Sanderson v Paltrow trial Day 1: Witness describes collision on Deer Valley Resort ski run

PARK CITY (KUTV) — Gwyneth Paltrow is standing trial in Park City beginning Tuesday in a lawsuit originally filed in 2019 and later amended, which accused the actress and lifestyle guru of crashing into a Utah man while skiing at Deer Valley Resort in 2016 and causing him serious injury.

The trial is expected to last a little over a week.

This article was updated throughout the proceedings Tuesday.

5 p.m. - Judge adjourns case until Wednesday

Gwyneth Paltrow leaves court as the first day of her ski collision trial wraps up. The court will convene again tWednesday, March 22.

4 p.m. - Court resumes from recess

Craig Ramone, a witness to the ski incident in 2016, continued to answer questions to the court following a short recess.

Terry Sanderson's former partner also took to the stand to testify about Sanderson. She said the two were very active during the 18 months they dated, dancing, hiking and traveling often together.

She described him as a kind and active person with a "gentle nature."

When it was mentioned that Sanderson used to walk into walls before the incident, the woman said the comment surprised her.

1 p.m. - Witness recounts ski incident

The Terry Sanderson v Gwyneth Paltrow trial, stemming from an skiing collision at Deer Valley Resort in 2016, continued on Tuesday with testimony from the one individual who claims to have witnessed the event.

Craig Ramone, who was skiing with handful of people from a Meetup.com group, recounted his version of the crash involving Paltrow and Sanderson, both of whom have claimed in different court documents that they had the right-of-way before the incident. Sanderson - also a part of the Meetup.com group - filed a lawsuit in 2019 alleging the incident left him with a permanent brain injury.

He said he considered himself an acquaintance of Sanderson and told the court he would not consider him a close friend.

Ramone said it was Paltrow who caused the crash, telling the jury that he heard a scream before seeing a skier "slam into the back of Terry."

Answering "no" to multiple questions from the plaintiff's team about whether she stayed at the scene, offered assistance, asked if Sanderson was OK or injured, provided her contact information or offered to call ski patrol.

"You never leave an accident," he said about skiing conduct. "If there's two people (who) collide, you never leave. You make sure everyone's OK and you actually give your contact information to each other."

He stated he only knew the other skier was Paltrow because a ski instructor who worked for Deer Valley at the time told him, "Gwyneth Paltrow just took out your buddy."

The ski instructor, identified as Eric Christiansen, was named as a defendant in an original hit-and-run lawsuit seeking $3.9 million in damages and alleging the instructor filed a false report. The current suit is an amended version naming only Paltrow as a defendant after a judge dismissed the hit-and-run charges, reducing alleged damages to $300,000.

Ramone said Christiansen skied to the scene and was berating Sanderson, saying "what did you do?" multiple times. A report filed by Christiansen with the ski resort was presented as evidence, in which he wrote that he spoke to Sanderson and that Sanderson had admitted he was the uphill skier.

It would mean Paltrow had the right-of-way.

Ramone said Christiansen didn't ask that question, though, and stated Sanderson never said anything to Christiansen.

"He was just out of it," Ramone said about Sanderson.

He reported the ski instructor "yanked" Sanderson to his feet before skiing away.

Following the collision and encounter with Christiansen, Ramone testified Sanderson couldn't remember his name or where he was as the two tried to get down the mountain. He was eventually taken by toboggan down the slope after Ramone said he flagged down a different Deer Valley employee to report Sanderson had a head injury.

11:45 a.m. - Court in recess

Third District Judge Kent R. Holmberg called a recess for lunch. Court is set to resume at 1 p.m.

11 a.m. - Paltrow's defense presents actress's version of events

Gwyneth Paltrow's defense recounted her side of the story in the 2016 ski crash on a Deer Valley Resort mountain, which led to 2023's personal injury trial.

Her attorney said she and her family were on the Bandana run when the incident happened.

"Gwyneth is a conservative skier," according to her attorney, who said she always skis to the right with the assumption faster skiers will be on the left.

The defense stated Paltrow was skiing much slower than the plaintiff's team alleges when she saw two skis between hers, and a man bumped into her.

"Her first reaction is, 'Get away from this," her attorney said, which she tried to do as their skies became intertwined and they both fell.

The defense said Terry Sanderson, who sued her following the incident for alleged permanent brain injuries, was the uphill skier and was required to yield to anyone downslope. However, Sanderson was making a wide turn, the defense stated, when he collided with Paltrow.

Paltrow's defense showed the jury a report from a then-Deer Valley ski instructor, who was originally named as a defendant in Sanderson's first $3.9 million lawsuit but was later dismissed, along with all other defendants except for Paltrow, from an amended suit that brought damages sought to $300,000.

The attorney said the ski instructor's report showed that Sanderson admitted he was the uphill skier and that Paltrow had the right-of-way.

The defense added that the plaintiff already had issues with his sight and his hearing, alleging they were likely contributors to the crash.

Sanderson did not exhibit behavior of someone with a serious brain injury following the collision, Paltrow's attorney said, stating medical issues the plaintiff reported likely had nothing to do with the crash.

The defense said Sanderson also posted to Facebook that day that he was "famous" because of the incident, along with a link to a meetup.com URL that is no longer valid, which showed there was no evidence for Sanderson's claims.

"He's a poster," the attorney told the court, saying Sanderson's frequent Facebook updates were "good for us" because it helped the defense put together a timeline.

The defense projected an image of what appeared to be an email with "I'm famous..." in the subject line. It wasn't immediately clear if there was also a Facebook post.

Amid a series of objections from the plaintiff's attorneys, Third District Judge Kent R. Holmberg called the counsel to the bench for an off-the-record conversation. Statements continued following the brief pause, though the objections continued.

Paltrow's defense wrapped it's opening statements with a complaint about the number of overruled objections from the plaintiff's team, which prompted another off-microphone conversation between the judge and the legal teams.

10 a.m. - Legal teams begin statements

The legal team for retired doctor Terry Sanderson began opening statements, going through Sanderson's version of the events in a February 2016 skiing incident.

Sanderson's lawyers laid out details on the incident, saying Sanderson was skiing at Deer Valley Resort when he was struck by Gwyneth Paltrow.

She was skiing out of control, Sanderson's attorneys said, and she crashed into their client with such force that he broke four ribs and left him with a concussion. They claimed the concussion left him unable to adequately convey the seriousness of the crash, saying a ski instructor confronted him and berated him after the incident while Paltrow "bolted" away from the scene.

Sanderson's team also began an argument about incorrect media reports in regards to what the ski instructor did and did not see, to which Paltrow's defense objected and Holmgren sustained.

Paltrow's team also later took issue with the plaintiff's attorney's use of the word "bolt," which

Sanderson reportedly "forgot how to ski," the plaintiff's team said.

Attorneys said medical issues began mounting over the following two years, which were caused by the brain injury. Sanderson had issues speaking and experienced memory issues, leading to a diminished quality of life, they said.

It was "permanent and significant," the team reported, adding that Paltrow's defense filed documents claiming Sanderson's issues were "probably dementia."

"Before this crash, Terry was a charming, outgoing, gregarious person," his attorney told the court. "... He was living a full life. He did not want a brain injury. He did everything possible he could to fix his brain injury."

Things changed afterward, the attorneys said, adding that Sanderson wouldn't be in the courtroom during testimony from loved ones about how he changed "because I didn't want to rub his nose in his own problems."

The arguments wrapped with Sanderson's attorneys saying the evidence would show the value of his life, as well as his loved ones, was diminished as a result of the injuries incurred.

9:40 a.m. - Court back in session

The Sanderson v Paltrow trial officially began approximately 40 minutes after schedule due a technical issue, Third District Judge Kent R. Holmberg said.

The judge began the official proceedings with rules for the jury, including reminding them that they were not allowed to speak with anyone about the trial. The jury was told they were prohibited from considering anything that happens outside the courtroom while making their decision, adding that they should not to "abandon your common sense" when considering evidence.

"Remember that no one's memory is perfect," he said, telling jurors to keep in mind that people make honest mistakes and two people often remember the same event very differently.

Holmberg's instruction on that point will be a heavy burden for the jury, according to a complaint lodged in 2019 by retired Utah doctor Terry Sanderson, which alleged Paltrow had crashed into him on Deer Valley Resort slopes in 2016, causing him serious harm - including a brain injury. A countersuit filed by Paltrow's team stated it was Sanderson who crashed into her.

9:10 a.m. - Judge reiterates court decorum before calling short recess

The Sanderson vs. Paltrow trial didn't officially begin at 9 a.m. as scheduled as Judge Kent R. Holmberg took a few moments to remind those in attendance of his order regarding media.

He reiterated the rules, laid out in decorum order on Feb. 29, that photos, videos and use of mobile devices was only allowed by approved members of the media. Though multiple news outlets had a presence in the courtroom, Holmberg said only two had been approved to record video, one of which was the courtroom's pool feed through CourtTV.

He said there had already been an incident where an individual was taking photos without approval, prompting a bailiff intervention to ensure the images were deleted.

Holmberg also reminded media in attendance who had been approved that they weren't allowed to move from their assigned spots, and their equipment was not allowed to make noises during the proceedings.

8 a.m. - Paltrow Arrives at 3rd District Court

The 2News crew outside the district courthouse in Park City captured the brief moment Gwyneth Paltrow and her team entered the courthouse, about an hour before courtroom proceedings were set to begin.

MORE from 2NEWS: Gwyneth Paltrow Trial

2News will have coverage from both inside and outside the courthouse.

The trial is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m.

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