One of the jurors in Gwyneth Paltrow’s Utah ski crash trial spoke out for the first time Friday — revealing she’s convinced the actress was telling the truth while the doctor suing her had a “distorted” story.
Samantha Imrie, aka juror No. 11, said she considered the possibility the “Shakespeare in Love” star could potentially be a convincing liar due to her profession, but ultimately found her testimony highly credible.
“I think there was, in the back of my mind, yes, this woman’s an actress and I took that into account, but I didn’t feel she had a reason to lie under oath,” Imrie, 31, told ABC News. “She’s always in the spotlight so she always has to be honest.”
“It’s important that the public doesn’t just think that this was a win because Gwyneth’s a celebrity. I mean, this is based on the evidence. This is based on the law,” she said.
By contrast, Imrie found Dr. Terry Sanderson’s claim that Paltrow had caused the 2016 collision on the slopes full of inconsistencies.
“He was telling his truth and I think unfortunately some of that has been distorted due to some other factors, but I do think he did not intend to tell a truth that wasn’t his truth,” she said.
Sanderson, 76, sued the 50-year-old celebrity for $300,000 claiming she was liable for a crash that left him with physical damage and “serious brain injuries” — but Paltrow prevailed on Thursday.
During the trial, photographic evidence showing the retired optometrist traveling the world after the accident didn’t help his case, Imrie said.
“I wouldn’t have thought he was capable of those things based on the picture that had been painted,” she said. “I think I wrote down, ‘Wow, I need to make some more money so I can go travel this way.”
Imrie said she changed her mind multiple times over the course of the trial but ultimately an expert witness who discussed logistics of the mountain sport pushed her towards ruling in Paltrow’s favor.
“He’s a snow sports expert in many different ways. I think the fact that Dr. Scher could speak to the [ski binding] settings and he specifically studied snow science, that he had a stronger opinion,” Imrie said.
It ultimately took Imrie and the rest of the eight-member jury just over two hours to reach a unanimous decision in the case, which she found stunning at points.
“The whole thing was a little shocking to me,” she said, adding that her background as a nurse helped her reach the decision.
“I do work in medicine and you have to look at everyone the same. So I think that that should apply in the courtroom as well,” she said.
In 2019, Sanderson had sued Paltrow seeking $3.1 million in damages over the crash at the exclusive Deer Valley Ski resort , but a judge determined he was only eligible for $300,000 if he had won his case.
Paltrow countersued for just $1 plus her legal fees.
The jury awarded her the dollar on Thursday, saying they deemed the accident was completely Sanderson’s fault.
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