Gwyneth Paltrow ski collision: Actress testifies that she was unsure if ski crash was someone sexually assaulting her or playing a practical joke at first

• Gwyneth Paltrow took the stand on Friday in a trial over dueling negligence claims over a ski crash.
• Terry Sanderson sued Paltrow in 2019 for a 2016 crash at the Deer Valley ski resort in Utah.

Oscar winner Gwyneth Paltrow took the stand in a contentious ski crash trial on Friday, recounting the thoughts that raced through her head as she was involved in a ski collision at a Utah ski resort in 2016.

On the stand, Paltrow categorically denied that she was at fault for the crash and directly blamed Terry Sanderson — the man who originally sued her in relation to the crash — for causing the accident. Paltrow said that in a moment of confusion and adrenaline, after she claims Sanderson crashed into her, she considered that someone sexually assaulted her.

Paltrow was defiant as she took the stand in navy blue, and said that while skiing with her two kids, Moses and Apple, her husband, and the children's ski instructor, she heard a "strange rustling noise behind me, and two skis slid underneath my skis."

The "Goop" founder described to jurors a man's body pressing against hers at a medium pace, before their skis caught an edge, leading her to fall on top of him, with both of them winding up in a "spooning" position momentarily.

"I was confused at first, I froze, and I would say I got very upset a couple seconds later," Paltrow testified. "I didn't know if it was an intentional assault of a sexual nature, that was a quick thought that went through my head — is this a practical joke, is someone playing a practical joke?"

In a 2020 deposition, Paltrow said that her initial reaction in anger was to tell Sanderson, "you skied directly into my fucking back."

Paltrow was sued by retired optometrist Sanderson over a 2016 ski collision on a beginner slope at Deer Valley Resort in Utah, which left Sanderson with four broken ribs and a traumatic brain injury. On Tuesday, after opening arguments, a key witness who was in a ski meet-up group with Sanderson and by his side that day said Paltrow crashed into Sanderson.

In her testimony, Paltrow said the eyewitness was unreliable and untruthful.

"I did not believe his testimony. I don't believe he saw what he thinks he saw," Paltrow said of Greg Ramone. "He said he was 40 feet away and colorblind."

After Sanderson sued the "Goop" creator in 2019, Paltrow countersued Sanderson for negligence as well, alleging that he crashed into her. The trial is centered around the dueling negligence claims, where Sanderson is seeking $3 million in damages and Paltrow is seeking $1, plus reimbursed attorney fees.

The ski instructor teaching Paltrow's two kids that day, Eric Christiansen, and the Deer Valley resort had initially been listed as co-defendants, as Sanderson claimed that the instructor lied in a report where he stated that Sanderson crashed into Paltrow. In 2022, Third District Judge Kent Holmberg dismissed the additional negligence and emotional distress claims against the instructor and ski resort, citing a lack of evidence.

In her testimony, Paltrow acknowledged leaving the scene without giving Sanderson her information, claiming that she asked Christiansen to do so as she caught up with her daughter at the ski lodge. Because of some soreness, she stopped skiing halfway through the day and got a massage instead.

"I lost half a day of skiing," Paltrow told the court.

Throughout the trial, the jury has heard from members of Sanderson's family and friends who have spoken about how Sanderson has changed after a brain injury suffered during the crash, as well as how unrelated health issues — like losing vision in his right eye in 2010 — have impacted him.

"You keep sending me notes, saying 'I didn't cause these damages,'" Steve Owens, Paltrow's attorney told Paltrow during direct questioning.

"I feel very sorry for him," Paltrow said, in reference to Sanderson's brain health. "But I did not cause the accident so I cannot be responsible for any of that."