Gwyneth Paltrow, 50, has been in a Utah court this week after the retired optometrist Terry Sanderson accused the Hollywood actress of crashing into him in a 2016 ski accident.
As the trial continued, Sanderson took to the stand for the second time and during cross-examination, he was asked whether he compared Gwyneth to “King Kong coming out of the jungle” during a press conference.
Unsure whether he made the comment, Sanderson replied: “I’m not sure. It sounds familiar.”
He added that he “disputes my intentions” and “meant to say it was like King Kong was chasing her out of the jungle.”
Sanderson also turned to the Hollywood actress to formally apologise, saying: “My apologies to Ms Paltrow, because my intention was, got twisted up in my intentions, was to say it sounded like a lady getting chased by King Kong out of the jungle. It was that kind of ‘I’m really scared’ [noise].”
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He was then asked if he had referred to the actress as Godzilla to his daughter, to which he replied he could not remember.
During cross-examination, Sanderson was also shown multiple photographs taken from his Facebook page after the accident, showing him taking multiple trips abroad with friends months after.
With regards to the incident itself, he claimed he heard the so-called “hysterical scream” as he was hit from behind after he passed signs on the slope telling skiers to slow down.
He claimed: “I was sliding down the hill, always on the right side. The silence was broken by a hysterical scream, the very best hysterical scream you ever heard.
“I heard it and tensed up half a second before I got hit. I’m not sure it even ended when I got hit.”
When asked about whether she “bolted” away from the scene, she insisted that she assumed her ski instructor Eric Christiansen had given them her information.
Gwyneth also claimed when she took the stand that she felt “very sorry” for her accuser, concluding: “It seems like he’s had a very difficult life but I did not cause the accident so I cannot be at fault for what subsequently happened to him.”
Sanderson is suing for $300,000 (£244,000) in damages, while Gwyneth is countersuing for $1 and legal fees over the collision that happened at Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah.
The accuser claims the incident left him with permanent brain damage and four broken ribs.
The jury will begin deliberations in the civil trial on Thursday after closing statements from both sides.
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