ohThe nline posts of a man who sued Gwyneth Paltrow in the Sky clash seven years ago could have changed the course of a bombshell trial – but they were only discovered by Internet gamblers after both sides in the case failed to retrieve them.
Prosecutors for Terry Sanderson, 76, argued the Hollywood star plowed into him on the slopes of Flagstaff Mountain at Deer Valley Resort on February 26, 2016. Mr Sanderson claims Ms Paltrow assaulted him in a “full-body beating”. A permanent traumatic brain injury robbed him of “his zest for life.”
Meanwhile, Ms Paltrow accused Mr Sanderson of hitting on her.
New evidence was released earlier this week after online sleuth Michael Fletcher accessed a link Mr Sanderson emailed to his three daughters after the confrontation – which was initially said to have breached security. Talks with DHe is independent On Wednesday, Mr Fletcher said he had to create an account on the website MeetUp and return to group chat discussions on the day of the ski accident.
“I am monitoring the investigation. After they kept saying, ‘This is very important evidence,’ I thought I’d check it out,” Mr Fletcher said. “Remember, I did all this on a cell phone.”
Newly revealed messages between Mr Sanderson and witness Craig Ramone provide insight into their new reactions after the crash, contrasting their version of what happened on the slopes at Deer Valley seven years later.
Some of their comments at the meetup forum match accounts heard by jurors in the seven-day trial so far, while others contradict to a certain degree what Mr Sanderson and Mr Raman have testified.
Here’s how those posts measure up to what the investigation has said so far:
Has Mr Sanderson slipped up again?
One of the claims at the heart of Mr Sanderson’s argument was that the clash with Ms Paltrow had robbed her of her “charm” and “zeal for life”.
The jury heard that due to Mr Sanderson’s cognitive decline, he could no longer enjoy activities he enjoyed such as dancing, wine tasting and skiing.
“I researched that ski group and went back to 2014 to every past event of that group that Craig Ramon and Terry had witnessed,” Mr Fletcher said. The Independent.
(Court TV)
But Mr Fletcher said he found a post on 22 October 2016 suggesting Mr Sanderson had at least tried skiing after the accident with Ms Paltrow.
The post said: “…plan to join our Alta Ski team of mixed abilities. We usually ski mid-week and some Sundays.
Mr Sanderson testified on Monday that despite his doctor’s advice not to ski again, he had tried to do so without success.
“I was told that if I had another accident, I could go into a nursing home full-time,” she told jurors.
Is Craig Ramone aware of Ms. Paltrow’s celebrity status?
Under cross-examination by the defense last week, Craig Ramone said he only knew of Ms Paltrow’s celebrity status thanks to Mr Sanderson, another member of the Meetup group who was skiing with her on the day of the collision.
Mr. Ramon, Ms. Paltrow’s son Moses’ ski instructor Eric Christiansen, Mr. [taken] Evicted Gwyneth Paltrow.
Later, she testified on Tuesday (March 21), another skater told her the Hollywood star was with a “Coldplay guy” – most likely referring to Chris Martin, the band’s frontman and Ms Paltrow’s ex-husband.
In fact, Ms. Paltrow was skiing with her children, Apple and Moses, and her then-boyfriend, Brad Falczuk.
Mr Ramon said Mr Falczak gave him a dirty look as he passed an unconscious Mr Sanderson still face deep in the snow.
(Meeting/Screenshot)
But while describing the confrontation in a Meetup group chat a few days later, Mr. Ramon Coop offered a more colorful view of his knowledge of the mogul.
Gwyneth dumped Terry last week. His son broke his arm skiing in Park City last Saturday,” Mr. Raman wrote. “Gwyneth was staying at The Montage. She took her flight out of Million Airport. I wish I knew so many people. It’s crazy to me that Gwyneth left Terry out.
Although the post echoed Mr. Ramone’s earlier testimony of that version of events, Ms. Paltrow’s lawyers tried to poke holes in his claims that he was unaware of Ms. Paltrow’s fame.
After the tapes of the meetup were admitted in court on Monday, Mr Raman again took the stand to explain his comments. He told the jury that Ms Paltrow, “a lady he knew at Montage”, was staying there and that he knew about her flight arrangements because another friend worked at Million Airport.
“She knew Gwyneth had taken Terry out so when I saw her she told me what happened and I didn’t ask her,” he said.
When confronted about what she had said about Ms Paltrow’s son’s false claims, she said: “I have no idea, this is what I’ve been told.”
Was Mr Sanderson star-struck by Ms Paltrow?
In the newly revealed posts, Mr Sanderson did not say who was responsible for the crash, but he testified on Monday that he was “not in the cult of celebrity”.
Asked why he sent an email to his three daughters with the subject line ‘I’m famous’ hours after the collision, he said he took on “a different personality”.
“My head was shaking. “What I tried to do was to actively communicate with my children before they had to listen to someone else,” Mr Sanderson told jurors. “I didn’t choose my words well – that’s not how I felt … I tried to add a little bit of a serious situation and it backfired. I didn’t know that this was where we were.
Gwyneth Paltrow Says ‘I Lost Half a Day Skiing’
He later said: “I wasn’t into celebrity worship, so I wasn’t worried at the time…the other personality that was inhabiting my body.”
Mr Sanderson only commented on his injuries to the Meetup skiing group.
“Thank you all for your concern…it’s official” at least two broken ribs and a concussion”. Ribs only hurt when I move…” he wrote at the time.
How long did it take Mr Sanderson to remember his name?
In a 2019 affidavit, Mr. Ramon told Ms Paltrow’s lawyers that Mr Sanderson did not know his name when he regained consciousness after the confrontation.
However, he then said that after a few seconds, Mr Sanderson came to his senses and nodded.
He then told the jury last week that Mr Sanderson could not remember his name and confronted the defense with his earlier statements.
On the Meetup forum, Mr Ramone wrote: “Scott what you don’t see is Terri being cold. A blow to the head! Terry didn’t know if he had broken ribs. I saw success. Terry doesn’t know his name. I asked Terry what his name was and he didn’t know. SCOTT That scared me.
Under cross-examination again on Monday, Mr Raman said: “When I first asked him, he didn’t remember his name.”
Mr Raman insisted that he believed it would take Mr Sanderson about six seconds to remember his name.
Another post by Mr Sanderson read: “I was so happy to see that sled show… I didn’t know the bottom from the top…”
What is the extent of Mr Sanderson’s injuries?
One of Mr Sanderson’s comments showed early signs of his concerns about the impact of the conflict on both his physical health and personality, the issue at the heart of his case.
(meetup)
“The concussion is causing some weird physical and personality issues, unlike anything I’ve ever dealt with before. I hope it’s over soon…” Mr Sanderson wrote.
Mr Sanderson filed for damages in January 2019 and is seeking $300,000 in compensation for his injuries, prompting the actress to file a counter-suit in which she is seeking a symbolic $1 and her legal costs if she wins.
During the first six days of the trial, Mr Sanderson’s lawyers and expert medical witnesses described the injuries as having been caused by someone bumping into him from behind and attributed the injuries to significant changes in his mental acuity that day.
Ms Paltrow’s lawyers tried to portray Mr Sanderson as a 76-year-old whose decline followed a normal course of aging rather than the collision with their celebrity client.