Gwyneth Paltrow sheds light on Taylor Swift friendship amid ‘symbolic’ $1 countersuit

On Friday, March 24th, 2023, Gwyneth Paltrow entered the fourth day of her civil trial regarding a February 26th, 2016 skiing accident at Utah's Deer Valley Resort, per People Magazine.

The actress 50, testified, and the plaintiff’s attorney Kristin VanOrman asked Paltrow about the single dollar in damages she is asking for if the jury rules in her favour.

“It’s an actual dollar that I’m asking for,” she told the court, adding that the amount is “symbolic because the damages would actually be more.”

VanOrman then asked about the symbolic nature of the request. “Remember me asking you, is it symbolic and you said yes, it is, and I asked you as well, well you learned about that through Taylor Swift, because she asked for $1 in symbolic damages, right?” the attorney asked.

Paltrow replied, “I think I said at that point that I had not been familiar with it but I since am.”

The Oscar-winner’s attorneys objected to the relevance of VanOrman’s point as she asked again whether the actress was familiar with the details of Swift’s August 2017 countersuit, which she won.

Paltrow said that she “was not aware at the time” of the musician’s case.

When asked if she was “good friends” with the Grammy-winning artist, Paltrow said under oath, “I would not say we are ‘good friends.’ We are friendly. I’ve taken my kids to one of her concerts before, but we don’t talk very often.”

Paltrow is in court this week over allegations she crashed into retired optometrist Terry Sanderson on a Park City, Utah, ski slope, breaking his ribs and causing permanent brain damage. However, Paltrow claims Sanderson crashed into her and filed a counterclaim, seeking just $1 in damages and attorney’s fees.

She has accused Sanderson of suing to exploit her fame for money. Sanderson, 76, claims the incident, which took place in February 2016, was a hit-and-run and is suing for $300,000 (he initially sued for $3 million).