In response to a $3.1 million lawsuit filed by Terry Sanderson over allegations that Gwyneth Paltrow ran him over on a Utah ski slope, the actress has filed a counter suit.
Earlier this year, actress Gwyneth Paltrow was hit by a $3.1 million lawsuit filed in Summit County District Court in Utah by Terry Sanderson, a 72-year-old retired optometrist after he was allegedly run over on a ski slope in Utah by the actress. Now, Paltrow is counter-suing Sanderson and claims he “caused the crash and was seeking to exploit her fame and fortune three years later.”
In her counter-suit, Paltrow, 46, is seeking a “symbolic $1 in damages” over the incident that occurred on February 26, 2016, at Deer Valley Resort in Park City.
When commenting on the counter-suit, attorneys for Paltrow said:
“Resolution of this counterclaim will demonstrate that Plaintiff (Sanderson) ran into Ms. Paltrow and nonetheless blamed her for it in an attempt to exploit her celebrity and wealth.”
In Sanderson’s suit, which was filed last month, he claimed he was “skiing on a beginner slope when he heard a hysterical scream from behind before he was struck between the shoulder blades by the actress.” As a result of the collision, Sanderson, who has “skied for more than 30 years,” suffered a variety of injuries, including “four broken ribs and a traumatic brain injury from the blow, which had left him with short-term memory loss.” Additionally, Sanderson also alleged the actress simply “skied off without a word following the impact, in violation of a local ordinance requiring skiers involved in a collision to stop and help the injured.”
When commenting on the local ordinance, Bob Sykes, the attorney representing Sanderson, cited the National Ski Area Association’s Skier Responsibility Code and argued that “Paltrow should have avoided him, based on the code…which even applies to celebrities, believe or not.” Sykes added that the code “applies to Gwyneth Paltrow. What Miss Paltrow did that day was knock Terry Sanderson down, pick herself up, dust herself off and ski off.”
However, in her counter-suit, Paltrow pushed back against the allegations and said it was actually Sanderson who “struck her from behind, delivering a body blow.” She also added that during the short encounter with the retired optometrist, Sanderson “apologized and assured her that he was not hurt.”
In response to the claims in the counter-suit, Sykes said, “The statement made by Ms. Paltrow that Dr. Sanderson hit her from behind is false.” He added:
“Paltrow clearly hit Dr. Sanderson from behind. Dr. Sanderson was the downhill skier and had the right-of-way. It is unfortunate that Ms. Paltrow would fail to tell the truth about what happened.”
Sources:
Gwyneth Paltrow counter-sues Utah man over ski collision seeks $1
Top Gwyneth Paltrow counter-sues Utah man over ski collision, seeks $1
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