First witness in Gwyneth Paltrow's ski collision trial stumbles over memory of incident

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Gwyneth Paltrow's lawyers found inconsistencies in the testimony of the first witness called to take the stand in the 2016 ski accident lawsuit filed by retired optometrist Terry Sanderson against the Oscar winner.

Sanderson accused Paltrow of crashing into him while skiing at the exclusive Deer Valley Resort and then skiing off after the accident. The incident left him with a "permanent traumatic brain injury, 4 broken ribs, pain, suffering, loss of enjoyment of life," along with emotional distress and disfigurement, according to the lawsuit obtained by Fox News Digital.

Craig Ramon, a friend of Sanderson's, was skiing nearby and allegedly heard a scream just before the collision happened. "We were skiing down the run, and then I heard this yell, this scream," he said. "I looked over … and then I see this skier just slam into the back of Terry, very hard. She hits him right directly in the back. His skis, the tips go out like this, and he falls face down kind of spread eagle."

When Paltrow's lawyer, Steve Owens, asked Ramon to recall parts of his deposition, Ramon had a difficult time answering "yes" or "no" questions about the incident. Owens recalled "300 pages" of transcript and a statement from Ramon, but Craig couldn't remember if Paltrow was wearing a helmet, hat, or goggles on the day of the collision and also taking a photo with ski patrol following the accident.

"She just had a blank look on her face," he recalled of the Marvel Cinematic Universe star after the crash which left Sanderson briefly unconscious and requiring medical attention on the slopes in addition to an emergency room visit the following day.

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Gwyneth Paltrow sits in Park City, Utah courtroom on Tuesday for 2016 ski accident lawsuit. (AP Images)

Sanderson's legal team admitted they may call Paltrow to the stand on Wednesday if witnesses are unavailable due to scheduling conflicts. They also revealed Gwyneth was initially scheduled to take the stand on Friday. 

Owens referred to Ramon's deposition via laptop multiple times throughout his testimony. 

"Terry was wearing a helmet," Owens said. "The person he collided with was not wearing a helmet." Ramon answered, "I don’t know."

"Did you tell me she was not wearing a helmet?" he asked, to which Ramon said, "I don’t remember what she was wearing."

Owens continued, "Did you previously tell me under oath that she was not wearing a helmet?" Ramon answered, "I can't answer that. I wasn’t really paying attention to what she was wearing." Paltrow's lawyer reminded Ramon he "previously testified this under oath" before proceeding with further questions. 

When Owens asked, "Gwyneth looked shaken up to me – true?" Ramon responded, "Yes." He followed up with, "Even though she had no helmet, no goggles, no mask or scarf, you did not recognize her. Is that true?" Ramon answered, "Yes."

Gwyneth Paltrow claims she was the one who was crashed into during a 2016 ski accident. (Rick Bowmer)

Terry Sanderson arrives at court Tuesday, March 21, 2023, in Park City, Utah. The retired optometrist is suing actor Gwyneth Paltrow over a 2016 ski collision that took place at Deer Valley Resort.  (Rick Bowmer)

Owens questioned if someone had at least asked Terry if he was alright after the collision, and "he nodded yes," according to Ramon's deposition. 

"He nodded a little bit. He never said yes," Ramon said. 

Ramon later testified, "He never said he was OK. He could hardly stand up. About two minutes before the ski patrol came down … he had a hard time knowing what his name was. He had no idea where he was even at."

"He said he was OK. He probably said he was OK," Owens reitierated. "Did you say that five years ago?"

"If I did, I probably didn’t understand your question," Ramon said. "I think you're taking this stuff out of context because I never said he was OK."

Karlene Davidson was dating Sanderson at the time of the collision and said their relationship fell apart shortly after the incident.

Gwyneth Paltrow wore a cream sweater and glasses for first court appearance related to 2016 ski incident. (Rick Bowmer)

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She described Terry as "fun-loving, joyful, and very ambitious" with "a lot of energy." Davidson "had a lot of trouble keeping up with him."

On the day of the accident, she met Sanderson at home and when he walked in, "he looked disheveled." She remembered he was "very pale" and complained of pain in his ribs. "I think they determined a slight concussion at the clinic," she said.

Davidson said "he started pushing me away" after the accident. "He had no joy left in his life," she recalled. "Not knowing what he was dealing with, I thought it was relationship status things, and so I blame a lot of it on that … and now looking back, I think there was a lot going on."

She added, "I thought I had met the love of my life when I met Terry. He broke my heart when he started pushing me away." 

Gwyneth Paltrow carried a blue notebook while entering courtroom Tuesday in Utah. (Rick Bowmer)

Sanderson is suing Paltrow for $300,000. She filed a counterclaim, seeking attorney fees and $1 in damages.

Her defense claims Terry crashed into her. One of Paltrow's ski instructors had reportedly asked Craig if he knew "that your buddy just took out Gwyneth Paltrow."

Paltrow's lawyers are prepping for Gwyneth to take the stand. In addition, Paltrow's attorney said the jury will "hear from" her now-husband Brad Falchuk and her kids; Moses, 16, and Apple, 18.

The lawsuit also claimed, "Paltrow got up, turned and skied away, leaving Sanderson stunned, lying in the snow, seriously injured. A Deer Valley ski instructor, who had been training Ms. Paltrow, but who did not see the crash, skied over, saw the injured Sanderson and skied off, falsely accusing Sanderson of having caused the crash."

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