All that for a dollar?
Nah, 鈥檚 motivation to go to trial to fight a lawsuit accusing her of sending a fellow skier 鈥渁bsolutely flying鈥� at a posh in 2016 was about vindication.
She got it when a jury found her not at fault in the collision, granting her exactly the $1 she sought in her countersuit. As a court reporter read the verdict, the courtroom gallery made up mostly of her supporters exhaled while Paltrow sat next to her lawyer intently and avoided displaying emotion that could be interpreted as surprise or gloating.
She might have come out ahead in the court of public opinion, too, Hollywood lawyers and publicists say.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not often that you go through the whole expense and time and bother of litigation for a dollar,鈥� said Tre Lovell, a Los Angeles lawyer who handles many celebrity cases. 鈥淏ut she wanted to turn this into a positive as a way of saying 鈥業鈥檓 not going to get taken advantage of,鈥� and 鈥業鈥檓 a good person.鈥欌��
The actor-turned-influencer avoided engaging in any memorable missteps during the eight-day trial that she attended every day as viewers in Park City, Utah, and around the world watched closely. She even ended things on a classy note when she stopped before leaving court to lean over and put her hands on her accuser鈥檚 shoulder to wish him best of luck.
鈥淪he came across on the stand very well,鈥� said Emily D. Baker, legal analyst and former Los Angeles deputy district attorney. 鈥淪he was personable, she was firm, but she wasn鈥檛 ever aggressive. And it actually came across that she had empathy for what this plaintiff has gone through.鈥�
When 76-year-old filed the lawsuit in 2019, it was the kind of case that seemed to scream for the quick, confidential settlement typical in lawsuits against celebrities. Instead, it endured for four years through trial.
鈥淚 felt that acquiescing to a false claim compromised my integrity,鈥� Paltrow posted to her 8.3 million followers after the verdict.
Sanderson himself questioned afterward whether the lawsuit was worth it and said he believed that people tend to naturally trust celebrities like Paltrow.
Holly Baird, a publicist who handles major celebrity crises including many court cases, says that while trials have potential downsides, there is no reason for famous people to avoid them at all costs.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 see this being a downfall for her,鈥� Baird said. 鈥淭his isn鈥檛 like a murder case or anything. It humanizes her. People have similar stories.鈥�
There were moments of potential pitfall, as when about damages by saying she 鈥渉ad lost half a day of skiing,鈥� acknowledged paying nearly $9,000 for her then-small kids鈥� skiing instruction and explained why she let her ski instructor stay behind to check on Sanderson and exchange information. As he waited to be tobogganed down the mountain by ski patrol, she followed her children Moses and Apple down the mountain, testifying that she was accustomed to having things done for her.
But the honest answer may not have done her damage.
鈥淭hey live in a different world and it becomes their normal, but people are going to assume that,鈥� Lovell said. 鈥淵ou can have that and people are going to know it and accept. You鈥檝e just got to come across as humble.鈥�
Baird agreed.
鈥淚 think she was authentic,鈥� she said. 鈥淪he鈥檚 with her children, she鈥檚 worried about them.鈥�
The jury apparently found Paltrow likeable enough, returning after just 2 1/2 hours to give her a resounding win that blamed the collision 100% on Sanderson.
His lawsuit had sought 鈥渕ore than $300,000, though in closing arguments, his attorneys estimated as more than $3.2 million.
Trial lawyers are known to regularly engage in seemingly friendly repartee with witnesses to try and cultivate sympathy among the jury. But many observers thought Sanderson鈥檚 attorney Kristin VanOrman did the actor a major favor when she at times appeared charmed by Paltrow when she was on the stand.
When VanOrman asked her height and she responded 鈥渏ust under 5鈥�10鈥�,鈥� VanOrman replied, 鈥淚 am so jealous! I think I鈥檓 shrinking. I have to wear heels just to make it to 5鈥�5鈥�.鈥�
VanOrman鈥檚 efforts to flag for the jury that Paltrow was larger than the man she collided with were overshadowed when the actor said back: 鈥淭hey鈥檙e very nice.鈥�
Lovell said it was so 鈥渂izarre and ineffective鈥� that he thought VanOrman was Paltrow鈥檚 attorney when he first tuned in.
鈥淭hat was ridiculous,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he jury sees that and thinks she must not be that bad if the opposing attorney likes her. She seemed star struck.鈥�
Once among the most ubiquitous leading women in Hollywood, has taken fewer and fewer roles in recent years. Many now identify her more with her wellness-and-lifestyle company in some quarters as the quintessential out-of-touch peddler of celebrity woo-woo.
But that also makes Paltrow her own boss, who is not beholden to others for work, and has brought her a devoted set of customer-fans.
鈥淕wyneth has such a cult following in the lifestyle and wellness brand, and people love to see another side of their life like this,鈥� Baird said. 鈥淚 think her PR team should be using it. She鈥檚 getting way more TV time than she would any other way.鈥�
Paltrow鈥檚 fight to clear her name resonated with many of her fans, including those who braved blizzards to fill the gallery of the Park City courtroom for two weeks.
鈥淲hen you are a celebrity you know that you鈥檙e going to get some of this, but that was totally over the top,鈥� said Ann Malcolm, a Park City local who enjoys skiing at Deer Valley, the mountain where Paltrow and Sanderson crashed.
A crowd made up of locals and some who traveled from California to catch a glimpse of the trial snapped selfies, showed each other mockups of t-shirts that read 鈥�#Gwynnocent鈥� and commended Paltrow for being both gracious and fighting to clear her name.
鈥淗e thought it would be an easy payday,鈥� said David Madow, a retired dentist and avid skier who attended multiple days of court proceedings. 鈥淚 was impressed with the fact that she said 鈥橬o, I鈥檓 not gonna do that.鈥�
鈥擜ndrew Dalton And Sam Metz, The Associated Press
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