Gwyneth Paltrow won her court battle with retired optometrist Terry Sanderson this week, bringing an end to months of headlines and social media jokes. Footage of the hearing showed Paltrow leaning in close to Sanderson on her way out the courtroom, and there have been a lot memes about what she said to him. However, according to a report by Entertainment Tonight, what Paltrow really said to Sanderson was: “I wish you well.”
Paltrow wore a solemn yet not unkind expression as she leaned down to give her parting words to Sanderson. The claimant was still sitting between his lawyers when Paltrow walked past him, and as she stopped she put her hand on his shoulder. Sanderson had sued Paltrow for a skiing accident in 2016 in Park City, Utah, where they collided on a beginner-level course. Sanderson sued Paltrow in 2019, claiming that the crash was her fault and that it had left him with “a brain injury, four broken ribs and other serious injuries.”
Videos by PopCulture.com
Sanderson claimed that Paltrow was “out of control” on the ski slope and was negligent about the damage left in her wake. He said that she skied away from him after their crash and did not call for help. His initial lawsuit sought $3.1 million in damages, though in 2022 the court dropped some of his claims against Paltrow, lowering his lawsuit to $300,000.
During this drawn-out process, Paltrow filed a countersuit against Sanderson, though she only sought a symbolic victory and set her damages at $1. Her lawsuit claimed that Sanderson, “who was uphill from Ms. Paltrow, plowed into her back,” causing her “a full ‘body blow’” which left her “angry.” She noted that Sanderson “apologized” but that she was upset by the crash and ultimately gave up on skiing ofr the rest of the day. Both lawsuits noted that the resort staff’s incident report held Sanderson responsible for the collision.
Upon her victory last week, Paltrow released a public statement saying: “I felt that acquiescing to a false claim compromised my integrity. I am pleased with the outcome and I appreciate all of the hard work of Judge Holmberg and the jury, and thank them for their thoughtfulness in handling this case.”
The trial lasted two weeks and spawned some viral videos and quotes on social media. A few of Paltrow’s statements made the rounds, but her quiet word to Sanderson at the end might have been the internet’s favorite part. Users appended all kinds of captions to the clip guessing what Paltrow could have said to Sanderson. In truth, the actress sought only to make peace.
