“Thought about sexual abuse”: Gwyneth Paltrow spoke about the ski incident

Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow is in court in connection with a skiing collision at a resort in Utah. Another participant in the incident was a pensioner who sued the movie star for $300,000. But the actress herself filed a counterclaim against him, saying that she thought she was the victim of sexual abuse.

Gwyneth Paltrow told a court in Park City, Utah, that she was the “victim” of a skiing collision with a retired optometrist during an accident at a resort.

According to Sky News, Paltrow was testifying in a civil case filed by Terry Sanderson, who is suing the actress for $300,000 in connection with the Deer Valley incident in 2016.

Terry Sanderson, 76, says he was left with several broken ribs and a severe concussion, as well as mental and physical injuries, after Paltrow ‘bumped’ into him on the slopes.

But Paltrow, 50, is filing a counterclaim for a token $1, claiming it was Sanderson who ran into her.

Speaking in court on Friday, Paltrow said she initially thought she had been sexually assaulted during the confrontation, saying she felt “somebody’s body pressing against me” and that she heard “a strange grunting sound.”

She admitted that she was “really upset” by the incident and yelled at Terry Sanderson, “You skied right into my fucking back!” In the original, the actress used stronger expressions.

Gwyneth Paltrow testified on the fourth day of the trial, attending court every day since Tuesday.

Describing herself as an “intermediate” skier who was “familiar” with the rules of skiing, Paltrow denied she was “risky” on the slopes and repeated several times that it was Mr. Sanderson who hit her from behind.

“At first I was confused and did not understand exactly what was happening,” said the actress. It’s a very strange thing that happens on the ski slope. I froze and, I would say, after a couple of seconds, I was very upset.

She added, “I thought, what is this, a prank? Is someone doing something perverted?… My mind was running very fast and I was trying to figure out what was going on.”

Sanderson’s lawyer tried to have Paltrow reconstruct the sequence of events in the courtroom, but she had to be content with recreating the events herself.

Paltrow said: “I was skiing and two skis got caught between my skis, causing my legs to spread. And then someone’s body pressed against me.”

“Did he rub or push? Sanderson’s lawyer asked. “Why did you decide it was sexual assault?”

Paltrow responded: “It was a quick thought that flashed through my mind. There was a strange grunting sound and a body behind me, so I tried to figure out what was going on. What you must remember is that when you have an accident, your psychology is not necessarily thinking about the person who did it. Mr. Sanderson hit me, and it’s absolutely true.”

Later, while being cross-examined by her lawyer Stephen Owens, Paltrow said she was “very sorry” for Terry Sanderson.

“I really feel sorry for him,” said the movie star. “It looks like he had a very difficult life, but I was not the cause of the accident, so I cannot be to blame for what happened to him afterwards.”