Gwyneth Paltrow, US actor and head honcho of “wellness brand” Goop, is currently embroiled in a legal case after being accused of injuring a man by colliding with him in a “hit-and-run ski crash” seven years ago.
The incident took place at the high-end resort of Deer Valley in Utah on 26 February 2016.
Retired optometrist Terry Sanderson, 76, is suing the Oscar-winning actor for $300,000 (£244,000) after he claims she skied downhill into him in an “out of control manner”.
According to the complainant, the 50-year-old struck him with such force he was left with “permanent traumatic brain injury, four broken ribs, pain, suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, emotional distress and disfigurement”.
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In his complaint, Mr Sanderson argues that Paltrow “got up, turned and skied away”, leaving him “stunned, lying in the snow, seriously injured” without summoning help.
The star has called the lawsuit “a meritless claim” and “an attempt to exploit her celebrity and wealth”, insisting she “remembers what happened very clearly”.
Ms Paltrow is counter-suing him for a symbolic $1 (£0.80) should she win and for her legal expenses to be covered.
But what does this mean for more humble folks who find themselves in trouble on the slopes? We’ve consulted the experts to find out everything you need to know about your legal rights in the mountains.
Who has the right of way on a ski slope?
Every skier or snowboarder must move in control
(Getty Images/iStockphoto)
According to ski litigation specialist Mark Lee, partner and head of the travel law team at Penningtons Manches Cooper, the rules of conduct for skiers in Utah are broadly similar to those stated in the International Ski Federation (FIS), the governing body for skiing and snowboarding.
“In Utah, as in Europe, skiers are expected to exercise reasonable care when skiing,” he says.
“The FIS rules specifically require skiers to act in a way that does not endanger or prejudice others, adapting their speed and manner of skiing to their personal ability, factoring in terrain, weather conditions and density of traffic.
“The Utah Park City Municipal Code places primary duty on the uphill skier ‘to avoid collision with any person or object below him’. This mirrors the FIS approach, which expects skiers up-slope to choose their…
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