post (seen below) received 8,900 likes and 550 retweets in three hours.

Search Interest

External References