He watches: A juror speaks after Gwyneth Paltrow wins a civil trial for a skiing accident
A juror in Gwyneth Paltrow’s ski case speaks on ABC News EXCLUSIVELY for the first time after siding with the A-list actress Thursday.
The jury sided with the actor and CEO of Goop in a unanimous decision, concluding that Paltrow was not at fault in a 2016 collision between her and retired ophthalmologist Terry Sanderson on a ski slope in Utah.
Samantha Emery was the 11th juror in the trial.
“The whole thing was a little bit of a shock to me,” the 31-year-old told ABC News.
Imre said she changed her mind several times as the trial began but after the eight-person jury began deliberating, it took just two hours to reach the same decision.
She said she found Paltrow’s testimony compelling.
“I think there was, in the back of my mind, yes, this woman is an actress and I took that into account, but I didn’t feel she had reason to lie under oath,” Emery said. “She’s always in the spotlight, so she always has to be honest.”
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When it came to Sanderson, Emery said, “He was telling his truth and I think unfortunately some of that was distorted by some other factors, but I think he didn’t intend to tell a truth that wasn’t his truth.”
In the end, Emery said she felt expert witnesses, such as Dr. Irving Scheer, who testified on Paltrow’s behalf, helped her reach a conclusion.
“He’s an expert on snow sports in so many different ways. I think the fact that Dr. Scheer could talk to the noise spots and studied snow science specifically made him a stronger opinion,” Emery said.
She said social media photos of Sanderson traveling around the world in the aftermath of the 2016 accident didn’t help the case either. Sanderson had claimed that the collision between him and Paltrow left him with “serious brain injuries”.
“I think I wrote, ‘Wow, I need to make more money so I can travel that way. “I wouldn’t have thought he could do these things based on the picture that was painted.”
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And although this high-profile case involved Paltrow, a celebrity, Emery said her training as a nurse helped her focus on the facts of the case rather than who was involved.
“I think it’s important that the public doesn’t just think this was a win because Gwyneth is such a celebrity. I mean, this is based on evidence. This is based on law,” she said. “I work in medicine and you have to look at everyone as they are. So I think that should apply in the courtroom as well.”
Sanderson had sought $300,000 in damages, but would instead have to pay $1 in “token damages” and pay attorney’s fees and costs.
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