Gwyneth Paltrow found not liable for ski collision, awarded $1

A jury in Park City, Utah, on Thursday found actress Gwyneth Paltrow not liable for a 2016 ski collision at the upscale Deer Valley Resort, assigning 100 percent of the blame to retired optometrist Terry Sanderson, who had sued her for $300,000. The jury awarded Paltrow the symbolic $1 in damages she had requested in a countersuit, and Judge Kent Holmberg, who presided over the high-profile civil trial, will decide later if Sanderson, 76, has to pay for any of her legal fees.

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The two-week trial was "the biggest celebrity court case since actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard faced off last year," The Associated Press reports, and much of the interest focused not on the merits of the case or arcane skiing codes of conduct but the personalities and reputations of the litigants. "You get some assumed credibility from being a famous person," Sanderson said after the verdict was delivered. "Really, who wants to take on a celebrity?"

Paltrow explained in a statement that she "felt that acquiescing to a false claim compromised my integrity." On her way out of the courtroom, she leaned over Sanderson and told him, "I wish you well," Sanderson told reporters. He said he responded, "Thank you dear."

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.