by Gwyneth Paltrow said she felt “very sorry” for a man she collided with on a ski slope, but repeatedly reiterated that she had been the “victim” of the accident.
The Oscar-winning actress said she could not be “to blame” for Terry Sanderson’s subsequent decline in health, as she had not caused the accident.
Ms. Paltrow is being sued by retired optometrist Mr. Sanderson for a collision at the Deer Valley resort in Utah in 2016.
She is accused of “beating” Mr. Sanderson on a ski slope and falling on top of him, leaving him with several broken ribs and a serious concussion.
The actress has denied the allegations, claiming that Mr. Sanderson bumped into her and is countersuing him.
Ms Paltrow entered the witness box on Friday to testify, dressed in a dark blue skirt and button-down top, and began her testimony by describing herself as an “intermediate” skier who was “familiar” with the rules of skiing. .
Describing the incident, the actress said she had initially been “confused” and didn’t know what was happening.
“It’s a very strange thing to happen on a ski slope. I froze and I would say I got really upset a couple of seconds later,” she said.
She added: “(I thought) Is this a practical joke? Is someone doing something perverted?… my mind was racing and trying to figure out what was going on.”
Ms Paltrow “did not believe” the testimony of previous witness Craig Ramon, but acknowledged that neither her ski instructor nor her children had seen the incident.
Ramón gave testimony earlier in the trial, in which he said he had seen the actress “hit” Sanderson.
“I didn’t believe his testimony,” Paltrow said.
I don’t think you’ve seen what you think you’ve seen. He said that he was 40 feet away and was color blind. I don’t know how he can be positive about what he saw, especially how much it changed his story.
“If you have two people with ski gear on and helmets on and you’re 40 feet apart, I don’t know how you can tell who’s who.”
Ms Paltrow apologized for “yelling” at Mr Sanderson after the collision and using profanity when she told him “you skied on my fucking back.”
“What you have to remember is that when you are the victim of an accident, your psychology is not necessarily thinking about the person who perpetrated it,” he said.
“After an incident like that, when you feel hurt and violated, the adrenaline rushes over you.”
At one point during Ms. Paltrow’s testimony, Kristin Van Orman, representing Mr. Sanderson, attempted to recreate the sequence of events in the courtroom, with the actress giving her instructions.
Mr. Sanderson, who was also present, watched the reenactment.
The court previously heard from two of Mr. Sanderson’s daughters, who noted significant changes in their father’s mental and physical health since the incident.
Later Friday, during cross-examination by her attorney Stephen Owens, Paltrow said she felt “very sorry” for Sanderson.
“I really feel very sorry for him,” he said.
“It seems that he has had a very difficult life, but I did not cause the accident, so I cannot be blamed for what happened to him afterwards.”
Sanderson is seeking damages of a minimum of $300,000 (£244,000), while Paltrow’s counterclaim is for one dollar.
The actress denied that she was counterclaiming for a dollar due to a similar “token” lawsuit filed by American pop star Taylor Swift.
“I wasn’t familiar with (that lawsuit), but now I am,” she said.
“It is a real dollar that I am asking. It is symbolic because the damage would actually be greater.”
Sanderson is expected to testify next week along with Paltrow’s children and her husband, Brad Falchuk.
