Summary

  • An eight-person jury clears US star Gwyneth Paltrow in the civil trial over a skiing accident in Utah in 2016

  • The jury found retired eye doctor Terry Sanderson 100% at fault over the incident

  • The pair sued each other over the incident - Sanderson was looking for $300,000 in damages whilst Paltrow's counter case was for $1 plus her legal fees

  • Sanderson claimed that the accident at the upmarket resort left him with brain damage and broken ribs and damaged his relationships with his family

  • Paltrow denied being responsible for the accident and has been in court for every day of the trial

  1. Trial off to slow startpublished at 16:43 British Summer Time 30 March 2023

    The trial is off to a slow start.

    The court was having trouble hearing Dr Boehme, who was appearing on Zoom.

    Sanderson's attorneys tried to call Dr Boehme's phone, which appears to have cut out.

  2. Sanderson's lawyers recall neurologist Dr Boehmepublished at 16:40 British Summer Time 30 March 2023

    Dr Boehme appears in court via ZoomImage source, AFP
    Image caption,

    Dr Boehme appears in court via Zoom

    The trial has resumed and the jury is now in court.

    Sanderson's lawyers have started by questioning witness Dr Richard Boehme, a neurologist, who is joining the court via video link.

    Attorney Lawrence Buhler starts by asking Dr Boehme about claims made by Paltrow's medical experts.

    Buhler asks if he made an error in his calculations. Dr Boehme says that analysis is incorrect.

    There are some technical difficulties with Dr Boehme's video connection, so they've asked if they can call him on the phone.

  3. Jury enterspublished at 16:36 British Summer Time 30 March 2023

    The jury has now entered the courtroom.

    The judge apologises to them for the delayed start but says "we've been working very hard and I think the rest of the morning as a result is going to get much smoother".

    Sanderson's legal team have called a further rebuttal witness before closing arguments get underway.

  4. Paltrow enters courtpublished at 16:27 British Summer Time 30 March 2023

    The court has returned from its recess and Gwyneth Paltrow has now joined her attorneys.

    We're expecting closing arguments to get underway shortly.

  5. What's happening at the trial?published at 16:24 British Summer Time 30 March 2023

    If you're just joining us, we're waiting for the closing arguments in the trial to get underway.

    The judge spent the last hour or so discussing a number of issues that didn't need to be heard by the jury with both parties' lawyers.

    Terry Sanderson could be seen already sat with his legal team, while Gwyneth Paltrow has arrived at the court.

    The room - courtroom B at Park City’s Third District Court - is already full with people waiting to hear the outcome of the trial.

    The court rose at just after 16:00 GMT (09:00 Utah time) for a short recess.

  6. Sanderson's lead attorney may not deliver arguments for their sidepublished at 16:14 British Summer Time 30 March 2023

    Sam Cabral
    Reporting from Utah

    Court watchers have poked fun at Terry Sanderson’s legal team and Wednesday was a rough day for them.

    Faced with a slew of medical experts called by the defence to rebut Sanderson’s claims, lead attorney Robert Sykes grew more aggressive and testy in his cross-examinations as the day wore on.

    He claimed the doctors were diagnosing Sanderson with depression and dementia from the stand; they were not.

    And he accused them of giving him lengthy and evasive answers when he - “a simple country lawyer” - would have preferred simple responses.

    During the day’s final recess, I spotted Sykes’ colleague Kristin Van Orman wipe away tears after leaving the room.

    Today, Sykes and Van Orman are seated behind their colleagues, likely indicating they will not deliver the closing argument for their side.

  7. What happened on Wednesday?published at 16:00 British Summer Time 30 March 2023

    Actor Gwyneth PaltrowImage source, Getty Images

    More than seven years have passed since the accident on a beginner's slope known as the Bandana Run - a collision Terry Sanderson says left him with a concussion that "completely changed" his life.

    On Wednesday, medical experts called to the stand by Paltrow's defence team disputed that characterisation.

    "Mr Sanderson does not currently need ongoing neurological treatment," said Dr Robert Hoesch, a neurologist, adding: "I would evaluate [him] for dementia."

    Neuro-psychologist Dr Angela Eastvold argued the plaintiff had suffered "at most, a mild concussion" and that he showed no evidence of a brain injury.

    Dr Eastvold suggested that, while evidence indicates "he is genuinely in distress", a concussion from the collision with Paltrow could not be the cause of his struggles. Sanderson's attorney Robert Sykes grew increasingly testy with witnesses over the course of the day.

    Sykes accused witnesses of diagnosing Sanderson from the stand and being as evasive as the "Queen of Denmark" - a reference to Hamlet's mother in the William Shakespeare play.

  8. Paltrow arrives for final day of trialpublished at 15:53 British Summer Time 30 March 2023

    Samantha Granville
    Reporting from Utah

    Paltrow arrived to court in a black escalade with a bodyguard and driver.

    She walked in without speaking to press and cleared security with no beeping in the metal detector.

  9. Judge discussing initial items with lawyerspublished at 15:41 British Summer Time 30 March 2023

    Before the closing statements get underway from 16:00 GMT (09:00 Utah time), the judge is hearing from both parties lawyers about a number of issues that don't need to be considered by the jury.

    The issues include how different items of evidence should be handled and a motion concerning whether Sanderson should be made to pay Paltrow's attorneys fees in the event that Paltrow wins.

  10. Here's what will happen todaypublished at 15:33 British Summer Time 30 March 2023

    Samantha Granville
    Reporting from Utah

    Welcome to the final day of the celebrity ski crash court case of the century.

    It’s been eight days of technical and specific expert witness testimony to figure out who crashed into who, and what injuries could happen if someone was rammed into on the ski slopes.

    There have been sprinkles of entertaining testimony with Paltrow and Sanderson taking the stand and providing court watchers with some memorable one liners.

    Both the plaintiff and the defence will finish submitting evidence by this morning, and then the defence will formally rest their case in front of the jury.

    The plaintiffs have indicated that they may be calling at least one rebuttal witness to the stand this morning.

    Then it will be time for the grand final: closing arguments. Each side will have about an hour to make their final case before the fate is handed to the jury.

    We don’t know how long jury deliberations will take. Sometimes it’s an hour, sometimes its week.

    But the jury has been patient listening to some dry cross examination and they look a little bored and a little frustrated at times, so we can only imagine they will want to come to a decision sooner, than later.

  11. Welcomepublished at 15:25 British Summer Time 30 March 2023

    Hello and welcome to our live coverage as the trial between actress Gwyneth Paltrow and Terry Sanderson over a 2016 skiing accident draws to a close today.

    Sanderson, 76, claims Paltrow was distracted and caused a crash at the Deer Valley resort in Utah, which he says left him with brain damage and broken ribs.

    He’s seeking $300,000 (£245,000) in damages. Paltrow, 50, denies the claims and alleges that Sanderson, a retired optometrist, crashed into her. She has countersued for $1 plus compensation for attorneys' fees.

    We’re expecting to hear closing arguments from Sanderson and Paltrow’s lawyers when the trial resumes at 16:00 GMT (09:00 Utah time).

    Our team in London and Washington will be bringing you the latest developments, and we'll also have reporters in court. But you can also follow our live stream by pressing the play button at the top of this page.