How Taylor Swift got dragged into the Gwyneth Paltrow ski crash trial

Emlyn Travis
·2 min read

Gwyneth Paltrow was shake-shake-shaking off questions about her friendship with Taylor Swift during her ongoing ski crash trial this week.

The Iron Man actress is currently being sued by Terry Sanderson, who claims that he sustained serious injuries and a "loss of enjoyment of life" after they collided in a 2016 ski accident. The 76-year-old retired optometrist is suing Paltrow for $300,000 in damages, while Paltrow is countersuing him for just $1 (in addition to attorney fees).

While on the witness stand on Friday, Sanderson's lawyer Kristin VanOrman asked Paltrow if she was inspired to countersue her client for the paltry sum in "symbolic damages" because of Swift, who successfully countersued former DJ David Mueller in 2015 for sexual assault and battery and was later awarded $1 in damages.

Gwyneth Paltrow and Taylor Swift
Gwyneth Paltrow and Taylor Swift

RICK BOWMER/POOL/AFP via Getty; Stewart Cook/CBS/Getty Gwyneth Paltrow and Taylor Swift

"You learned about that through Taylor Swift because she asked for $1 in symbolic damages — is that right?" she asked, to which Paltrow replied, "I think I said at that point I had not been familiar with it, but I since am."

When pressed again if she knew of Swift's lawsuit in 2020, when Paltrow made the decision to ask for the $1, Paltrow responded, "I was not aware at that time."

VanOrman then asked Paltrow if she considered herself "good friends" with Swift.

"No, I would not say we're good friends," the Goop founder answered. "We are friendly. I've taken my kids to one of her concerts before, but we don't talk very often."

"You've never given Ms. Swift personal, intimate gifts for Christmas?" VanOrman inquired, seemingly alluding to Goop's 2021 holiday guide video in which Paltrow packs up a series of presents for fellow celebrities and drops a vibrator into Swift's gift bag. The presiding judge then sustained the line of questioning.

Changing tactics, VanOrman asked about the total amount of money that Paltrow is seeking in damages, noting, "You're also asking the judge to award you attorneys fees for hundreds of thousands of dollars, isn't that true?"

Paltrow replied, "I'm asking a dollar for me and then reimbursement for attorneys fees, which is a separate thing."

The trial is set to resume next week. Representatives for Swift did not immediately respond to EW's request for comment.

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