Gwyneth Paltrow was questioned as the witness regarding the connection between her “symbolic” request for $1 in damages and her acquaintance with Taylor Swift and the 2017 groping trial of the musician.
On the fourth day of the Park City, Utah, civil trial regarding a February 26, 2016 skiing accident at Utah’s Deer Valley Resort, the 50-year-old Oscar winner testified. The plaintiff’s attorney, Kristin VanOrman, questioned Paltrow about the one dollar in damages she is seeking if the jury finds it in her favor.
“I’m asking for a real dollar,” Paltrow told the court, adding that the amount is “symbolic because the actual losses would be more” when VanOrman questioned her previous claims regarding the symbolic nature of the request.
“Remember when I asked you if it was symbolic and you responded that it was, and I also asked you if you knew about symbolic damages since Taylor Swift demanded $1 in symbolic damages, right?” The attorney inquired, and Paltrow responded, “I believe I stated at the time that I was unfamiliar with it, but I am now.”
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Paltrow’s attorneys objected to the relevance of VanOrman’s point as she inquired once more whether the actress was aware of the details of Swift’s August 2017 countersuit, in which a Denver jury ruled that former radio host David Mueller assaulted and battered Swift, now 33, during a meet-and-greet photo session at the Pepsi Center in June 2013. Swift received $1.
Paltrow stated, “I was unaware of the litigation at the time,” prompting VanOrman to inquire whether she is “good friends” with Swift.
“I wouldn’t call us ‘good friends,'” Paltrow testified under oath. “We are amicable. I have previously taken my children to one of her shows, but we rarely communicate.”
After VanOrman questioned if it is “completely true” to label Paltrow’s demand as $1, the actress said, “So I’m asking for a dollar for myself and repayment of attorneys’ fees, which is a separate request.”
“I interpreted that as a sign that I would receive that $1, which is all I am asking for,” she said after VanOrman referred to a point in Paltrow’s attorney Stephen Owens’ opening statement on March 21 in which he displayed a dollar bill to the jury.
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All sides in the legal claim acknowledge that the incident between Paltrow and retired doctor Terry Sanderson occurred, but they disagree as to who was at fault. Paltrow acknowledged on Friday that she did not enquire about Sanderson’s condition after the ski instructor assured her he would handle the problem and she departed to see her children.
Tuesday marked the beginning of the trial, which is expected to include testimony from Paltrow’s husband Brad Falchuk, and her children Apple, 18, and Moses, 16, who were there on the day of the incident. Sanderson, who claims to have received shattered ribs and lasting brain damage as a result of the accident, has filed a lawsuit demanding $300,000 in damages.
When questioned by her attorneys, Paltrow stated that she feels “very awful” for Sanderson. “It appears that he has had a terrible existence. But I did not cause the accident, so I cannot be held responsible for anything that occurred to him afterward.”
