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Gwyneth Paltrow Says Utah Skier 'Plowed into Her Back,' Denies Causing ‘Hit-and-Run Ski Crash'

Alexia Fernandez
Updated

Gwyneth Paltrow is denying she crashed into a Utah doctor while skiing in February 2016.

The 46-year-old actress filed a countersuit against Terry Sanderson on Wednesday in which she claimed the 69-year-old “took her out from behind” while she was skiing downhill, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE.

Paltrow claims she was enjoying skiing lessons with her family at the Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah when Sanderson “plowed into her back” which caused her to sustain a full “body blow,” according to her lawsuit.

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Attorneys for Sanderson did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

The Oscar-winning actress expressed anger at Sanderson after the incident, which he “apologized” for. Despite the apology, the incident caused Paltrow to be “shaken and upset, and [she] quit skiing for the day even though it was still morning.”

“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 lawsuit.

Deer Valley ski instructor Eric Christiansen, who is also being sued by Sanderson, recorded what happened in an incident report and was told by Sanderson “he had not seen Ms. Paltrow.”

RELATED VIDEO: Gwyneth Paltrow Marries Brad Falchuk in Star-Studded Hamptons Wedding

Paltrow is seeking “symbolic damages in the amount of $1” as well as attorney’s fees “to defend this meritless claim,” according to the court documents.

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She also called his lawsuit “an attempt to exploit her celebrity and wealth.”

Sanderson, who is seeking damages in excess of $3.1 million, filed his lawsuit in January, claiming the actress “was skiing out of control” during what he described as “a hit-and-run ski crash.”

Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Paltrow

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

Sanderson is also suing Deer Valley Resort and two unnamed resort employees in his lawsuit.

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

A spokesperson for Deer Valley Resort said the resort couldn’t comment on pending legal matters.

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Sanderson alleged in his lawsuit that he suffered injuries including a “permanent traumatic brain injury,” four broken ribs, pain, suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, emotional distress and disfigurement.

During a press conference on Jan. 29, Sanderson said, “I remember feeling very sore, and my brain felt like novocaine, I felt really numb.”

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