Gwyneth Paltrow accused of hit-and-run ski crash in new lawsuit

A spokeswoman for the actress said the case regarding a 2016 incident is 'without merit'

FILE - In this Jan. 26, 2016, file photo, Gwyneth Paltrow poses for photographers before Chanel's Spring-Summer 2016 Haute Couture fashion collection in Paris. A Utah man filed a lawsuit Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019, accusing Paltrow of causing him brain injuries and broken ribs when she crashed into him at the Deer Valley Ski Resort in Park City, Utah in 2016. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)
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Actress Gwyneth Paltrow has been accused in a new lawsuit of breaking a man's ribs and leaving him with a concussion when she smashed into him from behind while skiing at a Utah ski resort in 2016.

Retired optometrist Terry Sanderson, 72, said during a news conference in Salt Lake City, United States, on Tuesday that he heard a "hysterical scream" and was then struck between his shoulder blades on a beginner run at Deer Valley Resort on February 26, 2016. He remembers being thrown forward and losing control of his body before losing consciousness. An acquaintance who witnessed the events said he saw Paltrow hit him squarely in the back.

Paltrow denied the claims through spokeswoman Heather Wilson, who said in an emailed statement: "This lawsuit is without merit and we expect to be vindicated."

Sanderson claims in the lawsuit that the 46-year-old actress left him injured on the mountain and didn't send for help. The ski instructor skiing with Paltrow and her family and friends filed a false incident report saying Paltrow didn't cause the crash, the lawsuit says.

Salt Lake City attorney Robert Sykes, right, and plaintiff Terry Sanderson talking during a court hearing at 3rd District Court in Summit County, Salt Lake City, Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019. The Utah man filed a lawsuit accusing actress Gwyneth Paltrow of seriously injuring him during ski crash at a Park City resort in 2016. Sanderson said in the lawsuit that Paltrow was skiing out of control and smashed into him from behind, leaving him with a concussion and four broken ribs. The alleged incident occurred Feb. 26, 2016, on a beginner run at Deer Valley Resort. (Leah Hogsten/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP)
Attorney Robert Sykes, right, and plaintiff Terry Sanderson, who has filed a lawsuit against Gwyneth Paltrow. Leah Hogsten/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP

Deer Valley Resort spokeswoman Emily Summers said the resort can't comment on pending legal matters. The resort is also being sued.

Paltrow is known for her roles in Shakespeare in Love and the Iron Man movies. She also owns a lifestyle company called Goop.

Sanderson said it took him nearly three years to file a lawsuit because he dragged his feet, ran into problems with

previous attorneys and was dealing with inability to function properly because of the concussion.

He said he has been in contact with an attorney representing Paltrow, but he has never been offered any compensation or an apology. They have even suggested he could be sued, Sanderson said.

Sanderson's lawsuit seeks $3.1 million (Dh11.4 million) in damages, but he denies he's suing because Paltrow is a celebrity. He called it an unkind gesture not to stick around or ever apologise for what happened.

"I would like to be vindicated," said Sanderson, now 72. "I would like my truth to be told."

Attorneys for Sanderson said Paltrow's attorneys don't deny she was involved in a crash, but dispute her culpability, said lawyer Robert Sykes, who represents Sanderson.

The office for the attorney representing Paltrow in the case, Stephen Owens of Salt Lake City, declined comment and referred inquiries to Paltrow's spokeswoman.