Members of the jury sat transfixed – with some on the edge of their seats – on Friday when Paltrow said on the stand that she initially thought she was being “violated” when the collision happened. Three days later Sanderson gave an entirely different account, saying she ran into him and sent him “absolutely flying”.
Time constraints have challenged both sides throughout the eight-day trial and forced difficult decisions about who to call to testify from their lengthy roster of witnesses. The judge presiding over the trial in Park City has made it clear that he wants both sides to give their closing arguments by Thursday afternoon – in order to give the jury enough time to deliberate and come to a consensus.
The trial is taking place in the city that annually hosts the Sundance Film Festival, where early in her career Paltrow would appear for the premieres of her movies, including 1998’s Sliding Doors, at a time when she was known primarily as an actor, not a celebrity wellness entrepreneur.
Sanderson is asking for more than US$300,000, saying that Paltrow’s recklessness on the slope caused the crash, leaving him with four broken ribs and years of post-concussion symptoms including confusion, memory loss and irritability. Paltrow has countersued for a symbolic US$1 and attorney fees, alleging that Sanderson veered into her from behind.
The amount of money at stake for both sides pales in comparison to the typical legal costs of a multiyear lawsuit, private security detail and expert witness-heavy trial.
The second week of trial has made clear that attorneys have spared little expense on making their case.
Sanderson’s attorney told the jury last week that, for him, the trial was about “value, not cost”.
To accompany their expert witnesses – many who have testified to being paid more than US$10,000 – Paltrow’s defence team has played multiple high-resolution animations depicting their side’s version of the events that took place in February 2016 on a beginner run at Utah’s Deer Valley Resort.
Late on Wednesday afternoon, Paltrow’s attorneys called Sanderson back to the stand to cast doubt on his claims of life-altering injuries. Instead of revisiting his medical history or expert testimonies, they asked questions about Sanderson’s luxury and adventure travel after the crash.
They introduced photos into evidence of Sanderson riding a camel in Morocco, trekking up to Machu Picchu in Peru, and taking a continent-wide loop around Europe with stops in the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, France and Belgium.
