On Tuesday, the first full day of Gwyneth Paltrow's trial in which they must call witnesses to establish their case, the actress' attorneys are anticipated to summon several specialists and read depositions from her two teenage daughters.
Due to the eight-day time limit established by the judge, Paltrow's defence team is expected to experience similar time management challenges as Sanderson's faced last week as they attempt to juggle family members, ski instructors, and skiing and brain science experts.
Terry Sanderson, a 76-year-old retired optometrist, is suing Gwyneth Paltrow for over $300,000 over a 2016 ski incident that he claims left him with broken ribs and years of lingering concussion symptoms. The actor and chief executive officer of Goop has refuted Sanderson's claims that she collided with him, countersuing for $1 and claiming that he skied into her.
Her defence counsel will likely continue making their two key, yet distinct, points to the eight-member jury using their witnesses. That Paltrow did not ski into Sanderson and that he and his attorneys have exaggerated his injuries. This week, when they cross-examined Sanderson's witnesses, they related the two accusations by questioning Sanderson's objectives and depicting him as an "obsessed" man attempting to abuse Paltrow's fortune and fame.
The initial five days of the trial in Park City, the affluent Utah ski town where the actor and retired optometrist crashed, culminated in stunning testimony from Paltrow on Friday and Sanderson on Monday. Sanderson testified that Paltrow skied squarely into his back, sending him flying down the beginner run at Deer Valley resort after Paltrow claimed Sanderson had veered into her from behind, causing her to panic and wonder if she was being "violated." Paltrow claimed Sanderson's groaning had caused her to panic and wonder if she was being "violated."
"All I could see was a great deal of snow. And I couldn't see the sky, but I was flying," Sanderson testified Monday morning as a blizzard covered Park City outside the courtroom and Paltrow sat mere feet away.
Both sides have hired armies of experts to testify on their client's behalf, demonstrating that the trial's expenditures will undoubtedly eclipse the amount of money at risk. But, these specialists are up against an eight-day deadline. Kent Holmberg presided over the proceeding. Lawyers on both sides have been tense as they have weighed their witness list and frequently requested the judge to clarify the time limits, demonstrating that the case's costs will undoubtedly exceed the amount of money at risk. The attorneys for Paltrow have repeatedly complained about the scheduling and stated that their medical experts have travelled in from out-of-state to speak on her behalf.
Likewise, Sanderson's counsel sent his physician and neurology, neuropsychology, and radiology experts to the stand last week to testify on the degree of his impairments and post-concussion syndrome. In addition, they interrogated two of his three daughters, his ex-girlfriend, and a skiing companion who claimed to be the only eyewitness to the crash.
To appeal to the eight-member jury, Paltrow's attorneys must decide how to balance the testimony of medical professionals and family and friends. On Monday, her legal team called Deer Valley ski instructors and ski patrol to the stand. A projector presented high-resolution animations of their recollections between the witness stand and the jury box.
On Tuesday, Paltrow's primary attorney, Steve Owens, stated that he planned to call a skiing expert and a neurological rehabilitation expert as the trial over a 2016 ski incident in Utah enters its sixth day. Owens stated that passages from the depositions of Paltrow's children, 18-year-old Apple and 16-year-old Moses, would also be read in court, despite his earlier intention to have them testify. He stated that he was uncertain whether his witness list would include Paltrow's husband, television producer Brad Falchuk, as the court suggested he would adhere to the eight-day time limit.
