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A judge has rejected an offer by actress Gwyneth Paltrow’s legal team to “provide a remedy” for courtroom security during her trial in Utah.
The unusual request led to a courtroom chorus, prompting the judge to say, “Thank you, but no thanks.”
Paltrow is accused of causing a collision that left retired ophthalmologist Terry Sanderson, 76, with a concussion.
He is claiming $300,000 (£244,000) in damages. It denies responsibility for the plane crash in February 2016 and has responded to it.
Before testifying on the third day of the 50-year-old Oscar-winner’s civil trial in Park City, her attorney Steve Owens said, “My clients’ private security wanted to bring bailiffs rewards for how helpful they were.”
“So I wanted to do it transparently and see if there were any objections,” he added.
Sanderson’s attorneys quickly objected, prompting Judge Kent Holmberg to say, “Well, there is an objection, thank you, but no thanks.”
But he said either side could “decide to do so at a later date” if they wished.
It’s not clear what her team was willing to offer.
During Thursday’s proceedings, the plaintiff’s daughter, Polly Sanderson-Grasham, said her father was “outgoing and outgoing” before the skiing accident, but has now become “agitated” and “gets frustrated easily.”
Ms Sanderson Grasham, 49, gave details of an occasion after the accident when she said she had really noticed the changes in her father.
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Polly Sanderson Grasham described how she knew something was “terribly wrong” with her father
“He was sitting on a chair by the window and I was expecting saliva to come out of his mouth,” she said.
“First of all, he wasn’t attached to anyone. He kind of took himself into a far corner and that was my first real kind of slap in the face with, like, something terribly wrong.”
However, under cross-examination, she accepted that her father was sometimes “repeatedly frustrated” and “crossed the line” prior to the collision.
She added that her father had become “obsessed” with the trial and desperately wanted to apologise.
Sanderson was knocked unconscious for several minutes after the accident, suffering a concussion and four broken ribs, according to his legal process.
A doctor who testified Thursday morning said the plaintiff had suffered a brain injury that “completely changed his life”.
Dr. Alina Fong, a neuropsychologist, said Sanderson had been “suffering with concussion symptoms for a year and a half” when she first saw him in May 2017.
She said Mr Sanderson had reported symptoms, including “changes in mood and personality, pain as well as headaches”.
Asked if there was any indication that he was faking his symptoms, Dr. Fung said there was “nothing at all.”
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Terry Sanderson accuses Ms. Paltrow of being distracted while skating
The accident happened on a beginner’s slope at an upscale Utah ski resort while Mrs. Paltrow was skiing with her family.
Sanderson’s lawyers say the movie star turned lifestyle influencer ran uphill downhill and collided with him from behind, and his injuries provided evidence.
But her defense team said she had begun to descend the slope when a man slammed into her back.
They focused on Mr. Sanderson’s pre-impact medical conditions, including vision and hearing loss from the stroke.
Paltrow is seeking $1 in damages in addition to attorney’s fees. She is expected to testify on Friday.
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