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Man suing Gwyneth Paltrow to testify in Utah ski crash trial

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Man suing Gwyneth Paltrow to testify in Utah ski crash trial


PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — The person suing Gwyneth Paltrow over a 2016 collision at some of the upscale ski resorts in North America is anticipated to take the stand on Monday because the carefully watched trial goes into its second week in Utah.

Attorneys mentioned Friday that retired optometrist Terry Sanderson, 76, would probably testify first on Monday, earlier than his attorneys relaxation and hand the courtroom over to Paltrow’s protection group to make their case. Paltrow’s attorneys are anticipated to name her two kids — Moses and Apple — and a ski teacher who was current the day of the collision.

Sanderson is suing Paltrow for greater than $300,000, claiming she skied recklessly into him from behind, breaking 4 of his ribs and head trauma that post-accident manifested as post-concussion syndrome. Paltrow has countersued for $1 and legal professional charges, alleging that Sanderson was at fault and veered into her from behind.

After Paltrow testified Friday that the collision started when Sanderson’s skis veered between her two legs, attorneys will probably query Sanderson on his recollections. Craig Ramon, the only eyewitness of the crash, testified that he heard a loud scream and noticed Paltrow hit Sanderson, inflicting his skis to fly up into the air earlier than he plumetted down on the newbie run in a “unfold eagle” place.

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Attorneys can even probably query Sanderson on the post-concussion signs that medical specialists and his medical doctors testified about final week. And Paltrow’s attorneys are anticipated to ask about his references to Paltrow’s fame and whether or not the lawsuit quantities to an try to use it.

Although the courtroom in Park Metropolis, Utah, was removed from full all through the primary week of the trial, the case has emerged as probably the most carefully watched superstar trial since Johnny Depp took Amber Heard to court docket virtually a yr in the past in Virginia. Clips of legal professional outbursts and Paltrow’s Friday testimony have been lower and circulated broadly on social media, whereas observers have debated the motivations on each side to maintain the extended authorized battle seven years after the collision.

The sum of money at stake for each side pales compared to the everyday authorized prices of a multiyear lawsuit, non-public safety element and professional witness-heavy trial.



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Retired Utah public employees who volunteer in emergencies may see changes to their pay. Here’s why.

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Retired Utah public employees who volunteer in emergencies may see changes to their pay. Here’s why.


Utah lawmakers will consider changes to how recently-retired public employees are paid if they later choose to work or volunteer as emergency responders during the upcoming legislative session.

The change is largely administrative, Kory Cox, director of legislative and government affairs for the Utah Retirement System, told lawmakers on Tuesday. The proposed bill would change the compensation limit for first responders like volunteer firefighters, search and rescue personnel and reserve law enforcement, from $500 per month to roughly $20,000 per year.

Some public employees already serve as first responders in addition to their day jobs, Cox and other advocates told the Retirement and Independent Entities Interim Committee at a hearing Tuesday. The current statute has forced those employees to put their service on hold after they retire in order to keep their retirement benefits.

Volunteer firefighters do get paid, despite what their title suggests. Volunteer organizations pay their emergency responders every six months, said Cedar City Fire Chief Mike Phillips, so their paychecks almost always amount to more than $500. Switching from a monthly compensation limit to an annual compensation limit means new retirees can keep up their service, or take up new service, without jeopardizing their retirement benefits.

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“As volunteer agencies, a lot of our employees are government employees,” said Cedar City Fire Chief Mike Phillips. “They work for county and state governments because they allow them to leave their employment to come help us fight fires.”

Clint Smith, Draper City fire chief and president of the Utah State Fire Chiefs Association, told lawmakers Tuesday that volunteerism, “especially in rural volunteer fire agencies,” but also across Utah and the United States, is “decreasing dramatically.”

The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) reported 676,900 volunteer firefighters in the United States, down from 897,750 when the agency started keeping track in 1984. A U.S. Fire Administrations guide book about retention and recruitment for volunteer firefighters published last year wrote that the decline “took place while the United States population grew from nearly 236 million to over 331 million in the same time frame, indicating that volunteerism in the fire and emergency services has not kept pace with population growth.”

The consequences, the guide says, are “dire.”

Roughly 64% of Utah’s fire agencies are volunteer-only, according to the U.S. Fire Administration.

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“Anything we can do to help make sure that [volunteers] are not penalized when they separate from their full regular [employment] with the state, to be able to still act in that volunteer capacity is vital to the security and safety of our communities,” Smith said Tuesday.

It was an easy sell for lawmakers. The committee voted unanimously to adopt the bill as a committee bill in the 2025 legislative session with a favorable recommendation.

Shannon Sollitt is a Report for America corps member covering business accountability and sustainability for The Salt Lake Tribune. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by clicking here.



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Utah State basketball just beat Iowa on a neutral floor to remain undefeated

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Utah State basketball just beat Iowa on a neutral floor to remain undefeated


The Utah State Aggies just grabbed a statement win.

Through four games under new head coach Jerrod Calhoun, the Utah State Aggies had looked impressive, averaging exactly 104 points per game and a margin of victory of exactly 40 points in four wins.

The thing was, the Aggies didn’t play any team that is expected to be near their level, as Alcorn State, Westminster and Montana all play in lesser conferences than the Mountain West and Charlotte was picked to finish eighth in the 13-team AAC, which is considered about on par with the MW.

Finally on Friday night, Utah State faced a team in the Iowa Hawkeyes of the Big Ten that not only was more its equal, but was thought to be better, and accordingly was considered a comfortable favorite.

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With the contest being played on a neutral floor in Kansas City, Utah State kept things close for the first 28 minutes or so and then used a surge to take the lead partway through the second half and held on down the stretch to claim the 77-69 victory and move to 5-0 on the season.

With the loss, an Iowa team that is considered to be a potential NCAA Tournament squad moved to 5-1 on the campaign.

The Aggies got off to a nice start and led for most of the first 10 minutes of the game. Things were pretty even throughout most of the rest of the first half, though Iowa put together a little run and led by four at halftime.

At the 12:52 mark of the second half the Hawkeyes went up by four on a dunk from leading scorer Payton Sandfort, but the Aggies responded with a 9-0 run over the next 3:42 to go up by five, 58-53.

Things stayed close for the next few minutes but Iowa never got closer than a point and Utah State created some distance, largely behind Mason Falslev and Karson Templin.

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A dunk from Central Arkansas transfer Tucker Anderson with 54 seconds to play quelled any remaining chance the Hawkeyes had at a comeback after they had cut the deficit from seven to four on a 3 by Brock Harding.

Falslev led all scorers with 25 points and finished with a double-double, as he added 12 rebounds to go along with three assists, two steals and a block.

Ian Martinez added 13 points and Anderson finished with 10. That pair stuffed the stat sheet, combining for 11 rebounds, eight steals, seven assists, and two blocks.

Team-wise, things were rather even statistically except for rebounds and fast break points. The Aggies outrebounded the Hawkeyes 47-31 and scored 21 fast break points compared to just four for Iowa.

Next up for Utah State is a Thanksgiving Day game against St. Bonaventure at Disney World.

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Avian flu affecting Utah turkey facilities, UDAF confirms

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Avian flu affecting Utah turkey facilities, UDAF confirms


TAYLORSVILLE — Four new cases of avian flu outbreaks have been reported in Utah, affecting three Piute County turkey facilities, the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food said in a press release.

“Between November 10 to 19, 2024, three turkey farms in Piute County totaling 107,800 turkeys and one backyard flock of 253 birds in Salt Lake County were confirmed positive for HPAI,” the department said. “Though the overall risk to public health remains low, HPAI is a serious disease, requiring rapid response, including depopulation of affected flocks as it is highly contagious and fatal to poultry.”

There are currently five poultry farms in Utah under quarantine, according to the department.

In the backyard flock because it’s so deadly, all but 33 birds died. All the turkeys are being depopulated because it’s highly contagious,” said Caroline Hargraves with the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food.

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Officials said affected birds were depopulated within 24 hours of the reported outbreaks, and that impacts on food supply are expected to be limited.

“State and federal personnel are on-site to ensure all requirements for disinfection and proper disposal are followed,” the department said.

Officials said that poultry owners should “practice strong biosecurity and monitor flocks for signs of illness.”

The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food asked poultry owners to report sick birds to the State Veterinarian’s Office at statevet@utah.gov. They also said that people interacting with sick birds should take special precautions including using personal protective equipment.

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