What was Gwyneth Paltrow’s trial about? The most bizarre moments from the ski crash trial

Gwyneth Paltrow’s hit-and-run ski crash trial became social media’s latest punching bag after videos of some of the trial’s most bizarre moments went viral.

Terry Sanderson, retired optometrist, filed for a lawsuit in 2019 against Paltrow, suing her for $300,000 after she allegedly ran into him in a skiing accident in 2016, which left him with four broken ribs, a concussion and brain damage. Sanderson also said the actress got up and skied away after the collision.

However, Paltrow responded to this by saying that Sanderson ran into her and was suing her to exploit her wealth, and she proceeded to countersue for one dollar.

The key point of this trial is that both parties are trying to establish one thing: which party was downhill during the collision.

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The events that played out during this trial became the subject of countless memes, and some things are so bizarre that you may forget why they’re in court in the first place.

Here are some of the most bizarre moments from the trial.

Sanderson’s lawyer telling Paltrow she was jealous of her height

Sanderson’s lawyer, Kristin VanOrman, asked Paltrow about her height. But during most of the trial, she sounded more like a fan rather than a lawyer. In fact, VanOrman said, “Ok, I am so jealous” when the actress revealed that she is “just under 5’10.”

Then, the women start joking about how they feel as though they are shrinking, and VanOrman starts talking about the type of shoes she wears to appear taller. I think they forgot they were in the middle of a trial for a second there.

Sanderson’s lawyer asking Paltrow if she is friends with Taylor Swift

VanOrman questioned Paltrow about her countersuit of one dollar, and asked if she was inspired by Taylor Swift, who symbolically countersued former DJ David Mueller for $1 in 2017 for sexual assault.

Sanderson’s lawyer then asked if Paltrow is friends with Swift. Paltrow’s attorney objected on the grounds of relevance, but the judge overruled, and Sanderson’s lawyer continued to ask Paltrow about her relationship with Swift and if she ever gave Swift any presents. Honestly, I think the judge was curious to know if there was any bad blood between the two (I’m sorry for the pun).

frankly i don’t want this trial to ever end pic.twitter.com/V9kioJ0ABh

— matt (@mattxiv) March 26, 2023

Paltrow’s biggest loss from the accident was that it cut into her ski time

Probably one of the most infamous moments from this trial was when Paltrow was asked about the “losses” she suffered from the accident, to which she said “Well, I lost half a day of skiing.”

Paltrow’s well wishes

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Ultimately, the court ruled in favor of Paltrow, and as she was exiting the courtroom with her one dollar, she touched Sanderson on the shoulder and said, “I wish you well.”

Though Sanderson told reporters that he thought the well wishes were nice, it quickly became a meme among social media users, who also dubbed Paltrow’s final one-liner of the trial as iconic.