Gwyneth Paltrow's lawyer calls out photographers, expert claims plaintiff's personality changed after accident

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Gwyneth Paltrow attorney raises concerns over coverage of ski collision trial: Jeff Paul

Fox News West Coast correspondent Jeff Paul joins 'The Story with Martha MacCallum' with the latest on the televised civil trial involving actress Gwyneth Paltrow.

Gwyneth Paltrow appeared in court Wednesday as she's set to testify at a Utah courthouse regarding a 2016 ski collision.

Paltrow has been sued for $300,000 by retired optometrist Terry Sanderson, who claims the actress skied into him from behind and left him severely injured at the Deer Valley Resort.

A camera placed directly in front of Paltrow and her lawyer was found to be in violation of the court decorum. It was removed and Paltrow's attorney Steve Owens emphasized that there are criminal sanctions that go along with the court rules.

"I want it to stop," Owens said shortly after the start of court. "I don’t want to have to be the one raising it. I want [the photographer] to comply."

Gwyneth Paltrow appeared at court on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, Pool)

Doctors and family members are beginning to testify on the second day of trial in Utah, where Gwyneth Paltrow is accused of crashing into a skier at Deer Valley Resort. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, Pool)

FIRST WITNESS IN GWYNETH PALTROW'S SKI COLLISION TRIAL STUMBLES OVER MEMORY OF INCIDENT

"Court has permitted coverage of the proceeding. If you’re speaking into a microphone, expect an image to be captured," the judge responded. "I do see this as a violation, and I’ve asked that the reporter be told that this is now interrupting our proceeding. If it happens again, the reporter will be asked to leave."

Paltrow's legal team also noted reporters had been in front of Paltrow's car Tuesday and had a camera "inches away" from her face.

The actress could possibly be called to testify today, if witnesses cannot make it due to scheduling conflicts. The actress was originally set to testify on Friday, according to a discussion during court Tuesday.

For day two of the trial, expert witness Dr. Wendell Gibby was called to the stand. He spoke about changes in Sanderson's personality that occurred after the collision.

Dr. Wendell Gibby testified in support of Sanderson's lawsuit blaming Gwyneth Paltrow for the crash. He said Sanderson's head trauma was likely caused by a skier crashing into him. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, Pool)

"Terry had been a very high functioning, high energy person," Gibby said. Every day he was doing lots of things. Meeting groups, wine tasting, skiing, volunteering."

"But after his accident, he deteriorated abruptly, and many of the activities that he used to do, he stopped doing, like, for the most part … He normally could, you know, handle multiple projects at once, but he would have to sit there and focus very hard on one task, he would go to a Home Depot, for example, and forget why he was there."

"He also experienced a worsening of his depression and so those are very typical hallmarks of someone who has had a traumatic injury," he added.

Gwyneth Paltrow appeared in court for the first day of the civil trial regarding a ski collision that allegedly left retired optometrist Terry Sanderson severely injured on Tuesday. (AP Images)

Attorney Lawrence D. Buhler claimed during the witness testimony that Sanderson's relationships with his girlfriend at the time and his daughters changed after the accident. Sanderson's attorney noted that following the ski collision, the retired optometrist got quickly irritated with his grandchild.

"He had been treated in the past for depression," Gibby noted. "Depression is a pretty common diagnosis for modern society. Seems his condition worsened following this event."

"The abrupt change in his functioning and his behavior and his ability to interact with people was not something brought on by a pre-existing condition." 

Gwyneth Paltrow countersued Terry Sanderson saying he actually ran into her while skiing at the Deer Valley Resort. ((AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, Pool))

Gwyneth Paltrow could be called to testify as soon as Wednesday. ((AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, Pool))

During the first day of court, Paltrow's lawyer revealed her now-husband Brad Falchuk and two children – Apple, 18, and Moses, 16 – will testify on the actress' behalf. The trio was with Paltrow at the time of the collision, but did not witness the actual incident.

After the ski collision happened, Paltrow's lawyer claimed Moses, who was nine-years-old at the time, came over with his instructor to find his mother on the ground yelling.

"He was worried," Owens said.

Owens also claimed Falchuk had heard Paltrow scream from farther down the mountain and looked up to see the "Shakespeare in Love" actress laying in the snow.

Meanwhile, Sanderson's lawyer accused Paltrow of "distracted" skiing in his opening statements. Buhler claimed Paltrow was looking up the mountain when she rammed into Sanderson because she was watching her kids ski.

"Distracted skiers cause crashes," he said. "Defendant Gwyneth Paltrow knew that looking up the mountain and to the side, while skiing down the mountain, was dangerous."

The first witness also took the stand during the March 21st hearing.

The "Shakespeare in Love" actress has claimed Terry Sanderson hit her during the 2016 ski collision. (Rick Bowmer)

GWYNETH PALTROW'S SKI COLLISION TRIAL: STAR'S HUSBAND AND TEENAGE KIDS EXPECTED TO TESTIFY

Gwyneth Paltrow leaves the courthouse, Tuesday, March 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Alex Goodlett)

Gwyneth Paltrow was originally set to take the stand in the civil trial on Friday. (AP Photo/Alex Goodlett)

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."

Ramon seemingly struggled with his memory of the incident and Owens referred the witness to the nearly 300-page long deposition the witness had previously given.

"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.

Terry Sanderson arrives at court Tuesday, March 21, 2023. (Rick Bowmer)

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Sanderson accused the Goop founder of skiing off after the accident – which 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.

The retired optometrist originally sued the actress for $3.1 million and claimed he was a victim of a hit-and-run. A judge previously dismissed the claim, and Deer Valley Resort and an instructor were removed from the lawsuit.

Paltrow has maintained that Sanderson actually skied into her, and claims she stuck around until given the OK to leave by a Deer Valley Resort ski instructor. The 50-year-old actress also said Sanderson previously admitted he didn't have a clear memory of the accident in a countersuit.

The actress is seeking attorney's fees and $1.

A general view of the ski slopes at Deer Valley Resort. (Getty Images)

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Fox News Digital's Tracy Wright contributed to this report.