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Gwyneth Paltrow Arrives in Utah Court for Lawsuit Over 2016 Ski Collision

Gwyneth Paltrow Arrives in Utah Court for Lawsuit Over 2016 Ski Collision

Gwyneth Paltrow appeared in a Utah court on Tuesday over a 2016 incident on the slopes.

The Academy Award winner, 50, made her first appearance at Park City District Court in the civil trial that is expected to last eight days in a lawsuit brought against her by retired optometrist Terry Sanderson, who first filed a lawsuit against her back in Jan. 2019.

Before a jury was sworn in on Tuesday, Judge Kent R. Holmberg ruled that the jury will not hear arguments concerning an alleged "hit-and-run," as Dr. Sanderson claimed in his lawsuit. The judge said that he established, via evidence, that Paltrow had stopped and determined that Sanderson did not have any significant injuries before she and a ski instructor, who was with her at the time, left the scene of the incident.

In Sanderson's 2019 lawsuit, he accused Paltrow of colliding with him from behind while skiing down a beginner-level slope at Deer Valley Resort with a ski instructor, who he alleges filed a false report claiming Paltrow did not cause the accident.

Gwyneth Paltrow arrives to stand trial at the Third District Court in Park City, Utah. A lawsuit filed by a retired optometrist who says the actress-turned-lifestyle influencer violently crashed into him while skiing in Utah in 2016 at one of the most upscale ski resorts in the U.S. Paltrow denies she is responsible and has filed a counterclaim.
Gwyneth Paltrow arrives to stand trial at the Third District Court in Park City, Utah. A lawsuit filed by a retired optometrist who says the actress-turned-lifestyle influencer violently crashed into him while skiing in Utah in 2016 at one of the most upscale ski resorts in the U.S. Paltrow denies she is responsible and has filed a counterclaim.

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Sanderson originally described the incident as "a hit-and-run ski crash at Deer Valley, Utah" where Paltrow allegedly "skied out of control and hit" him in the back, adding she "got up, turned and skied away, leaving Sanderson stunned, lying in the snow, seriously injured," according to his 2019 lawsuit.

RELATED: Gwyneth Paltrow to Appear in Court Over 2016 Hit-and-Run Ski Crash Lawsuit

Gwyneth Paltrow Ski Crash Case | Day 1 Sanderson v. Paltrow
Gwyneth Paltrow Ski Crash Case | Day 1 Sanderson v. Paltrow

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The doctor requested damages in excess of $3.1 million, claiming the crash resulted in "permanent traumatic brain injury," four broken ribs, pain, suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, emotional distress and disfigurement.

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A rep for Paltrow told PEOPLE at the time: "This lawsuit is completely without merit. Anyone who reads the facts will realize that."

Paltrow also denied the allegations in a countersuit filed the next month, claiming that Sanderson actually was the one who hit her from behind and is now trying to "exploit her celebrity and wealth."

RELATED: Gwyneth Paltrow Sued for $3.1 Million Over Alleged 'Hit-And-Run Ski Crash': She 'Skied Away'

The Goop mogul's countersuit says that Sanderson "apologized" for the accident at the time. It also claims that the ski instructor, Eric Christiansen, recorded Sanderson in the initial incident report, saying "he had not seen Ms. Paltrow."

"She did not knock him down. He knocked her down. He was not knocked out. Ms. Paltrow was skiing carefully. She skied slowly to stay behind her children, who were receiving skiing instruction slightly further down the mountain," the actress alleged in her 2019 countersuit.