Dozens of curious locals filled the back of 3rd District Court in Silver Summit Friday at one particularly high-profile celebrity trial.
It's between actor and businesswoman Gwyneth Paltrow and a retired Salt Lake City optometrist, Terry Sanderson. The two collided at Deer Valley in 2016, and now each says the other was at fault.
Friday, Sanderson’s lawyer observed a parallel to a 2017 Colorado trial between a DJ and Taylor Swift. The man had sued Swift for defamation, and she countersued for sexual assault and battery, asking $1 in damages, and won.
Paltrow took the stand Friday afternoon as expected. Thursday night, Sanderson’s attorneys informed the actor’s team that they would call her to the stand before Sanderson.
Sanderson’s lawyers have been trying to establish not only that Paltrow was at fault but also that Sanderson is entitled to damages. They say the crash directly caused him adverse mental and physical effects.
But here’s how Paltrow responded to a question from her attorney, Steve Owens.
“Do you feel some empathy for Mr. Sanderson and his declining brain?” Owens said.
“You know, I really do. I feel very sorry for him,” Paltrow said. “It seems like he's had a very difficult life. But I did not cause the accident, so I cannot be at fault for anything that subsequently happened to him.”
Both parties were in court Friday.
Sanderson had been scheduled to testify Thursday. Because other testimony took longer than expected, Sanderson’s will be delayed until Monday. He will take the stand at 9 a.m., and after that, his legal team is expected to rest their case.
Paltrow’s kids will be in the courtroom too, and could testify. Deer Valley employees are also expected to be called to the witness stand.
