A neuropsychologist who treated the man suing Gwyneth Paltrow over cast aspersions on the testimony of medical experts hired by the celebrityBԪַs legal team BԪַ and argued that, as his personal doctor, she was better suited to speak about 76-year-old Terry SandersonBԪַs post-concussion symptoms.
BԪַA lot of the experts are opining. I feel like IBԪַm the best judge of what happened to him,BԪַ Dr. Alina Fong said.
FongBԪַs videotaped deposition was the first to be shown on the third day of the trial in Park City, the upscale Utah ski resort town where Sanderson accuses Paltrow of skiing so recklessly that she crashed into him, broke his ribs and left him with lasting brain damage.
Fong said that when she saw Sanderson less than a year after the accident, he had lost his love for life, and said that he was often dejected and crying. Under her care, she said that Sanderson worked tirelessly to rehabilitate the post-concussion symptoms BԪַ including pain, headaches and mood shifts. In cross-examination, she accused PaltrowBԪַs attorneys of planting BԪַred herringsBԪַ to mislead jurors. Fong said conclusions from PaltrowBԪַs experts BԪַ who have yet to testify BԪַ were BԪַeasily refutable by just going online and looking at the CDC recommendations.BԪַ
Two of SandersonBԪַs daughters are also expected to testify on Thursday about the lasting effects of the crash as the third day of the trial takes on an increasingly emotional note.
Attorneys called Polly Grasham to the stand Thursday, and are expected to call Shae Herath to question them about health changes that their father claims he sustained after his collision with Paltrow.
Neurologist Richard Boehme and Paltrow herself could also be called to testify on either Thursday or Friday.
Sanderson is suing Paltrow for a minimum of $300,000, claiming she recklessly crashed into him while the two were skiing on a beginner run at Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah.
In a counterclaim, Paltrow is seeking $1 and attorney fees. The amount of money at stake for both sides pales in comparison to the typical legal costs of a multiyear lawsuit and expert witness-heavy trial. SandersonBԪַs attorney told the jury Thursday that this trial is about BԪַvalue, not cost.BԪַ
During the first two days of trial, SandersonBԪַs attorneys and expert medical witnesses how his injuries were likely caused by someone crashing into him from behind. They attributed noticeable changes in SandersonBԪַs mental acuity to injuries from that day.
PaltrowBԪַs attorneys have tried to represent Sanderson as a 76-year-old whose decline followed a normal course of aging rather than the results of a crash. They have not yet called witnesses of their own to testify, but in opening statements previewed for jurors that they plan to call PaltrowBԪַs husband Brad Falchuk and her two children, Moses and Apple, to the stand.
PaltrowBԪַs team has previously accused Sanderson of their clientBԪַs wealth and celebrity. She is the Oscar-winning star of BԪַShakespeare in LoveBԪַ and founder-CEO of the beauty and wellness company Goop.
Her legal team has attempted to poke holes in testimony from SandersonBԪַs team of experts BԪַ and are expected to question his daughters about their father mentioning PaltrowBԪַs fame, and an email alluding to footage recorded on a GoPro camera that hasnBԪַt been found or included in evidence.
Sam Metz, The Associated Press