Gwyneth Paltrow testifies that she originally thought she was attacked during a skiing accident

Gwyneth Paltrow finally testified Friday afternoon in her ongoing ski accident trial, giving her testimony about what happened on the slopes of the Utah ski resort between her and Terry Sanderson, the man who alleges Paltrow skied recklessly, crashing into him and causing a serious injury was inflicted on him in 2016. He is seeking $300,000 in damages, while she is asking for a token $1 and compensation for her legal fees.

Paltrow completely disputes Sanderson’s version of events. When questioned by an attorney working for Sanderson, the GOOP founder, dressed in a form-fitting collared navy blue sweater in court and intermittently taking a sip from a green glass water bottle, was polite but firm when she repeatedly pointed out insisted that Sanderson had driven in her back and caused the accident.

According to Paltrow, she was skiing at a moderate pace when she heard a rustle behind her — next two skis appeared between her own and she felt someone’s “large” body press against her back from the front.

“At first I was confused and didn’t know exactly what was going on,” Paltrow said. “It’s a very strange thing to happen on a ski slope and I froze and I would say I was very upset a few seconds later.”

In Paltrow’s testimony, she said that during the accident, “I didn’t know if it was a premeditated assault of a sexual nature.”

“That was a quick thought that went through my head as I tried to reconcile what had happened,” Paltrow said on the booth. “I was skiing, and two skis came between my skis and pushed my legs apart, and then a body pressed against me and there was a very strange grunt. So my brain tried to understand what was happening. I thought, ‘Is this a prank? Is someone doing something kinky? This is really, really weird.” My thoughts were going very, very fast, and I was trying to figure out what was going on.”

Paltrow later clarified that she does not accuse Sanderson of sexually assaulting her, although the possibility that she was sexually assaulted did occur to her at the time.

After colliding with her, Paltrow and Sanderson then collapsed on the right side of the ski slope, she testified. “I said, ‘You drove right into my back and he said, ‘Oh, sorry, sorry, I’m sorry,'” Paltrow said.

Sanderson’s attorney pressed hard, asking Paltrow if she engages in risky behavior when her children are around (this question was confirmed) and arguing that the actress admitted to being clumsy in the past. She also tried unsuccessfully to get Paltrow to recreate the accident in the courtroom.

During a brief lull when Paltrow was not on the witness stand and the questioning had paused, Sanderson’s attorney said of Paltrow, “She lied under oath multiple times.”

Paltrow’s attorney immediately fired back, “Your Honor, this is libelous and I want it withdrawn at this moment.” The judge then asked Sanderson’s attorney if she would like to put it differently, and she did: “Yes, absolutely. She has previously made conflicting statements.”

Sanderson’s attorney then asked Paltrow if she knew about the token $1 Taylor Swift received in her successful sexual assault lawsuit against radio host David Mueller. “I wasn’t aware of that at the time,” Paltrow replied.

“Are you good friends with Taylor Swift?” Sanderson’s attorney asked.

“NO?” said Paltrow.

“You’re not good friends with Taylor Swift,” Sanderson’s attorney said.

“I wouldn’t say we’re good friends,” Paltrow said. “We’re friendly, I’ve taken my kids to one of their concerts before, but we don’t talk very often.”

“You’ve never given Miss Swift personal, intimate gifts for Christmas?” It was at this point that Paltrow’s attorney intervened, citing relevance.

The trial is scheduled to continue on Monday, with Paltrow’s daughter, son and husband also expected to comment at some point.