Terry Sanderson is a retired optometrist who recently came into view of the public eye for suing actress Gwyneth Paltrow for a hit and run. However, this is not a typical hit-and-run you’d think of in a car—this incident happened on the ski slopes.
Sanderson claimed that Paltrow was skiing recklessly and crashed into him, knocking him down, before leaving the scene without calling for help. Sanderson claims to be suffering from a wide array of injuries as a result of the collision, including permanent brain injury, 4 broken ribs, pain, loss of enjoyment of life, emotional distress and disfigurement.
The ski collision took place in 2016 while both were skiing at a resort in Park City, Utah.
Sanderson initially tried to sue the famous actress for $3.1 million before lowering the amount to $300,000. Paltrow denies his story and counter-sued for $1 and coverage of her legal fees. Paltrow claims that Sanderson crashed into her from behind. She also claims that she stayed after and did not leave the scene. According to Paltrow’s testimony in court, Paltrow was skiing next to her son and suddenly saw two skis come between hers, she then felt someone hit her from behind as they both fell to the ground.
On Thursday, March 30 the jury found that Paltrow was not at fault for the incident.
The trial has drawn a lot of attention on various social media platforms. I found myself asking, “how did I end up on Gwyneth Paltrow ski trial TikTok?” However, similar to many of my friends, I have been thoroughly intrigued by the happenings of the trial. Through social media platforms such as TikTok, I have been able to hear the opinions of various professionals with a wide range of backgrounds. Opinions I have found vary from lawyers explaining what’d they’d do differently to members of ski rescue explaining what they think happened on the slopes.
TikTok has shown me other aspects of the case that I would not normally find from regular news sources. For instance, I found out that ironically, this incident happened on a beginner slope. Many others on social media have been interested to see the way Sanderson’s lawyer interacted with Paltrow while questioning her on the stand. One clip circulating TikTok involves Sanderson’s lawyer bringing up Taylor Swift, discussing Swift’s suit for $1 in a completely unrelated trial several years ago. Another TikTok I saw contained Paltrow’s lawyer showing the room an email Sanderson sent with the subject line, “I’m famous.”
Paltrow won her trial and $1 from the man involved in the ski crash. The last update I got from my For You Page on TikTok was as she left the courtroom she allegedly whispered “I wish you well,” to the man. I wonder what piece of pop culture news will occupy this much space in my brain next week.
Want to see more HCFSU? Be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube and Pinterest!