What did actress Gwyneth Paltrow say to the man who sued her?

What did actress Gwyneth Paltrow say to the man who sued her? Shortly after she was found not guilty of a 2016 skiing accident at a Utah resort, the judge allowed Paltrow to leave the courtroom ahead of the press.

As she walked towards the exit, she stopped and whispered something to the man who had involved her in an almost eight-year legal odyssey and a two-week trial.

Terry Sanderson, a 76-year-old retired ophthalmologist, was found “100% responsible” for the accident.

When asked about the brief conversation outside court, Sanderson readily provided the transcript: “Her exact words were ‘I wish you the best’ was all she said,” he told reporters. “I replied, ‘thanks, dear’.”

Paltrow had claimed compensation of $1 (R$ 5.09) in addition to legal fees. Given that the conversation was not picked up by the courtroom microphones, we may never know for sure what was said.

But many users on social media took the initiative to write their own dialogue for a courtroom drama that has fascinated the country. Some suggested the actress had whispered menacingly, “You can have the dollar.”

Others joked that she would call the next candle for her wellness brand “Total Vindication”. Paltrow owns a wellness and lifestyle brand and company, Goop.

They also shared the hashtag #Gwynnocent, a combination of the words Gwyneth and innocent (“innocent”).

And, after seven years in court, there was also speculation that Paltrow and Sanderson were entering a period of “conscious disconnection”, a reference to a phrase coined during the actress’s divorce from Coldplay frontman Chris Martin.

But for many, the case has become yet another episode of entertainment involving celebrities and US courts. “Wish you both well. Thanks for a highly entertaining week,” said one user.

UNDERSTAND THE CASE

Paltrow was found not guilty by jurors over a 2016 skiing accident at a resort in the US state of Utah.

Terry Sanderson, a 76-year-old retired ophthalmologist, said Paltrow collided with him, causing life-changing injuries.

Sanderson, who was charging Paltrow $300,000 in damages, said Thursday’s verdict was “very disappointing”.

Jurors agreed with Paltrow, who blamed Sanderson for the accident and requested $1 (R$ 5.09) plus attorney fees.

Listening to the verdict in court, Paltrow remained expressionless, looking straight ahead and appearing to nod slightly. She then left. On her way out, she stopped briefly to speak with Sanderson.

In a story posted on her Instagram account with 8.3 million followers, the Oscar winner said: “I felt that agreeing to a false claim compromised my integrity.” Paltrow won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1999 for “Shakespeare in Love”.

Paltrow said she was pleased with the outcome and thanked the judge and eight jury members for “their thoughtfulness in handling this case”.

It took the jury three hours of deliberation to unanimously find Sanderson guilty of the incident and award Paltrow the token sum she sought.

CONTRADICTORY STORIES

Speaking to media outside the courtroom, her lawyer, Steve Owens, said Paltrow “has a history of standing up for what she believes in”. “This situation was no different and she will continue to stand up for what is right,” he said.

Afterwards, Sanderson claimed that he was the only one hit on the slope and suggested that Paltrow’s star power helped her in court. “You gain some presumptuous credibility by being a famous person,” he said. “Seriously, who wants to take on a celebrity?”

The two-week trial heard dozens of witnesses with conflicting stories about who collided with whom.

According to Sanderson, the actress ran him over on a beginner’s ramp at Deer Valley Resort in Park City. In her version, Paltrow skied while he lay unconscious in the snow with broken ribs, Sanderson said.

The accident left him with life-altering brain trauma, he said. But Paltrow shared an entirely different account before the court.

She said Sanderson had skied right into her back as she walked down the slope with her two children.

“I thought, ‘Is this a prank? Is someone doing something perverted? This is really, really weird,'” she said in her deposition. Sanderson was conscious when she skied, Paltrow said, and even apologized to her.

Paltrow’s lawyers worked to undermine Sanderson’s claim that his health was ruined by the accident, pointing to a long list of trips he took after the accident to South America, Europe and Morocco.

And they accused Sanderson of trying to exploit his client’s fame, asking about an email he sent his daughters shortly after the collision, in which he wrote: “I’m famous.”

The case revolved around ski etiquette, with both parties claiming they were downhill skiers and therefore had right of way.

But the testimony also contained several inadvertently funny moments, with lawyers asking Paltrow about her height, her fashion and how close she was to singer Taylor Swift.

There was also a minor dispute in court over Paltrow’s provision of a “gift” to court security staff, which was ultimately denied by the judge. One of Paltrow’s security guards later told BBC News that she wanted to buy them lunch.

And at another point, Kristan VanOrman, one of Sanderson’s lawyers, told Paltrow during cross-examination that she was jealous of his height.

Speaking to reporters after the verdict, the lawyer said she was “not shocked” during the trial. “I have a newfound appreciation for Paltrow as she has to deal with all this [atenção da mídia] daily,” she said.

Sanderson initially tried to sue Paltrow for $3.1 million (R$15.8 million), but the case was dismissed.

This text was originally published here.