One of the songwriters behind John Farnham's 1986 hit song You're the Voice, Keith Reid, has died at the age of 76.
The lyricist and co-founder of British group Procol Harum "died suddenly on 23 March 2023, in hospital in London", the band announced recently on their website.
"He had been receiving cancer treatment for the past couple of years," the statement said.
Lyricist Keith Reid for Procol Harum Dies Aged 76 1967: Procul Harum lyricist and manager Keith Reid with the group's ex-manager Tony Secunda. (Michael Stroud/Express/Getty Images)
Reid – who was also famous for songs including A Salty Dog, Conquistador and A Whiter Shade of Pale – was one of four British songwriters behind the unofficial Australian anthem that Farnham made famous.
Speaking about how he came on board to write the track, Reid told website Songfacts he was a last minute ring-in when Chris Thompson struggled with the lyrics.
"Chris called me and said, 'I've got something and I don't know what to do with it lyrically'," Reid said.
John Farnham performs during Fire Fight Australia at ANZ Stadium on February 16, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. (Cole Bennetts/Getty Images)
"'It feels as though it should be slightly political, but I don't know. Have a listen'. And we sat down, he played me the tune, and I got the title idea, You're The Voice.
"It's an anti-war song in a way, but it was more of a 'make your voice heard' kind of thing. Wake up to your own power."
In addition to Thompson, the lead singer of Manfred Mann's Earth Band, The track was also written by alongside Andy Qunta and Maggie Ryder, two writers from Thompson's publishing company.
Qunta took to social media to pay tribute to Reid, with the duo going on to write a number of tracks together.
"Very sorry to learn of the passing of my friend and co-writing partner, Keith Reid," Qunta wrote.
"Keith was the lyricist for all the Procul Harum songs, including A Whiter Shade Of Pale, which I absolutely loved. It was a dream come true to be able to work with him on several songs, the first of which was John Farnham's hit You're The Voice, a collaboration with Chris Thompson and Maggie Ryder.
"Keith was a lovely guy and a massive talent who will be very much missed. Condolences to Pinkey and the family."
Reid's death comes at the same time as Farnham continues his own health battle.
Late last year, the You're The Voice singer underwent surgery to remove a cancerous growth. The procedure required 26 surgeons.
Late last year, the You're The Voice singer underwent surgery after he was admitted to a hospital to remove a cancerous growth. (Justin McManus/The Age)
Today, the 73-year-old singer's family revealed Farnham has returned to hospital, undergoing further treatment.
"He is comfortable and receiving the very best care," the statement, released by his wife Jill, reads.
"John continues his recovery following last year's successful surgery," she said.
"He's always been a strong and determined person with everything he's ever done and we are all so very proud of him. He is responding well to the specialist care he's receiving."
Sign up hereto receive our daily newsletters and breaking news alerts, sent straight to your inbox.
When the trial began, it seemed to have all the hallmarks of a Hollywood courtroom drama: a rich and famous defendant, a mysterious collision on a ski slope, and a demand for $US300,000 ($450,000) in damages.
But the case involving actress-turned-wellness influencer Gwyneth Paltrow quickly turned into a farce.
There were bumbling lawyers who asked gossipy questions about Taylor Swift, claims that a ski accident inhibited a man's ability to enjoy wine tastings, and a proliferation of memes online.
Loading Twitter content
The jury was called to decide who was responsible for a crash at a ski resort in Utah in 2016: Paltrow or retired optometrist Terry Sanderson.
He claimed she slammed into him on a beginner's run at Deer Valley Resort, and sought damages for allegedly leaving him with a brain injury and four broken ribs.
Paltrow insisted he was at fault, but was trying to shake her down because she's a Hollywood star. She countersued a symbolic $US1 as well as legal costs.
After a week-long hearing, the jury deliberated for two hours and 20 minutes to find Mr Sanderson 100 per cent at fault for the crash.
As Paltrow left the court, she whispered to the man who sued her: "I wish you well".
Gwyneth Paltrow stopped to speak with retired optometrist Terry Sanderson after the jury found in her favour. (Reuters: Rick Bowmer)
The exchange was a dramatic Hollywood ending to a trial that was at times gripping, at times bizarre, but ultimately came down to one simple question.
Both Paltrow and Sanderson's arguments largely boiled down to this golden rule — each insisted they were downhill when the other party hit them from behind.
On Friday, March 26, 2016, Paltrow joined her teenage children Moses and Apple for a morning ski lesson, while Sanderson hit the slopes with a group of experienced friends.
The Bandana run is a green beginner's slope from Flagstaff Mountain to Empire Canyon Lodge, which connects skiers to lifts up to the black runs from the Empire peak.(Deer Valley Resort)
Paltrow testified that she had been following closely behind her children and their instructors when the collision occurred.
"Mr Sanderson skied directly into my back," she repeatedly declared from the stand.
Paltrow told the court she initially froze up while trying to understand what had happened.
"I was skiing and two skis came between my skis, forcing my legs apart. And then there was a body pressing against me and there was a very strange grunting noise," she said.
Paltrow said she fell over with Sanderson in a tangle of limbs and skis, landing in a spooning position, then pushed herself away from him and yelled: "What are you doing?"
She recalled Sanderson telling her, "I think you skied into me", to which she responded, "you skied directly into my f***ing back", and he replied "I'm sorry, I'm sorry".
Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume.
Gwyneth Paltrow tells court she froze up immediately after ski collision
Paltrow told the court that Eric Christiansen, one of the paid ski instructors supervising her children, came over at this point to see what was going on and helped Sanderson back up.
She said she didn't ask about Sanderson's condition after the crash, and skied down the hill to meet up with her children for lunch, leaving the instructor to fill out an incident report and pass on her information to Sanderson.
But Sanderson claimed he was the one who was downhill at the time of the crash, and that it was Paltrow who skied into him before leaving the scene.
According to Sanderson, he was skiing with an experienced bunch of friends on his first run at Deer Valley, when he heard a "blood-curdling scream".
Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume.
Man suing Gwyneth Paltrow over ski collision testifies hearing a "blood-curdling scream"
He told the court he was struck in the back, and could feel what he thought were fists and ski poles at the base of his shoulder blades.
"Serious, serious smack. Never been hit that hard. And I'm flying. I'm absolutely flying," Sanderson said.
He said he couldn't recall anyone landing on top of him, or having a conversation with Paltrow, but the next thing he knew, a man was standing over him saying that it was Sanderson who had caused the accident by skiing outside the rules.
"I just knew he was mad … I heard him saying: 'Do you realise, do you realise that you weren't skiing under the rules? You hit somebody, you hurt somebody.'"
Sanderson told the court he began to whisper that he was sorry, to "placate this man in the only defensive manner that I could".
He said eventually, the man helped him up abruptly before skiing away and then a friend from his group, Craig Ramon, tried to usher him down the hill.
They didn't get far before Ramon flagged down help, and Sanderson was eventually taken the rest of the way on a ski patrol toboggan.
The wild interactions between Gwyn and the lawyers
A trial involving Paltrow, who remains one of the most divisive celebrities on the planet, was always going to be closely watched.
Just days before the trial began, Paltrow went viral on social media for discussing her diet, which many claimed was dangerously low in calories, while also espousing the benefits of doing "ozone therapy, rectally".
Gwyneth Paltrow's designer outfits, green juices and expensive notebooks were closely scrutinised online. (Reuters: Jeffrey D. Allred)
And so when she walked into the Utah courtroom, the internet immediately dissected everything from her luxe neutral-toned wardrobe, to the $US250 notebook she used to shield her face from the press, and the bottle of green juice she carried with her.
When she took the stand, Paltrow maintained that she did not settle this case to make it go away as a matter of principle.
"Well, I lost half a day of skiing," she said when asked to outline the losses she had experienced as a result of the collision.
In a series of questions that veered from juicy to bizarre, Paltrow was cross-examined by one of Sanderson's attorneys, Kristin A. VanOrman.
"May I ask how tall you are?" she asked.
"I'm just under 5'10," Paltrow responded.
"Ok, I am so jealous," the lawyer said.
Loading Twitter content
VanOrman also drew a barrage of objections from Paltrow's lawyers when she repeatedly asked if she was friends with singer Taylor Swift.
"No, I would not say we're good friends. We are friendly. I've taken my kids to one of her concerts before, but we don't talk very often," she answered.
Loading Twitter content
VanOrman then asked if the stars exchanged Christmas gifts, but to the great disappointment of gossip sites, the judge shut down the line of questioning as irrelevant.
After she was excused from the stand, Paltrow's security tried to give treats to the court staff to thank them for their service.
But after Sanderson's legal team objected, Judge Kent R. Holmberg had one message for Paltrow: "Thank you but no thank you."
The claimant
According to Sanderson, his collision with the Goop founder profoundly changed his life.
The retired optometrist alleged he had pain in his ribs, his ears were buzzing and he was seeing "sparks" in his eyes after the crash.
He claimed he sustained several broken ribs and a concussion that left him with "rather bizarre physical and personality issues".
In 2019, he sought $US3 million ($4.6m) from Paltrow, claiming that as well as leaving him with a permanent brain injury, he suffered "loss of enjoyment of life, emotional distress and disfigurement".
A judge ruled that he could only sue for a maximum of $US300,000 in damages.
Terry Sanderson said the Goop founder left him with brain damage and four broken ribs.(Reuters: Rick Bowmer)
Expert witnesses called by Sanderson's lawyers testified that the broken ribs could have only been the result of being struck from behind.
"There's only one scenario that would create enough force to crack those ribs and that would be Paltrow striking him and landing on top of him," biomedical engineer Richard Boehme said.
"Terry had been a high-functioning, active person. Every day he was doing lots of things: meeting groups, wine tasting, skiing, volunteering. After the accident, he deteriorated abruptly, and many of the activities he loved to do, he stopped doing," radiologist Wendell Gibby told the court.
The defence has attempted to discredit the case as a ploy to exploit Paltrow's fame and wealth.
At one point, her legal team grilled Sanderson on an email he sent hours after the crash in which he told his daughters: "I'm famous."
Sanderson said it was a "crazy thing to say" but blamed his choice of words "the other personality that's inhabiting my body".
"And you blame Gwyneth Paltrow for that?" her lawyer asked.
Sanderson replied: "Yes, absolutely."
The witnesses' duelling accounts
Legal teams for Sanderson and Paltrow also leaned heavily on witness testimony to establish which party was uphill at the time of the crash.
Paltrow's lawyers called Eric Christiansen, the Deer Valley employee who had been instructing her son Moses, to lay out his version of events.
The trial came down to a question of who violated the American code of responsibility on the slopes. (NSAA)
Christiansen filed an incident report on the day of the collision, in which he summarised the chief complaint as "male skier took [Paltrow] out from behind".
In his report, Christiansen wrote that he didn't see the collision himself, but heard Paltrow scream as she went down, and when he went over to help he found "the man behind her".
On the stand, Paltrow's lawyers asked Christiansen to walk the jury through the collision using an animated reconstruction.
Christiansen told the court Sanderson had been skiing at speed prior to the crash, and that the first thing he said was "she just appeared right in front of me", indicating he must have been the one to hit Paltrow from behind.
Gwyneth Paltrow insists she was further down the slope when Terry Sanderson crashed into her. (Instagram: Gwyneth Paltrow)
This version of events was very different to that of Craig Ramon, a friend of Sanderson's who was skiing with him on the day and is the only person claiming to have seen the crash.
Ramon also recalled hearing a scream before he looked across the slope and saw a skier "slam into the back of Terry, very hard", sending him face-down into the snow.
He said he saw Paltrow fall on top of Sanderson, bounce off and slide about five or 10 feet to the right.
Ramon backed up Sanderson's claims that Christiansen had yelled at him after the crash, failed to ask if he was OK or to pass on Paltrow's information.
The court also heard depositions from Paltrow's two children, Apple and Moses, who had been expected to testify in person.
Moses, who was nine at the time of the crash, said that he followed his instructor, Christiansen, and "saw my mother and a person behind her … who had crashed".
"When I skied over I heard my mom yelling at the guy, she was saying something along the lines of: 'What the f-word? You just ran into me'," he said.
Gwyneth Paltrow's daughter Apple (left) provided written testimony to the court about her account of what happened on the slope. (Instagram: Gwyneth Paltrow)
Apple, who was 11 at the time, said that she was not with her brother or mother at the time of the collision.
"I did hear some commotion but I was further down, so I decided to continue to go down to the lodge," she said.
Apple said by the time her mother joined the group for lunch, she seemed very shaken up, and was "clearly visibly upset" and in pain.
"I noticed that she looked a bit shocked, and I asked what had happened and she said, 'this a-hole ran into me, he ran right into my back'," Apple said.
"She decided after that she was not going to ski for the rest of the day — which she never does, she always stays on.
"But she decided to get off because she was in shock, and she was in a bit of pain."
Paltrow confirmed in her own testimony that after lunch, she checked into the spa for a massage, explaining that she felt "very shaky" and that her knee and back were bothering her.
The missing GoPro footage
Early on in the trial, Paltrow's lawyers were focused on tracking down suspected missing footage of the incident, which they described as "the most important piece of evidence".
Gwyneth Paltrow said the lawsuit was an attempt to shake her down for money because she's a big star. (Reuters: Rick Bowmer)
The team questioned several witnesses about a link in an email from one of Sanderson's daughters, Shae Herath, where she wrote: "I also can't believe this is all on GoPro."
Lawyers for both Paltrow and Sanderson told the court they had struggled to access the link to see what it was.
Herath testified that she had not been referencing a specific GoPro, but was assuming that someone among the hundreds of people skiing nearby at the upscale resort on that day must have been wearing a helmet camera.
But rather than revealing any missing footage, it was the link to a Meetup page set up by Sanderson to coordinate group outings to the snow.
In a thread that began the day after the crash, Ramon wrote that Sanderson had sustained "a bad hit to the head", having been "knocked out cold" and Sanderson chimed in to say that he had "at least two broken ribs and a concussion".
A week after this exchange, Ramon left another comment, claiming that: "Gwyneth took out Terry last week … What makes me mad is that Gwyneth took out Terry and just took off."
A comment on the Meetup site from Craig Ramon said "You can not make this up. Gwyneth took out Terry last week."(Meetup)
The defence also drew on a catalogue of other social media material to bolster its case that Sanderson's quality of life had not meaningfully deteriorated in the years since the collision.
Paltrow's lawyers attempted to show the jury photos from Sanderson's Facebook account of lavish vacations taken after the collision, though they struggled to rotate some of the pictures.
Attorneys for both Paltrow and Sanderson appeared to struggle with technology in several moments throughout the trial.(Reuters/Pool: Rick Bowmer)
They recounted several trips that saw Sanderson floating down the Amazon, ziplining in Costa Rica, riding camels in Morocco, holidaying across Europe and taking several ski trips.
Attorney Steve Owens grilled Sanderson on the photos and captions, which the defence argued demonstrated he continued to live a happy and healthy life.
"Is this you … doing yoga or mamba or what?" Owens asked.
"It's Zumba, I had my two granddaughters there and we had a blast," Sanderson replied.
'I'm not that crazy person'
In closing arguments, Sanderson's lawyers summed up that while Paltrow genuinely believed she had not been at fault, "sincere belief doesn't make it so".
They also argued that Sanderson had "no reason" to falsely sue Paltrow, and asked the jury to consider medical experts' testimony about the cause of injuries as well as the "flaky" Deer Valley incident report.
Paltrow's lawyers summed up the case by pointing out the Hollywood star could easily have written Sanderson a check to make the case go away, but that wouldn't be right.
"No, it's wrong. It's actually wrong. He hurt her, and he wants money from her. That's why we're here."
Gwyneth Paltrow's trial became a question of how had right of way on the slopes of a luxury ski resort. (Reuters: Jim Urquhart)
Ultimately, the eight-member jury concluded that Sanderson was entirely at fault, and awarded Paltrow $US1 for the harm he had caused.
"I'd rethink a little about how I could be characterised. That's a real disappointment, that it wasn't just about the facts of the accident," he told reporters.
"I'm not that crazy person ... I wish I could have that back.
"I didn't realise that when you go down this road, I thought it would be about a ski accident … It turned out it was about the narrative of the life I've lived."
One of the songwriters behind John Farnham's 1986 hit song You're the Voice, Keith Reid, has died at the age of 76.
The lyricist and co-founder of British group Procol Harum "died suddenly on 23 March 2023, in hospital in London", the band announced recently on their website.
"He had been receiving cancer treatment for the past couple of years," the statement said.
Lyricist Keith Reid for Procol Harum Dies Aged 76 1967: Procul Harum lyricist and manager Keith Reid with the group's ex-manager Tony Secunda. (Michael Stroud/Express/Getty Images)
Reid – who was also famous for songs including A Salty Dog, Conquistador and A Whiter Shade of Pale – was one of four British songwriters behind the unofficial Australian anthem that Farnham made famous.
Speaking about how he came on board to write the track, Reid told website Songfacts he was a last minute ring-in when Chris Thompson struggled with the lyrics.
"Chris called me and said, 'I've got something and I don't know what to do with it lyrically'," Reid said.
John Farnham performs during Fire Fight Australia at ANZ Stadium on February 16, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. (Cole Bennetts/Getty Images)
"'It feels as though it should be slightly political, but I don't know. Have a listen'. And we sat down, he played me the tune, and I got the title idea, You're The Voice.
"It's an anti-war song in a way, but it was more of a 'make your voice heard' kind of thing. Wake up to your own power."
In addition to Thompson, the lead singer of Manfred Mann's Earth Band, The track was also written by alongside Andy Qunta and Maggie Ryder, two writers from Thompson's publishing company.
Qunta took to social media to pay tribute to Reid, with the duo going on to write a number of tracks together.
"Very sorry to learn of the passing of my friend and co-writing partner, Keith Reid," Qunta wrote.
"Keith was the lyricist for all the Procul Harum songs, including A Whiter Shade Of Pale, which I absolutely loved. It was a dream come true to be able to work with him on several songs, the first of which was John Farnham's hit You're The Voice, a collaboration with Chris Thompson and Maggie Ryder.
"Keith was a lovely guy and a massive talent who will be very much missed. Condolences to Pinkey and the family."
Reid's death comes at the same time as Farnham continues his own health battle.
Late last year, the You're The Voice singer underwent surgery to remove a cancerous growth. The procedure required 26 surgeons.
Late last year, the You're The Voice singer underwent surgery after he was admitted to a hospital to remove a cancerous growth. (Justin McManus/The Age)
Today, the 73-year-old singer's family revealed Farnham has returned to hospital, undergoing further treatment.
"He is comfortable and receiving the very best care," the statement, released by his wife Jill, reads.
"John continues his recovery following last year's successful surgery," she said.
"He's always been a strong and determined person with everything he's ever done and we are all so very proud of him. He is responding well to the specialist care he's receiving."
Sign up hereto receive our daily newsletters and breaking news alerts, sent straight to your inbox.
The jury dismissed the complaint of retired optometrist Terry Sanderson, who sued Paltrow over injuries he sustained when the two crashed on a beginner run at Deer Valley ski resort, siding with Paltrow after eight days of live-streamed courtroom testimony that made the case a pop culture fixation.
"I felt that acquiescing to a false claim compromised my integrity," Paltrow said in a statement released by her representatives after the verdict.
Gwyneth Paltrow has won her court battle over a 2016 ski collision. (AP)
She also thanked the judge and jury for their work.
As Paltrow left court she touched Sanderson's shoulder and said, "I wish you well," Sanderson told reporters outside the courthouse.
He responded, "Thank you, dear."
Paltrow, an actor who in recent years has refashioned herself into a celebrity wellness entrepreneur, Paltrow looked to her attorneys with a pursed lips smile when the judge read the eight-member jury's verdict in the Park City courtroom.
She sat intently through two weeks of testimony in what became the biggest celebrity court case since actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard faced off last year.
Gwyneth Paltrow said she was pleased with outcome. (AP)
The dismissal concludes two weeks of courtroom proceedings that hinged largely on reputation rather than the monetary damages at stake in the case.
Paltrow's attorneys described the complaint against her as "utter B.S." and painted the Goop founder-CEO as uniquely vulnerable to unfair, frivolous lawsuits due to her celebrity.
Paltrow took the witness stand during the trial to insist the collision wasn't her fault, and to describe how she was stunned when she felt "a body pressing against me and a very strange grunting noise".
Throughout the trial, the word "uphill" became synonymous with "guilty", as attorneys focused on a largely unknown skiing code of conduct that stipulates that the skier who is downhill or ahead on the slope has the right of way.
Worldwide audiences followed the celebrity trial as if it were episodic television.
Terry Sanderson sued Paltrow over the ski crash, claiming the collision left him with debilitating injuries. (AP)Paltrow and Sanderson blamed each other for the crash. (AP)
Viewers scrutinised both Paltrow and Sanderson's motives while attorneys directed questions to witnesses that often had less to do with the collision and more to do with their client's reputations.
The trial took place in Park City, a resort town known for hosting the annual Sundance Film Festival, where early in her career Paltrow would appear for the premieres of her movies including 1998's Sliding Doors, at a time when she was known primarily as an actor, not a lifestyle influencer.
Paltrow is also known for her roles in Shakespeare in Love and the Iron Man movies.
The jury's decision marks a painful court defeat for Sanderson, the man who sued Paltrow for more than $US300,000 ($447,000) over injuries he sustained when they crashed on a beginner run.
The hidden apartment in one of the world's most famous buildings
Both parties blamed the other for the collision.
Sanderson, 76, broke four ribs and sustained a concussion after the two tumbled down the slope, with Paltrow landing on top of him.
He filed an amended complaint after an earlier $US3.1 million lawsuit was dismissed.
Paltrow in response countersued for $1 and attorney fees, a symbolic action that mirrors Taylor Swift's response to a radio host's defamation lawsuit.
Swift was awarded $1 in 2017.
Paltrow's defence team represented Sanderson as an angry, aging and unsympathetic man who had over the years become "obsessed" with his lawsuit against Paltrow.
They argued that Paltrow wasn't at fault in the crash and also said, regardless of blame, that Sanderson was overstating the extent of his injuries.
Sign up hereto receive our daily newsletters and breaking news alerts, sent straight to your inbox.
Legendary Australian singer John Farnham has been taken to hospital for treatment of a respiratory infection.
Key points:
John Farnham is receiving treatment in hospital for a respiratory infection
His family says he's comfortable and receiving the best care
The singer had surgery for mouth cancer in August last year
The You're The Voice singer's family provided a statement on his health on Friday, saying Farnham was comfortable and receiving the best care.
His hospitalisation follows a major operation the singer had in August last year to remove a cancerous tumour from his mouth from which he is still recovering, the statement from Jill, Rob and James Farnham said.
"He's always been a strong and determined person with everything he's ever done and we are all so very proud of him," they said.
"He is responding well to the specialist care he's receiving."
John Farnham with his son Rob in 2018.(Supplied)
"The family would like to re-iterate their appreciation for all the medical staff that have attended to John over the past six months and for all the kind messages that been received from across Australia and the world.
Farnham announced his cancer diagnosis in August, and underwent a 12-hour surgery to remove the tumour.
News of Farnham's cancer diagnosis prompted an outpouring of well wishes across the country, including from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews.
Farnham's family said they were overwhelmed by the "incredible wave of support".
Before his surgery, Farnham said a cancer diagnosis was something many people faced each day, "and countless others have walked this path before me".
Farnham has been receiving ongoing treatment, care and rehabilitation support over recent months from his medical team.
Aussie music legend John Farnham is back in hospital with a respiratory infection after undergoing surgery to remove mouth cancer last year.
But the singer has been admitted to hospital again to be treated for a respiratory infection but his family confirmed he is "comfortable and receiving the best care".
John Farnham is back in hospital with a respiratory infection. (Getty)
"John continues his recovery following last years successful surgery," his wife Jill said.
"He's always been a strong and determined person with everything he's ever done and we are all so very proud of him.
"He is responding well to the specialist care he's receiving."
Farnham's family thanked the medical staff who have supported him over the past six months of the cancer journey.
The Aussie icon is responding well to care, his family said. (A Current Affair)
The 73-year-old underwent a gruelling 12-hour surgery to remove a cancerous growth in August last year. The procedure required 26 surgeons.
Farnham has been a mainstay of Australian entertainment since he was billed as teen idol "Johnny Farnham" in the late 1960s.
The 73-year-old's 1986 album Whispering Jack, featuring the single You're The Voice, remains the second-highest selling album in Australia, behind only Meat Loaf's Bat Out Of Hell (1977).
He has received 19 ARIA awards, and was named an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1996, and Australian of the Year in 1987.
Sign up hereto receive our daily newsletters and breaking news alerts, sent straight to your inbox.
An eight-person jury has begun deliberating if Gwyneth Paltrow is at fault for a 2016 Utah ski collision that left a man with broken ribs and "brain damage".
Attorneys for Paltrow and the 76-year-old suing her over a 2016 ski collision used closing arguments to describe their clients as aggrieved victims participating in a years-long legal battle to take a stand for truth, sending the case to the eight-member jury to make a decision.
During closing arguments, Paltrow's attorneys asked jurors to disregard the opposing side's emotional pleas for sympathy of Terry Sanderson over the state of his relationships. They said that for Paltrow, it would've been easier to simply write a check, settle the lawsuit and put the crash behind her.
A jury is now deliberating if Gwyneth Paltrow, pictured here on Thursday (Friday morning in Australia) entering the courtroom, is at fault for a 2016 ski collision in Utah. (AP)Terry Sanderson, the man suing Paltrow, is claiming she is at fault and left him with broken ribs, brain damage, and more. (AP)
"But what would that teach her children?" attorney Steve Owens asked jurors Thursday.
Accompanying his remarks were high-resolution animations depicting Paltrow's version of events, which have been shown throughout the trial in the Park City courtroom.
"It's not about the money. It's about ruining a very delicate time in a relationship where they were trying to get their kids together," Owens said.
The 2016 family trip to Deer Valley Resort was the first time Paltrow and her then-boyfriend Brad Falchuk brought their kids together in an effort to join families.
During closing arguments, Paltrow, Sanderson and members of the jury all nodded along as attorneys repeated familiar narratives, denounced some witnesses' claims and elevated others.
Sanderson, 76, is suing Paltrow over the events of that trip, claiming she skied out of control and crashed into him, leaving him with four broken ribs and a concussion with symptoms that have lasted years beyond the collision.
After a judge dismissed his initial $US3.1 million complaint, Sanderson amended and refiled the lawsuit seeking "more than $US300,000" – a threshold that that provides the opportunity to introduce the most evidence and depose the most witnesses allowed in civil court. In closing arguments, his attorneys estimated damages as more than $US3.2 million.
Paltrow has countersued for a symbolic $US1 and attorney fees, though her attorneys said in closing arguments that the crash had damaged her far more.
Sanderson's attorneys have cast doubt on Paltrow's testimony and underscored the injuries that their client, Sanderson, has said changed the course of his life.
Paltrow has been in the Utah courtroom for all eight days of the trial. (AP)
"He never returned home that night as the same man. Terry has tried to get off that mountain but he's really still there," attorney Robert Sykes said in his closing argument. "Part of Terry will forever be on that Bandana run."
In a courtroom more packed Thursday (Friday morning in Australia) than any other day of the trial, Sanderson's attorneys gave their closing arguments first. They argued it was unlikely that someone could ski between another skier's two legs as Paltrow said. They also noted that she didn't deny watching her kids skiing the moment of the crash.
Paltrow's attorneys in closing arguments continued their two-pronged approach, both arguing that the actor-turned-lifestyle influencer didn't cause the accident and that its effects aren't as bad as Sanderson claims. They've painted him as an "obsessed" man pushing "utter B.S." claims against someone whose fame makes them vulnerable to unfair, frivolous lawsuits.
In their closing arguments, Sanderson's team also noted how the man claiming to be the sole eyewitness testified to seeing Paltrow hit their client. Though they've tapped into themes including the power of fame throughout the trial, they said that the case ultimately wasn't about celebrity, but simply damages.
Sanderson testified that he had continued to pursue damages seven years after the accident because the cascading events that followed – his post-concussion symptoms and the accusation that he sued to exploit Paltrow's celebrity – added insult to injury.
"That's the purpose: to make me regret this lawsuit. It's the pain of trying to sue a celebrity," he said on Wednesday (Thursday in Australia) in response to a question from his attorney about Paltrow's team probing his personal life, medical records and extensive post-crash international travel itinerary.
Though both sides have marshalled significant resources to emerge victorious, the verdict could end up being remembered as an afterthought dwarfed by the worldwide attention the trial has attracted. The amount of money at stake pales in comparison to the typical legal costs of a multiyear lawsuit, private security detail and expert witness-heavy trial.
Among the most bombshell testimony has been from Paltrow and Sanderson. On Friday (Saturday in Australia) members of the jury were riveted when Paltrow said on the stand that she initially thought she was being "violated" when the collision began. Three days later Sanderson gave an entirely different account, saying she ran into him and sent him "absolutely flying."
The trial has also shone a spotlight on Park City, known primarily as a ski resort that welcomes celebrities like Paltrow for each year's Sundance Film Festival.
Local residents have increasingly filled the courtroom gallery throughout the trial. They've nodded along as lawyers and witnesses have referenced local landmarks like Montage Deer Valley, the ski-side hotel-spa where Paltrow got a massage after the collision. At times they have appeared captivated by Paltrow's reactions to the proceedings, while at others they have mirrored the jury, whose endurance has been tested by hours of jargon-dense medical testimony.
