Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Gwyneth Paltrow Ski Crash Trial, Nancy Grace Reacts

Episode Date: March 24, 2023

Actress and businesswoman Gwyneth Paltrow has been sued by Terry Sanderson, a 76-year-old retired optometrist. Sanderson accuses Paltrow of crashing into him on a green ski slope. Green slopes are the beginner courses. Many call them bunny slopes. Paltrow was skiing with her children. Sanderson says the collision caused him lasting injuries and brain damage.  Sanderson also claims Paltrow and her ski instructor left without getting him medical care. Paltrow has filed a countersuit claiming that Sanderson skied into her. The pair have been waiting seven years for their day in court.   Nancy Grace sits down with entertainment attorney Darryl Cohen to discuss the high-profile ski collision trial.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to an iHeart Podcast. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Gwyneth Paltrow. The first thing I would ask her on cross-examination is, did you really still Winona Ryder's role in Shakespeare in Love? There's always been a rumor circulating that Winona Ryder had that part and Gwyneth Paltrow came over and saw the script and contacted, I guess it would have been Weinstein, and she ended up playing the lead role. Is it true? Don't know. But I would like to ask her that on cross-examination.

With me right now is a high-profile lawyer out of the Atlanta jurisdiction, also an entertainment lawyer, Daryl Cohen. Daryl, what do you make of Gwyneth Paltrow taking a $300,000 claim all the way to a trial? Nancy, it's really hard to say. It might be ego. It may be that she doesn't do as well with Goop as she wants to do, and she wants people to see what she's doing. Goop.

Goop is Gwyneth Paltrow's online website, it's valued at around 250 million dollars so what were you saying about it not doing as well as she would want it to value is only in the eyes of the person or persons who want to buy it I'm saying it is possible that it's not doing what it used to do and so therefore she's trying to have more publicity and backdoor. Oh, by the way, I also am the Goop person. Okay. There might be other reasons. I've never actually looked at the items on Goop,

but I hope my daughter never finds out about Goop because this is so expensive well a sex pillow is 95 dollars a tiny little oh my goodness a tiny little spray bottle named psychic vampire repellent spray an aromatic spray for 27 dollars and it's called psychic vampire repellent repellent spray well there goes $27 okay it's just it goes on and on and on a one pair of underwear $37 Okay, here's the vibrator necklace. $149. There's just so much on it. Anyway, for a little jar of face cream, it's like $125. That's a lot of money, in my mind, for face cream.

But that's not what the trial's about. You want to tell us about the trial, or do you want me to do it? As you wish. I'll be glad to pop in. Go. She was... All right. So this is Park City. Here's some chapstick for $48.

Just know you can get it at Dollar Tree for $1. Okay. Sorry. Just had to just lip balm. $40. What did I say, Jackie? $48. That's Park City. lip balm 40 what did i say jackie 48 dollars

okay i'll update you with more important facts as it relates to the geek website but after i see the vibrator necklace you actually wear around your neck um i don't know what could be more disturbing than that but go ahead with the ski crash. All right. So she's at Park City. She's on a green run. She's with her family. She's also with the instructor. And according to her, as she's skiing,

a optometrist who happens to be blind in one eye runs into her. On the other hand, his story is that he was on the green run. Somehow or another, she was looking up the slope, which unless she is Linda Blair on The Exorcist, her neck can't turn all the way around, and that she ran into him. Having said that, he is hurt. He also apparently said, Hey, I'm famous. What a paltrow. So at some point, his four broken ribs. And according to him, he has a brain injury. And according to his friend, he was there and she ran into him. It's really kind of simple and kind of stupid.

Initially park city was the ski slopes were sued. That was dismissed because, Nancy, as we all know, when you ski, there's a disclaimer on that lift ticket saying you are assuming the risk. It's a dangerous sport. Hold on. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. All those disclaimers don't mean a hill of beans. When you buy a ticket at an arcade and your seat goes flying off the Ferris wheel, you can still sue even though your ticket has a disclaimer at the bottom. I think the reason it was dismissed is because there was nothing that was inherently dangerous like a bad design of a ski slope or some obstruction was there that the ski slope knew about owners knew about but didn't fix nothing like that and you do ski at your own risk it was apparently a clear run it was a hill and if you want to strap your feet on two sticks and fly down, that's on you.

But Nancy, it's also a green run. It's not blue. It's not black. It's the simple. It's the beginner run. The baby run. A bunny slope. It's a baby run. I mean, I've got mental pictures of my youngest daughter skiing at the age of three down a bunny slope with her little baby stuffed animals stuffed in her front so she'd be

comfortable it's a baby slope how fast can you go well you can go pretty fast if you're really really good but this makes no sense to me i'm just wondering how much of it's a dichotomy it's a double-edged sword because many people think of her as the star that they love. Many other people think of her as kind of a pseudo-scientific wellness pro because of all her zany things that she sells on her website, which titles itself The Art of Being Well. One of the podcasts associated with her is The Art of Being Well. And just recently, she faced a firestorm when she did a podcast with a holistic wellness doctor who is a chiropractor.

And she was actually hooked up to an IV getting vitamins at the time and said she basically lives off bone broth. She doesn't eat until lunchtime and then has a bowl of bone broth and then vegetables at dinner. That's not a wellness diet. That's a starvation diet. That's a messed wellness diet. That's a starvation diet. That's a messed up diet. Yeah. Just remember the first three letters spelled die and there's a T on the end of it. So you've got people that look at her as kind of a new age Gary Quack and then selling wildly expensive stuff to rich people. And then you've got the other half of the people that think,

oh, I love Gwyneth Paltrow. She's an awesome movie star. So how's that going to work? You're the entertainment lawyer. Well, Nancy, there's something else to take into consideration in my view, and that is she is pandering to the women as best she can. She's a very glamorous person. If you watched her in the

courtroom, she's wearing the perfect amount of heavy makeup that makes it appear she's not wearing any makeup at all. So in my view, she's doing everything she can not to alienate the women. And that's important because women are very difficult for another woman. She is going to be loved because of who she is. She's going to be hated because of who she is. She's trying to be a nobody by sitting at that council table with the appearance of no makeup. So I think this is important, and maybe she wants to get back in the film business

and start doing what she used to do. Harvey Weinstein, who made her, is gone, or else he's incarcerated. So maybe she's trying to get in the eye of those who would hire her to be a multi-million dollar star in her next picture. And I think she's very aware of Amber Heard, by the way, because Amber was so bad during her test, excuse me, during the early part of the trial with the way she looked, the way she was dressed. And Gwyneth is just the opposite, trying to blend in rather than stand out. Apparently she's blending in with a $4,000 coat and $900 boots. But she's making it appear not to be.

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Catch this movie. It's awesome. Go to FoxNation.com now to watch. You know, another facet is this, and I'm not saying she's at fault or is not at fault, because I want to hear her testimony. This is a civil trial. She can choose to take the stand herself as part of her case, or the other side can call her in a civil trial, so I'm suing you. I can call you first witness. Unlike a criminal case where you cannot, the state cannot call the defendant to the stand because of the right to remain silent. They can't even try to because if the defendant chose not to take the stand,

it would be a comment on his right to remain silent. So I'm not coming down one way or the other right now because I don't really know who hit who. The two stories are so wildly divergent. But they're going to need witnesses that are not family members. I understand Gwyneth Paltrow's children may testify or her new husband may testify. It's got to be an independent witness for it to carry any weight in court for either side. But let's think about other celebrity lawsuit targets like Oprah Winfrey. Britney Spears was sued by that creep Sam Lufty.

J-Lo's first husband sued her when she, well, I think it was her first husband. It could have been her second husband. Sued her when she fired him. I think he was a backup singer, dancer. Sued her when she fired him. No, that was the first husband. But then there was another husband. I think there was a, just look it up. Google it. But one husband sued her because she fired him. That doesn't sound like a good lawsuit to me. Jamie Foxx was sued by a bartender who claimed he the bartender could have been a brain surgeon. so celebrities are like lawsuit magnets i never really know if the person is suing them because

of a real claim or because they just think there's a deep pocket daryl cohen my opinion nancy is that she's being sued because she's a deep pocket because as this optometrist retired, though he may be, said, hey, I'm famous. And here's my prediction, by the way. I predict that the jury will find that she is negligent and they will award him a very small amount of money. So kind of split the baby. I think they're going to really sort of split the baby. It's like Shakespeare. Much ado.

I'm saying it's your fault. Now pay him a dollar. Exactly. That's my view. Why do you think that? Because I think those people, they're in part, everybody around Park City is a skier or knows good friends who are skiers. And they know that there's an inherent danger. And some people just get hurt.

There are others like Sonny Bono that lost his head when he went off bounds those things happen sonny bono natasha richardson oh i just had a thought okay what about this i started to say if she gets on the stand it's going to be when she gets on the stand there i agree did you remember how alex murdoch got hammered about lying his lies were substantial and made the difference and live behind bars with no chance of parole or walking free if he had not taken the stand that could have happened what about this if gwyneth paltrow gets on the stand and when the other side, because I wouldn't say plainly for a defendant because I don't know who's going to call her, but then the opposing counsel says, isn't it true that on your website that you endorse, you lie?

And she'll say, no. And he'll say, really? Well, does this candle really smell like your vagina is that true your vagina you're telling this jury your vagina smells like cedarwood that would be a big no i'm just guessing but that's all right yes as well or what if they held up the what was it the spray does this really repel vampires? Have you tested it on a vampire? No. Well, that's what you say on your website, don't you?

I mean, yes, obviously it sells techniques to sell a lot of really expensive. How much are the candles, Jackie? Oh, the vagina candle is $75 for a 10 ounce candle. That's the first thing Jackie said when I walked in the studio today.

You can buy Gwyneth Paltrow's vagina candle for $75. It's also a roll-on perfume, just so you know. But, could that line of questioning happen on cross-exam? Of course it could.

Oh my goodness. And the way that she could deflect it is by being very naive. We're out of here. I'm getting to that cross-exam. Of course it could. And the way that she could deflect it is by being very naive. We're out of here. I'm getting to that cross-examination. She could deflect it, Nancy. How? Yes, because it's sales hype. And you and I, ladies and gentlemen, But then there would be a deadly serious question.

So, that's not a lie because it's sales hype? Well, is this a lie to save your own pocketbook no you can twist that around so easily nancy she can testify she can win an emmy this is not oscar because it's on tv but this is emmy time she could win an emmy by saying and testifying, hey, you know what? I'm so sorry it happened. I really, really am. And I hope he's okay. And I'm sorry that he had broken ribs.

But I didn't do anything to hurt him, not intentionally or otherwise. And it was just something that happened. Hold on. Jackie's waving a sign at me. Terry Sanderson, that's a 76-year-old optometrist, initially sued for $3.1 million. Now it's down to $300,000. Sounds like a fire sale. It's down to $300,000. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace.

Hey, can I tell you something, Daryl? I think a lot of how the jury responds to a person on the stand, as they decide credibility, they're the sole judge of credibility, a lot boils down to do they get a good feeling about the person? Do they like the person? So what I'm trying to say with that is I like Gwyneth Paltrow. I'm giving her a hard time right now, but I like her. Not necessarily for any role she's ever had. Certainly not for Goop and her $75 vagina candle and the other outrageously expensive stuff she sells.

But I like her because she's close to her mother and father. Her father's passed away. But I always see pictures of her with her mom and before her father's death with her dad. And she seems like she loves her mother and takes care of her mother and reveres her mother. And I like that about her. Have you ever noticed all these Hollywood actors, they hate their, if my husband had hated his mother, I wouldn't have touched him with a 10-foot pole. Another thing I like about her, although I think she's carried it a little too far. Remember that time she said, I'd rather do crack than eat cheese whiz? Cheese in a bottle or cheese in a can or something like that.

She has a really strict food regimen for her children. Well, from what is published, you can't really believe any of that, she has a very strict regimen they follow, but it's all for their health. So she's also trying to be a very good mother. That really impresses me, because you know she's like running like crazy between acting gigs, if she's still acting, and her wildly popular

goop site. And she's in the second marriage and she's trying to raise these children. They're teens now. But that means a lot to me that she cares about her children. It would mean a lot to me. It does mean a lot to me. I don't necessarily agree with that type of diet because I think a child without candy from time to time is an unhappy child. But wait a minute. The other side of that coin is, and you guys are going to love this in the studio. I'm sorry, Sidney.

Is that the first husband, who I really think is great, it's Chris Martin from Coldplay. He apparently takes them out for junk food and hot dogs and all that. I guess they get the best

of both worlds. So don't worry too much about their diet. Okay. I'll worry. so can i get your um your wager right now not that i would ever bet on the outcome of a trial that would be wrong go ahead if i were a betting person which i am not but i'm a predicting person i predict that the jury will find in favor of this optometrist and give him a very small amount of money, a very small award. And I guess she'll go out and celebrate with a bowl of bone broth. Or two. Or two. She might get crazy. Would she dare have a crust of bread with it? I don't

know. I'm just going to stick with the bone broth theory. I don't know because I can't make a even a guesstimate right now because she is going to be very, very convincing. I think he is convincing. So again, it boils down to my initial analysis. They've got to have not just family members but independent witnesses and i think that will carry the day no disagreement here none at all you remember in the murdoch trial murdoch would not do anything his lawyers advised him remember yeah i remember many of those things i remember murdoch trial remember talked remember Tex MacGyver trial. I remember all these trials when the lawyers knew nothing and the defendants knew it all. Exactly.

Look what happened. Do you believe that Gwyneth Paltrow will do, I mean, she may very well be smarter than her lawyers. Do you believe she'll do what they want her to do? Nancy, I think she will because I think there have been focus groups that she's spent money on, and they will tell her collectively what they think she should or should not do, how she should or should not do, how she should or should not dress. And I think the fact that the way she's dressing, expensive or not, it doesn't look outlandish. Her makeup, expensive or not, makes it look like she's not wearing makeup. I think she is pandering to what her focus groups and her lawyers are telling her. And that's what I think will win the day for her, or at least not let her lose the day.

Well, let me ask you this. If you're going to spend all that money for a focus group, and you're paying out the yin-yang for a fleet of lawyers, why not just reach a settlement? Because I cannot admit that I'm wrong. I cannot, for my own sake, for my kids' sake, for my family, for my husband, my ex-husband, I cannot admit that I, Gwyneth Paltrow, made a mistake. I have never made a mistake. I've just made a wrong turn here or there. And maybe that's what happened. Permanent brain damage?

Really? You think you got permanent brain damage? That's a little hard to buy. If you're skiing and you're racing and you have a wreck or somebody smashes into you, I buy it here. Very, very difficult for me to even lease much of this bike. Tell me about Park City. For people that haven't skied there,

tell me about Park City. I've never been to Park City. Tell me about it. All right. Well, let me tell you a story about Deer Valley. Oh, dear. Because Deer Valley is the creme de la creme de la creme. I was at the airport at Salt Lake.

I don't know what you mean by that. You mean a bunch of rich people skiing? It's the most expensive of the expensive of the expensive. And there are tissues everywhere. There are helpers everywhere. I'm surprised they actually don't ski for you rather than let you put yourself in danger. But Deer Valley is very expensive and very high end. And it's a cool place.

Isn't that where there is the Sundance Film Festival? I'm not sure, to be honest with you, off the top of my head. I'll just go ahead and tell you. Yes, go ahead and tell you uh yes go ahead so i'm at salt lake airport and i see this poor man carrying five six suitcases pushing them along and i walked up to him and there was a woman with him and i said let me guess four of those five suitcases belong to the young lady that's with you and he goes how did you know but that's park city you've got to wear your wealth and let people know what you have that's deer valley at park city the

rest of park city is very expensive very nice and people spend a lot of money and there's a lot of really good skiing there's ski in ski out there's some saint regis is there hyatt centric there's all the slopes it's a great place to ski and it's very very overpriced but people want to spend the money they want to be there they want to see bc and ski and it's fun and there's a lot of food to be eaten downtown at night from really good restaurants. Okay, please, before we start the restaurant review, back to the courtroom. Sanderson claims Paltrow was skiing behind him. That means he had the right of way. I've done very little skiing, but I do know that much.

His lawyers say Paltrow heard one of her children say, Mommy, watch me ski, and she turned, and as she turned, she skis into the back of Terry Sanderson, leaving him, the retiree, face down in the snow, unconscious. He claims Paltrow took off bolting down the mountain as Sanderson began to stir, complaining his ribs hurt. He claims he went to the ER with a concussion and four broken ribs. Eh, that's his claim. You know, Nancy, it's one of these things, even if she hit him, how fast did she hit him?

Is it possible he broke his ribs? I'm sure he did. He will have medical records to show that. But they might have been ready to be broken. It might be just the angle at which they collided. She may not have hit him. He may not have hit her. They may have just collided together.

You're right. In collusion. Now, listen to this. So far, I'm down with the story, but listen to this. Before the crash, Terry was an outgoing, charming, gregarious person. But after the crash, he's no longer charming. That's not a claim under the law that you lost your charm. I was listening to that, and I was listening to the opening statement and watching the opening statement of his lawyer. This lawyer acted as if he was just given the case

by reading from a notebook during opening statement. And I'm thinking he's lived with this case for years. He can't do this extemporaneously? Really? So he was not impressive to me at all. You mean Sanderson's lawyer? I absolutely mean Sanderson's lawyer. Now, her defense team argues back that it was all Sanderson's fault that he crashed into her and that she was struck so suddenly

that she thought she was being assaulted and that one of the first things she saw when she fell were the skis coming up between her legs from behind. So they can't both be telling the truth that they both came from behind and skied into each other. Somebody is lying. No one is saying we just collided, which would have made sense, what you were just saying, Daryl Cohen. Well, we're waiting to find out if and when. Well, there's not an if.

She will take the stand. Paltrow will take the stand. And we'll see where it heads. You know, sadly, you and I fell into the same pit. We started talking about what she was wearing to court as opposed to the merits of the case. But let me just say there are some real wackadoodles that are comparing her glasses to Jeffrey Dahmer's aviator type glasses. That's just one little tidbit to throw in there. But now that they've said it,

I will say they do bear a striking similarity to Dahmer's glasses. Okay, with that, I'm leaving. No more fashion review before Daryl Cohen gets into a restaurant review of the outrageously expensive restaurants in Park City. Goodbye, Daryl Cohen, entertainment lawyer. Bye, Nance, my buddy.

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