Gwyneth Paltrow trial LIVE: Actress takes the stand

Paltrow was grilled over her friendship with Taylor Swift who was awarded a symbolic $1 in damages on 2017 after she won her case against a Denver DJ accused of groping her.

She told court: ’I would not say we’re good friends. We are friendly. I’ve taken my kids to her concert once but we don’t speak very often.’

In cross-examination, Paltrow said she feels sorry for Sanderson’s injuries but was adamant she is not to blame for the crash.

She also talked of her father Bruce who died in 2002 aged 58 and spoke of how he taught her to ski at Alta Ski Area in the Wasatch Mountains close to Park City.

Paltrow smiled when she was reminded that witness Craig Ramon believed she had been skiing with ‘that Coldplay guy’ - she was on vacation with now husband Brad Falchuk.

She said: ‘I think he was referring to my first husband Chris Martin. He’s a guitar player, a piano player and a since in the band Coldplay.’

Paltrow said that she did not believe the eye witness testimony of Craig Ramon, an acquaintance of Terry Sanderson's who said he saw the actress collide with the optometrist.

'I don't believe that he saw what he thinks he saw,' she said.

Paltrow accused Ramon of 'changing' his narrative.

'If you have two people with ski gear with helmets on and you're 40-plus feet away, I don't know how you can discern who is who,' the actress told the court.

'I can tell you that he didn't because Mr Sanderson categorically hit me on the ski slope.'

Paltrow today described how she yelled at Terry Sanderson after the crash: 'You skied into my f***ing back!'

The actress confirmed to Sanderson's lawyer that the pair were down on the ground together in a 'spooning' position.

'I was very upset and it was still very strange to me what had happened, and I pushed down the hill and I turned around and I yelled at him,' Paltrow told the court.

Sanderson's lawyer said: 'You said to him, "what are you doing", like "why did you do that", and he said, "I think you skied into me" and that's when you were furious and said, "you skied directly into my effing back" at the top of your lungs.'

Paltrow smiled as she replied: 'Yes I did. I apologize for my bad language.'

She went on to claim that Sanderson repeatedly said 'I'm sorry' as he lay on the ground.

Paltrow today claimed she suspected that she may have been the victim of a sexual assault in a ski crash at Deer Valley ski resort in Utah in 2016.

Paltrow, who claims Terry Sanderson skied into her, was asked about an earlier statement she gave in which she alleged: 'I didn't know if it was intentional assault of a sexual nature.'

Sanderson's attorney asked: 'Was he grinding and thrusting or something, or just the noises. What made you think it was a sexual assault?'

Paltrow replied: 'That was a quick thought that went through my head when I was trying to reconcile what was happening. I was skiing and two skis came between my skis, forcing my legs apart and there was a body pressed against me and there was a very strange grunting noise - so my brain was trying to make sense of what was happening.

'I thought, is this a practical joke, is someone like doing something perverted, this is really, really strange. My mind was going very, very quickly and I was trying to ascertain what was happening.'

Paltrow told the court she was not engaging in risky behavior the day of the accident in Utah in 2016.

'I was not engaging in any risky behavior... I would not engage in risky behavior with or without my children being there,' the actress said.

'I have always been open and honest with my kids, and they know me very well.'

Sanderson's lawyers asked Paltrow about the cost of ski lessons for her kids Apple and Moses and her now-husband Brad Falchuk's children, who were also on the trip to Deer Valley in Utah in 2016.

The total bill came to $8,980, Sanderson's lawyer told her.

'It's very expensive,' she agreed.

Paltrow also confirmed she was a generous tipper when asked by Sanderson's attorney.

Gwyneth Paltrow was asked by Sanderson's lawyers if she understood the rules of being involved in a ski collision - that she would need to stay at the scene to provide her contact information.

The actress said she would never leave the scene of an accident but believed this was not incumbent upon her following the crash as it was Sanderson who hit her.

'Because I was hit by Mr Sanderson and he was at fault I assumed that Eric (her ski instructor) who was overseeing everything... he said I should ski down because my children were waiting for me,' the 50-year-old told the court.

She added that she would not leave the scene of an accident without providing details, stating: 'That information was left'.

The actress took the stand confirming her full name, Gwyneth Kate Paltrow Falchuk.

Terry Sanderson's lawyers say they will skip over her background due to her high-profile status and get straight into the ski collision at Deer Valley in Utah in 2016.

Optometrist Terry Sanderson described Paltrow as like the monster 'Godzilla' when she came towards him at Deer Valley ski resort in Utah in 2016, the court heard.

Paltrow's attorney Steve Owens was asking his eldest daughter Shae Hareth if she remembered her father making the comment.

Hareth said she saw a video of Sanderson talking about the crash, where he describes heading down a green run before hearing 'a scream from behind him like Godzilla was coming.'

Terry Sanderson's daughter Shae Herath said there were 'huge' differences between her father now as compared with before the 2016 ski crash at Deer Valley in Utah.

She said he 'would never be able' to run his optometrist's office now.

'He's not able to complete a task from beginning to end, he gets distracted... I don't know how he survives actually,' Herath told the court as she grew tearful on the stand.

The court is due to resume at 1.30pm Utah time - 3.30pm EST.

Terry Sanderson's daughter Shae Herath told the court he was extremely fit before the ski crash at Deer Valley in 2016.

'He could do almost anything, except for a backflip', she said, adding that he was 'very engaged and 'had a zest for life.'

But following the incident he 'is very insecure' and 'doesn't trust his brain anymore.'

She told how her father's life appears to be 'exhausting.'

Herath told how Sanderson 'may be standing in front of you' but 'he's not there.'

Ex-Navy pilot Mark Herath, the brother of Sanderson's son-in-law, revealed that his brain injuries had altered his personality.

Prior to the 2016 crash he said the 76-year-old was 'completely social' and 'active.'

But Mr Herath said he 'lost some of his motivation, his excitement' and was 'less enthusiastic'. 

The relative told the court: 'It's not enjoyable to be around Terry like it used, because of the fact that he's confused a lot and we talked about the paranoia, and he's more anxious around people. So you can only take Terry in small doses now.'

Ex-Navy pilot Mark Herath, the brother of Sanderson's son-in-law, said he had known him for 15 years and they had skied together.

Herath described Sanderson as a 'very strong skier' who he never worried about on the mountains.

Prior to the accident, he said he never noticed Sanderson being forgetful, describing him as 'completely social' and 'active.'

Expert medical witness Dr Richard Boehme told the court that the injuries to Sanderson were consistent with impact from behind.

He told the court this was 'the most probable' circumstance due to the site of the rib fracture.

'I also did some calculations on how fast he would have had to have been going... hitting her from behind is not going to give you the fractural location we see,' Boehme said.

'The location is the tell-tale sign,' he added.

Sanderson had problems with his vision before the 2016 ski crash, her lawyers claimed Friday.

Dr Richard Boehme, a neurologist, was asked whether he was aware of Sanderson's vision problems.

He responded that Sanderson's eyesight was irrelevant because 'you don't have vision in the back of your head.'

'His visual acuity would not come into play,' Boehme added.

First up Friday is the continued testimony of neurologist Dr Richard Boehme who yesterday said Sanderson's injuries could have only been caused by impact from behind.

The doctor is giving evidence about Sanderson's long-term injuries, including brain damage.

Sanderson was a 'high functioning' individual before the 2016 crash, but now 'can't do things' that 'he enjoyed doing before', the doctor testified.

'The brain isn't functioning after the accident as it did before the accident,' Boehme said.

On Thursday jurors heard testimony from Dr Richard Boehne, who said Sanderson's injuries could only have been caused by being struck from behind.

'He was hit by someone from the side and from behind, bear in mind that person landed on him. People who fall don't get rib fractures… it takes something else,' he said.

'If you had a choice between Mr Sanderson hitting Ms Paltrow or Ms Paltrow hitting Mr Sanderson, you would have to pick Ms Paltrow hitting Mr Sanderson from behind and falling on top of him to account for the rib fractures.'

'If you were to compare two scenarios… there's only one scenario that would account for enough force application to fracture those ribs and that would be Ms Paltrow striking Mr Sanderson from behind and falling to the ground. In essence he was like a cushion, if you will.'

On Utah ski slopes, the skier who is downhill has right of way.

This means whoever is higher up on the ski run must be careful of those below.

The central debate in the case is over who should have seen who.

Paltrow's claim is that Sanderson plowed into the back of her, while Sanderson says it was the actress who smashed into his back.

Paltrow and Terry Sanderson, the retired optometrist suing her, are expected to answer questions about the crash as their attorneys jostle to convince the 10-member jury who was responsible for the collision and who had the right of way as the skier farther downhill. Paltrow claims Sanderson was responsible for the crash.

In a trial Judge Kent Holmberg and attorneys for both parties have agreed will last eight days, with each side getting four to call witnesses, Friday marks the final day that Sanderson's attorneys can compel Paltrow to testify. Next week, Paltrow's team is expected to call medical experts, ski instructors and her two children, Moses and Apple.

Sanderson claims Paltrow recklessly crashed into him while the two were skiing on a beginner run at Deer Valley Resort, breaking his ribs and causing a concussion. He is seeking "more than $300,000." Paltrow has countersued for $1 and attorney fees.