Gwyneth Paltrow has spoken out about a lawsuit in which a man demanded $3,000,000 from her following a skiing accident.
The actor was sued by Terry Sanderson following the incident which took place in in 2016, eventually suing him back for just $1.
With Paltrow having recently spoken out for the first time properly since the high profile lawsuit took place, many will be curious about her countersuit and why she has hit out against the whole incident.
What has Gwyneth Paltrow come out and said?
The Iron Man star spoke about the 2023 trial on The World’s First Podcast hosted by Erin and Sara Foster.
She opened up on the podcast about the incident and ensuing lawsuit, saying: “I have to say, the idea that someone could ski into your back and knock you down and then sue you.
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“I was like, ‘This is everything that’s wrong with our legal system.’ It was ridiculous. That’s why I felt like I had to fight it. I was like: ‘I’m not going to be shaken down here.’ I’m not doing that.”
What happened in the lawsuit?
Paltrow was sued for $3,000,000 by retired optometrist Sanderson.
In 2019, he claimed in a lawsuit that she skied into the back of him, knocking him down and left, pointing to several medical conditions he claimed were linked to the 2016 collision, which allegedly included four broken ribs, a concussion, and brain damage, NBC News reports.
This led to opposing claims between the pair’s legal team, with his legal claim stating that she skied into the back of him, while hers claimed the opposite had happened.
After initially suing for $3,000,000 Sanderson ended up dropping his suit to a comparatively measly $300,000.
Amongst the medical conditions that Sanderson claimed were a result of the collision, his medical history exposed in court showed that 15 of these were documented from prior to the incident.
Why did she sue him back for $1?
The $1 that Gywneth Paltrow sued him back for was symbolic, as it also included the legal fees.
A jury found Paltrow not liable, leading Sanderson to be forced to pay the $1 to Paltrow on top of the mountain of legal fees.
This ended up costing Sanderson more than he even initially sued for, with estimates stating it was a seven figure sum he would have to pay Paltrow.
Speaking in a statement released following the end of the trial, Paltrow said: “I felt that acquiescing to a false claim compromised my integrity.
“I am pleased with the outcome and I appreciate all of the hard work of Judge Holmberg and the jury, and thank them for their thoughtfulness in handling this case.”
Sanderson, when asked by press following the conclusion of the trial, said it was ‘absolutely not' worth it to sue her.