Gwyneth Paltrow's daughter Apple testified that her mom was 'in a state of shock' after ski collision
The ongoing civil trial over Gwyneth Paltrow's 2016 ski collision ended for the day Tuesday with the legal teams of the Oscar-winning actress and Terry Sanderson, the retired optometrist accusing her of slamming into him, reading aloud depositions given by Paltrow's children, Apple, now 18, and Moses, 16.
While neither of the children that Paltrow shares with ex-husband Chris Martin was present when the collision happened, they were asked about the events that occurred immediately before and after. Both confirmed that they were part of a group that also included Paltrow's husband, Brad Falchuk, and his children, as well as multiple ski instructors that day at Deer Valley Ski Resort in Park City, Utah. The crash happened just as the group was heading to lunch at the bottom of the slope.
According to her statement, Apple said that her mom was upset over the incident.
"At lunch, she said he had skied into her back, and she called him an a-hole that skied into her back," Apple said. "I remember she was very frantic about it, so she probably said something along the lines of that."
When she was pressed on what she meant by frantic, Apple responded, "She was in a state of shock. She was just very upset and she was in pain."
The teen resumed skiing afterward, but her mom headed to the spa.
"I never see her really, like, shaken up like that," Apple said. "And she was very clearly, visibly upset. And she had some sort of pain. I can't remember what, but she was in a little bit of pain. And I remember that's why she went to the spa to get a massage."
While Sanderson has alleged that Paltrow ran into him on a beginner ski slope and dashed off, and is seeking $300,000 in compensation after having suffered four broken ribs, a concussion and, what he argues, lingering cognitive symptoms caused by the crash, Paltrow is countersuing. She has insisted that it was Sanderson who smashed into her, and she's asking for a symbolic $1, plus attorney's fees.
Paltrow herself took the stand Friday, testifying that, in the moments after the accident, she was unsure of exactly what was happening, and she wondered if it were "an intentional assault of a sexual nature."
"So that was a quick thought that went through my head when I was trying to reconcile what was happening," Paltrow said. "I was skiing and two skis came between my skis, forcing my legs apart, and then there was a body pressing against me. And there was a very strange grunting noise, so my brain was trying to make sense of what was happening. I thought, 'Is this a practical joke? Is someone, like, doing something perverted? This is really, really strange. My mind was going very, very quickly, and I was trying to ascertain what was happening."
The Sliding Doors actress said she yelled at Sanderson using profanity, for which she later apologized.
"I said, 'You skied directly into my f***ing back,' and he said, 'Oh, sorry, sorry, I'm sorry,'" Paltrow said. "I was pretty upset."
Her lawyers haven't decided yet if they will be calling Falchuk to the stand.