Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow is facing a lawsuit by a retired optometrist who claims she collided with him on a ski slope in 2016, causing permanent brain damage.
Paltrow’s attorneys were trying to open a link to documents containing messages between Terry Sanderson, the optometrist, and others involved in the trial, but apparently couldn’t figure out how to access the information earlier this week. But Michael Fletcher, who was watching the trial on Court TV, was able to view the link on TV and access the information contained within in “probably like two minutes,” sending it to Paltrow’s defense team, the New York Post reported.
“It’s comical how easy it was,” Fletcher told Court TV when the outlet interviewed him. “They kept repeating that it’s the most important piece of evidence, and they couldn’t figure it out. They had no idea how to open the link.”
Paltrow’s attorneys reportedly asked Sanderson’s daughters about GoPro camera footage of the incident that occurred on February 26, 2016, on a beginner’s slope at Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah, a resort town known for hosting the Sundance Film Festival.
Fletcher was able to access the information sent to Paltrow’s attorneys, which included messages from a man named Craig Ramon, who says he was the only person who witnessed the collision between Paltrow and Sanderson.
Sanderson has claimed that neither he nor those close to him knew that Paltrow was the other skier involved in the accident until sometime later, but Ramon’s messages make clear that he immediately knew Paltrow was involved.
“You could not make this up. Gwyneth took out Terry last week,” Ramon wrote in the messages uncovered by Fletcher. “Last Saturday, her son broke his arm skiing at Park City. Gwyneth was staying at the Montage. She took her plane out of Millionaire Airport. What makes me mad is Gwyneth took out Terry and then took off.”
The messages also reportedly showed that Sanderson and his friends also knew early on that Paltrow was the woman on the slope.
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Fletcher said that all he needed to do to open the link that baffled attorneys was to log in to the website where it was hosted.
“Like, I can’t believe they didn’t do this already. It’s almost a joke,” he told Court TV. “All I did was create a login for the website. If it’s a website that requires a login, you can’t access anything on it without a login … then the link works. It’s simple.”
Sanderson claims that the actress was skiing behind him on the slope and had turned to watch her children before, as his attorney said in court Tuesday, “she turns her head back down, she screams, then skis into the back of Terry Sanderson.” Sanderson’s attorney, Lawrence Buhler, said that after the collision, his client was left “facedown in the snow, unconscious,” according to The Washington Post. After the encounter, Paltrow allegedly fled, leaving Sanderson “stunned, lying in the snow, seriously injured,” according to his lawsuit. Paltrow didn’t call for help, he added.
Sanderson later went to an emergency room and was diagnosed with a concussion and four broken ribs. Sanderson’s ski companion, Craig Ramon, testified at the civil trial that he saw Paltrow crash into Sanderson and knock him over.
“I hear this scream and then I see this skier just slam into the back of Terry,” Ramon testified.
Sanderson’s lawsuit claims he suffered a “permanent traumatic brain injury, four broken ribs, pain, suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, emotional distress and disfigurement.”
Paltrow’s attorneys have argued that, while a collision did occur between the actress and Sanderson seven years ago, it was the retired optometrist who crashed into her. One of her attorneys, Stephen Owens, said at the trial that because Paltrow was struck so suddenly, she at first thought she was being assaulted.
“She’s skiing, enjoying herself,” Owens said. “Suddenly she sees two skis appear between her skis. And a man comes up right behind her.”
Owens said that right after the crash, Sanderson asked, “Who ran into who?” and then apologized to Paltrow after she said that he ran into her. Paltrow’s defense team said members of her group checked on Sanderson after the accident and he said he was okay and said the same thing to a ski patrol member who came to check on them. The actress’ attorneys said Paltrow only skied away after Sanderson said he was okay and after ski patrol left and that the retired optometrist only sought help after he waved away ski patrol.
Owens said Ramon’s account of the incident was “a whole different, crazy story.” Owens argued that Sanderson didn’t know that Paltrow was involved at the time since she was wearing a helmet and goggles. But later, when he discovered who she was, he emailed his daughters, saying, “I’m famous.”
Sanderson is suing Paltrow for $300,000.