Gwyneth Paltrow's ski collision trial spawns memes and intrigue


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When two skiers collided on a beginners' run at an upscale Utah ski resort, who knew it would become the subject of a closely watched celebrity trial?

But Gwyneth Paltrow's trial over a 2016 collision with a 76-year-old retired optometrist in Park City is the biggest celebrity court case since Johnny Depp and Amber Heard — spawning memes, and sparking debate about the burden of fame and ski etiquette.

As lawyers plod through questioning their final witnesses on Wednesday and prepare for closing arguments on Thursday, here is a look back at highlights from the two-week trial:

Lifestyles of the rich and famous

For seven days, lawyers have both highlighted — and played down — Paltrow and Mr Sanderson’s extravagant lifestyles.

The actress's legal team has tried to represent him as an angry, ageing man who continued to travel internationally and go wine-tasting after the collision.

Mr Sanderson’s attorneys have questioned Paltrow about the $8,890 bill for private ski instructors — one for each child — and her decision to leave the slope after the crash to get a massage.

Mr Sanderson's lawyers are asking for more than $300,000 in damages.

Although the amount remains undecided, the money at stake for both sides pales in comparison to the typical legal costs of a multiyear lawsuit.

Both sides have called on brigades of expert witnesses, including a biomechanical engineer and accident reconstructionist.

To keep jurors engaged through hours of jargon-heavy testimony, Paltrow’s team has shared a series of advanced, high-resolution animations of the collision.

Fame

Lawyers on both sides have tapped into the power of celebrity to make their cases that reputations and moral principles are what's at stake in the trial.

Mr Sanderson's side has tried to characterise the actress-turned-lifestyle influencer as clumsy, out-of-touch, and evading accountability.

They likened her decision to file a $1 countersuit to Taylor Swift, who filed a similar counterclaim in 2017 — which drew attention to Paltrow's testimony that she was "not good friends" with Swift but just "friendly”.

Paltrow's defence team has called the lawsuit an attempt to exploit her fame, and suggested that she's vulnerable to unfair, frivolous lawsuits.

They have questioned witnesses about Mr Sanderson's “obsession” with the case and homed in on an email subject line in which he wrote “I'm famous."

“To become famous, he will lie,” one of his lawyers said.

Meme fodder

The trial has tested the jury’s endurance as its eight members have gradually sunk deeper into their chairs through hours of expert-witness testimony.

It has amused spectators worldwide, become late-night TV fodder and fed the internet’s insatiable appetite for memes.

Viewers tuning into proceedings on CourtTV have seen Paltrow complain about losing a half day of skiing after the crash, spawning comparisons to The White Lotus.

Photographs of Paltrow entering and exiting the courtroom — often shielding her face with a blue GP-initialled notebook — have gone viral on social media.

Snow White

The proceedings have drawn the world's attention to Park City, Utah, where the Sundance Film Festival takes place.

The jury and local residents nodded along as attorneys have made reference to local landmarks like The Montage at Deer Valley, where Paltrow got a massage after the crash.

The all-white jury responsible for deciding on the lawsuit is drawn from registered voters in Summit County, where the average home sold for $1.3 million last month.

Unlike the high-powered, Hollywood lawyers that become household names at celebrity trials, both sides are represented by locals.

Paltrow's team specialises in medical malpractice suits, while Mr Sanderson's lead counsel, "country lawyer" Bob Sykes, is known in Salt Lake City for his work suing police departments.

GoPro?

The intrigue of "missing GoPro footage" has tongues a-twitter.

Paltrow's attorneys teased that incident was potentially captured on a helmet-cam video, although no footage has been included as evidence in the trial.

Mr Sanderson’s daughter testified this week that an email she sent on the day of an accident referring to the GoPro did not imply that footage existed.

Internet sleuths following the trial later found and sent lawyers the link included in the email.

Rather than revealing GoPro footage, it contained a chatroom discussion between members of Mr Sanderson's ski group, including the man claiming to be the sole eyewitness who testified that Paltrow crashed into Mr Sanderson.

The specs

Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors

Power: Combined output 920hp

Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic

Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km

On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025

Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000

Britain's travel restrictions
  • A negative test 2 days before flying
  • Complete passenger locator form
  • Book a post-arrival PCR test
  • Double-vaccinated must self-isolate
  • 11 countries on red list quarantine

     
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Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi

Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser

Rating: 4.5/5

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Key findings of Jenkins report
  • Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
  • Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
  • Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
  • Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

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Price: From Dh149,900

A Dog's Journey 

Directed by: Gail Mancuso

Starring: Dennis Quaid, Josh Gad, Marg Helgenberger, Betty Gilpin, Kathryn Prescott

3 out of 5 stars

ABU DHABI T10: DAY TWO

Bangla Tigers v Deccan Gladiators (3.30pm)

Delhi Bulls v Karnataka Tuskers (5.45pm)

Northern Warriors v Qalandars (8.00pm)

Credit Score explained

What is a credit score?

In the UAE your credit score is a number generated by the Al Etihad Credit Bureau (AECB), which represents your credit worthiness – in other words, your risk of defaulting on any debt repayments. In this country, the number is between 300 and 900. A low score indicates a higher risk of default, while a high score indicates you are a lower risk.

Why is it important?

Financial institutions will use it to decide whether or not you are a credit risk. Those with better scores may also receive preferential interest rates or terms on products such as loans, credit cards and mortgages.

How is it calculated?

The AECB collects information on your payment behaviour from banks as well as utilitiy and telecoms providers.

How can I improve my score?

By paying your bills on time and not missing any repayments, particularly your loan, credit card and mortgage payments. It is also wise to limit the number of credit card and loan applications you make and to reduce your outstanding balances.

How do I know if my score is low or high?

By checking it. Visit one of AECB’s Customer Happiness Centres with an original and valid Emirates ID, passport copy and valid email address. Liv. customers can also access the score directly from the banking app.

How much does it cost?

A credit report costs Dh100 while a report with the score included costs Dh150. Those only wanting the credit score pay Dh60. VAT is payable on top.

The specs: 2018 Audi RS5

Price, base: Dh359,200

Engine: 2.9L twin-turbo V6

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic

Power: 450hp at 5,700rpm

Torque: 600Nm at 1,900rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 8.7L / 100km

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The specs

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

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Torque: 637Nm at 5,150rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto

Price: from Dh317,671

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Jetour T1 specs

Engine: 2-litre turbocharged

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Torque: 390Nm

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Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan

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Rating: 4/5

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The more serious side of specialty coffee

While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.

The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.

Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”

One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.

Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms. 

Russia's Muslim Heartlands

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Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten

Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a  month before Reaching the Last Mile.

Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

 

Specs

Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

Price: From Dh98,800

Available: Now

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Updated: March 30, 2023, 12:40 AM