The trial over an alleged ski accident involving Gwyneth Paltrow kicked off on Tuesday, and right out of the gate, Paltrow’s lawyer doesn’t seem to be doing the actress slash wellness guru any favors.
At issue is a claim by optometrist Terry Sanderson who has accused Paltrow of slamming into him on the Park City slopes and leaving him with “a brain injury, four broken ribs and other serious injuries,” according to the Associated Press. Sanderson has described the incident as a “hit and run” (the actress reportedly “skied away”) and is suing Paltrow for damages.
Paltrow, however, is countersuing for $1 and accusing Sanderson of running into her. She also asserts that her “group” checked on Sanderson after the collision and he said he was “fine.” The two sides are now battling it out in a Park City court with Paltrow in attendance, but it’s her wacky attorney who’s stealing the spotlight.
As seen in the video, things started amicably below with Paltrow’s attorney Steve Owens introducing his team.
Lawyers for Gwyneth Paltrow are introduced as her trial begins.
A retired eye doctor is suing Paltrow for $300,000, claiming she crashed into him while skiing in Utah in 2016. pic.twitter.com/upUBOuBbl0
— The Recount (@therecount) March 21, 2023
Unfortunately, the situation went off the rail as Owens delivered his opening statement, which was notably scattered and punctuated with weird asides, like how much he was tickled by the plaintiff’s description of Paltrow crashing into him like “King Kong swinging out of the jungle.”
Gwyneth Paltrow is accused of crashing into a skier in a $3M lawsuit. An excerpt from her lawyer's opening statement today: pic.twitter.com/HRzUiNB9op
— AP du Plessis 🍏 (@ap1pel) March 21, 2023
After videos of Owens’ opening statement went viral, Twitter had a field day reacting to the legal proceedings, with one Twitter using joking that Paltrow is “about to lose all her vagina candle money with this goofy af lawyer.”
You can see some of the reactions below:
https://twitter.com/Finger_Knees/status/1638231737355345928
I’ve just watched A couple of court cases. These lawyers have the worst presentation skills I have ever seen. Especially Gwyneth Paltrow’s lawyer! She should be so embarrassed at his opening statement. He’s disorganized, boring & confused. https://t.co/ZKhnUPLmLN
— Anthony M Scannella (@Amscannella) March 21, 2023
holy fucking shit
just watched Gwyneth Paltrow’s lawyer’s opening statement AND WHAT THE FUCK
this is insanely hilarious. can’t wait to watch this fuckery unfold.
— ♡ L A U R E N ♡ (@laurennfarmerr) March 21, 2023
#gwynethpaltrow attorney just stroking out in opening statement. Wtf? pic.twitter.com/0lzMEpRhTo
— Denise in NJ (@BitCheekyNJ) March 21, 2023
#gwynethpaltrow attorney is a bumbling idiot. Telling jury that Gwyneth Paltrow lost money on instructor and ski fees she paid when she stopped skiing for rest of day. Also asked judge to limit interruptions from defense objections.
— Denise in NJ (@BitCheekyNJ) March 21, 2023
Surely Gwyneth Paltrow can afford a lawyer better than this guy.
— Kay (@kaydotkay) March 21, 2023
https://twitter.com/defnoodles/status/1638238901453340672
(Via Associated Press)