Law&Crime Sidebar - Top 11 Moments from Testimony of Man Suing Gwyneth Paltrow

Episode Date: March 28, 2023

The man suing Gwyneth Paltrow for allegedly crashing into him during a ski run in February 2016 took the stand Monday and testified against the famed actress. Terry Sanderson claimed he suffered numerous health issues since the collision, blaming Paltrow for the injuries he suffered that day. Paltrow claims otherwise, saying Sanderson was at fault and hit her from behind. The Law&Crime Network’s Jesse Weber breaks down the top eleven moments from the skier’s testimony.PLEASE SUPPORT THE SHOW:Save 10% on your entire POM Pepper Spray order by using code LAWCRIME10 at http://bit.ly/3IGNFxvLAW&CRIME SIDEBAR PRODUCTION:YouTube Management - Bobby SzokePodcasting - Sam GoldbergWriting & Video Editing - Michael DeiningerGuest Booking - Alyssa FisherSocial Media Management - Vanessa Bein & Kiera BronsonSUBSCRIBE TO OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Court JunkieObjectionsThey Walk Among AmericaCoptales and CocktailsThe Disturbing TruthSpeaking FreelyLAW&CRIME NETWORK SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawandcrime/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LawCrimeNetworkFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawandcrimeTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lawandcrimenetworkTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawandcrimeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can binge all episodes of this Law and Crimes series ad-free right now. Join Wondry Plus in the Wondery app Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Agent Nate Russo returns in Oracle 3, Murder at the Grandview, the latest installment of the gripping Audible Original series. When a reunion at an abandoned island hotel turns deadly, Russo must untangle accident from murder. But beware, something sinister lurks in the grand. View Shadows. Joshua Jackson delivers a bone-chilling performance in this supernatural thriller that

will keep you on the edge of your seat. Don't let your fears take hold of you as you dive into this addictive series. Love thrillers with a paranormal twist? The entire Oracle trilogy is available on Audible. Listen now on Audible. We heard from Gwyneth Paltrow. Now it's time to hear from the man suing her, Terry Sanderson, as he testifies that the actress and entrepreneur knocked him down on a ski slope and changed his life forever. We break down some of the major moments from his testimony. Welcome to Sidebar, presented by Law and Crime. I'm Jesse Weber. I have covered a lot of stories at Law and Crime, but if there's one thing I can tell you throughout all of them is that you have to stay safe. And that is where Palm Pepper Spray can really help you.

This is a discreet but powerful personal defense tool. Palm Pepper Spray shoots up to 12 feet using the strongest legal formula of pepper spray. It's super safe, easy to use, ready to fire. All you got to do is just point and spray. The best part, we got a promo code for you. You can save 10% by using code law crime 10 at palmpeper spray.com. And always remember to call 911 if you see somebody in trouble. Gwyneth Paltrow's civil trial has taken another turn.

The plaintiff in this case, Terry Sanderson, the man suing the actress and entrepreneur for a ski crash collision, has taken the stand. This comes after Paltrow herself testified last week and adamantly said that she was not responsible for what happened and that Sanderson slammed into her from behind. Now, this all stems from an incident in 2016 at Deer Valley Resort in Utah where the two were skiing. They each claim that they were the downhill skier, which is important because under ski rules, the downhill skier has the right of way. uphill skiers have a responsibility to look out for the skiers that are in front of them. Sanderson claims that Paltrow was distracted, that she wasn't looking in front of her.

and that is when she allegedly rammed into him. Sanderson ended up filing a lawsuit against Paltrow, claiming that he suffered severe injuries from the collision, such as four broken ribs and a concussion. He's suing for an excess of $300,000, while Paltrow filed a countersuit, claiming that Sanderson ran into her. And she didn't counter sue for millions of dollars.

No, she countersued for just $1. A little bit of symbolic damages there. She also wants to be reimbursed for her attorney's fees, which can be quite costly. But this is a classic kudanit case. This is a classic, his word against hers. This is a negligence case. Did either Paltrow or Sanderson fail to act as a reasonable skier would under those circumstances?

So his team calls him to the stand. This is what we expected. It's his turn to tell his side of the story. But they first addressed why he hasn't been in the courtroom during most of the proceedings. Terry, did you want to be here the last four days last week inside the courtroom? I love spending time with my daughters and have them hear what they had to say but in this case

I didn't want to be here because I wanted them to speak totally freely and without discomfort being in my presence if they had something to say. Is that why you weren't here? Absolutely, yes. It's interesting he said that because the reporting indicated

and what we were under the impression initially was that he didn't want to be there because of his medical issues, right? So we believed he was wasn't there because it might have been triggering for him to hear a description of these events once again. After all, this is a mental health related case. Mental health is going to be a central focus of this and as you're going to see. So it was interesting for him to say that he didn't want his to be there to cloud his daughter's testimony. He wanted them to speak freely. And arguably,

maybe they did because the main point of their testimony was ever since the crash with Gwyneth Paltrow, Terry Sanderson, their father, has not been the same man. He has changed. dramatically. So let's actually get into the crash itself. You remember Paltrow's version of events that someone came at her from behind as she was skiing? Well, here is what Sanderson said happened. I just remember everything was great and then I heard something I've never heard at a ski resort and that was a blood-curdling scream. Just I can't do it. It was and then boom and

it was like somebody was out of control and going to hit a tree and was going to die and that's what I had until I was hit that's what was going on in your mind overruled

I got hit in my back so hard and I'm right at my shoulder blades and it felt like and was perfectly centered and the fists and the poles were right there at the bottom of my shoulder blades. Serious, serious smack. Never been hit that hard, and I'm flying. I'm absolutely flying.

Now, you're not airborne. Well, all I saw was a whole lot of snow, and I didn't see the sky. But I was flying in that sense. I had no control. Everything's black. Did the person who struck you land on top of you? I wouldn't know that. I absolutely would not know that.

I was just surprised. I had no upper body strength enough to be able to catch myself. I had no idea. Do you remember hitting your head on the ground? No, that part. Nope, that's all gone. So he says he is slammed from behind, alluding to Paltrow being out of control and hitting him and screaming wildly.

And he gets into this very vivid detail of what happened. But remember, he also suggests he was knocked out cold. Now, could this very well have happened the way that he says? Sure. And sometimes people remember trauma very clearly. But obviously, there are going to be issues of how he remembers this if he was knocked unconscious and he has brain injuries. Is he remembering this as accurately as he thinks? That's going to be a central question for the jury because he, like Gwyneth Paltrow, is adamant about what happened.

Terry, did you cause the ski collision with Mrs. Paltrow? Absolutely not. I swear to my God and my family and my other father in heaven, it's like, no, no, I did not. Okay, so after Sanderson claims that Paltrow knocked into him, he then argues a man named Eric Christensen, the ski instructor that was part of Paltrow's group. He was actually working with Paltrow's son Moses that day on the slopes. he says he comes over and not only does this man not help him but sanderson claims that christiansen was yelling at him did you know who he was i had no idea no idea it was just a very angry person trying to bully me into believing something that i didn't think could happen was i heard a

woman's voice right again couldn't move and about the third time he went through that and it's getting louder, and I started to understand what he was saying, and he was really insistent that I was doing something wrong and hit somebody. And I remember in desperation because I couldn't move anything, I couldn't fight, I couldn't fly, who's going to try? And I tried moving something, and I could move my skis a little bit. I could just feel just below my knee. I could just slide my skis a little bit.

And that's an important point. My skis are still on. They're still on. And I'm thinking, I've got to placate this guy. He's really mad. If he decided he wanted to jump on me right now, he could finish me off. So I remember, I remember saying, I'm sorry

I'm sorry twice I know I am because that's what I heard nothing was coming out my lips were moving my tongue was moving there was nothing coming out of my mouth and my heart rate went up again okay and it looked like what you were

mouthing was I'm sorry I'm sorry and I was just going I can't believe it I thought try again I'm sorry nothing was coming out and to me I heard nothing When you kind of mumbled, whispered, whatever you want to call it, I'm sorry, was that you apologizing for causing the accident? No, absolutely not.

I was trying to placate this man in the only defensive matter that I could. Christensen would categorically deny doing this when he took the stand later on in the day, said he didn't yell at anybody. That's interesting because originally Sanderson sued Deer Valley and Christensen, partly for emotional distress. The idea was, hey, I just got violently hit and no one, neither Paltrow nor Christensen nor anybody else gave me help. So I'm in there on the snow, injured. This is a very distressing situation. He even alleged that Christensen tried to cover up for Paltrow by filing a false report of what happened. Very serious allegations there. The judge ultimately threw that

claim out. It was determined this was not a hit and run type case, but just purely a negligence case. Well, from here, Sanderson testified how he was informed that the person he collided with was, in fact, Gwyneth Paltrow. He claims he wasn't into celebrity worship, but he did end up having to address a very controversial email that he sent to his daughters hours after the crash that read, I'm famous. Now, the idea here is, what a weird thing to write. Are you only going after Gwyneth Paltrow because she's a celebrity? Are you only going after for the money grab? Were you really hurt? Did you cause the crash?

Well, here's Sanderson explaining this email. And the subject said, I'm famous. Do you see that? I do. Why did you write I'm famous? You know, again, my head was scrambled. All I was trying to do is desperately communicate with my kids before they heard from somebody else I got crushed.

So I didn't pick my words well. not at all how I felt and I really was trying to add a little levity to a serious situation and it backfired little did I know that this is where to be well that's certainly an explanation we're going to have to see if the jury believes that but now I do want to get into when Sanderson talks about what he suffered as a result of the crash and this is important particularly for the purposes of damages right what harm did the plaintiff suffer and he talks about that he's not the same person and that he even had to break up with his girlfriend as a result of what happened. I can't ski anymore. I was told that if I did and had another crash, that I could wind up

full time, full time in a nursing home. I'm a much more careful person. I don't take any risks and more brain damage. And I'm not sure I understand. your question. Have you had any kinds of balance issues or headaches? Of course, initially, that was just, my life was living in an orange chair sitting there initially and sleep for 12 hours and then sit for half an hour and tell Carlene I got to go back to bed. But to be fair, it's not like that anymore. No, it's not. Upside down and backwards. Communication just feels like I I can't connect. And so I keep trying, desperately trying. And personality changes is not something.

I just know it's different. Things are weird. You ever get lost? Oh, my gosh. That was among the first signs when I tried to get out. Let's talk about Carleen. We heard her testify last week. She's a catch. Why'd you let her go? In my choice, I would have, but I had it, after eight months, I had to tell her to leave. I said, I'm not asking now, I'm telling me you got to leave. And I, I, why'd you tell her to leave? I knew she didn't buy into this.

She didn't buy in to me not being the same person and coming into her relationship. And I said, I'm not sure I'm going to. wouldn't get to back to normal again. And I don't want you to feel like you're, that I'm a crippled bet and you're going to stick it out with me because I know you would, half a brain or whatever. I know you would, but don't do it.

You need your life. You run right now. And look, that's important because what has the jury heard so far? They've heard medical experts who testified about the severity of his injuries. And in fact, at least one expert said these injuries could have only been caused by Sanderson being hit by somebody. Not him just colliding with Paltrow, but him being hit. So Terry Sanderson takes the stand and he really makes the case that he was the victim, that Gwyneth Paltrow slammed into him and that his life has been forever changed for the

worse because what of, because of what she did to him. And that's why he filed this lawsuit. And I just went, you know what? My daddy would say, if you got the truth, you bring the truth, don't let anybody back you down. And that's what I felt I needed to do. And I'm here to prove that truth. Only with facts. Well, now it was time for Paltrow's attorney, Stephen Owens, to question Sanderson. And he tried to show that what Sanderson was saying on the stand doesn't quite match up to prior statements he made, particularly in depositions. And that includes his statements about the I'm Famous

email and about whether Sanderson thought it was cool that he got into a crash with a celebrity. I wrote, I'm famous because it's cool that I had a collision with a celebrity. Was that your thinking at the time? And you said yes. Do you deny it? I'm not if you have it on record. No, I don't deny it. I don't remember it. Well, let's go to page 15. Can you bring that up? Move to publish. the deposition. Your Honor, he said he doesn't deny it, so why are we publishing? Because the earlier denied it.

I'll overrule the objection and permit that portion of the deposition to be published. May I ask when this happened? Sure. Like one hour ago, two hours ago. You told this jury, I've never thought it was cool that I had a collision with a celebrity. Do you recall that? Yes, I guess I did say that, absolutely. And that's not a true statement, is it?

You have said this in your deposition, true? Honestly, I don't ever remember saying it. Bring it up whenever you can. But I don't doubt you. I misspeak a lot. Okay, this is page 15, line 5 through 8. So the words, I'm famous, this is my question, seemed to say, I think it's cool that I had a collision with a celebrity.

Was that your thinking at the time? And your answer was yes, I guess, yes. And Sanderson even says that it wasn't really even him who made that comment. Do you recall saying that you agreed that saying I'm famous was a crazy thing to say? Agree? Absolutely, it's not me. Don't buy into that. But it was you, right?

Just to be clear. When you say it wasn't me, it was, in fact, you. It's the other personality that's inhabiting my body right now. And you blame Gwyneth Paltrow for that? Yes. No question. Hmm. Can't say I've heard that one that much.

But look, was Sanderson telling the truth about his motivations? Was he telling the truth about writing that email? Says he's not into celebrity worship. Says he was just trying to create maybe a light moment in that email. and it was taken the wrong way. Let's talk about the misspeaking. Maybe not the best thing to say to a jury, but Owens presses Sanderson on more inconsistent statements.

When we talked about you being unconscious, and do you agree that someone who's unconscious doesn't have a stopwatch to figure out how long they were actually unconscious? I agree, that's true. Everything you've learned was from Craig after the collision. No. Yeah, that's over very much.

and that's I'll withdraw it because I agree that's not everything it's not everything right right as far as level of length of unconsciousness do you agree that you you weren't stop watching yourself I have no idea yeah and yet you you did tell people it varied over time first a few seconds then five minutes then 10 minutes you did that right do you disagree yes it did very and why did you do that why would you say I don't know then it's a few seconds then it's five minutes and then you told your psychiatrist at the VA it was up to 10 minutes long why did you change I had no idea and I was searching I really had no idea and I was trying to answer I sometimes make that mistake guessing but I really didn't know and it was to try to

get the attention of the doctor. Do you remember telling me that? I don't. And Owens really hit Sanderson on his ability to recall what happened. You do not have a perfect memory of what you told others after the, in the one, two minutes, three minutes after the collision. Or do you have a perfect memory? Well, that word is so ultimate. Perfect. Right. An answer would be no, it's not perfect. Okay. So it's possible you said, for instance, Eric Christensen is going to testify first witness this afternoon that you told him, I'm okay. Do you dispute it? I dispute it. I never felt safe and like anybody was there to help me. And then he would not have said it. He's about to testify that not only he was there,

But a ski patrol or duo came over. One of them came over and said, do you guys need any help or words to that effect? And that you consulted with Ramon and then said no. Do you dispute it? I absolutely would have said no. I never said safe. So I don't want to say what I would have said.

I want to know if you remember. Do you remember that? No, I don't remember. you don't even remember that ski patrollers came by true no i do not remember that yeah ever so this won't be an easy case for the jury who to believe paltrow sanderson i mean they have two completely different versions of what happened and it seems to me that the jury will have to believe either one or the other you can't believe both stories either one of them crashed into the other either either one of them was uphill, one of them was downhill.

And this case is very much going to come down to the credibility of Ms. Poutreau and Mr. Sanderson. or Spotify.