One of the jurors in the Gwyneth Paltrow ski trial case is speaking out in an ABC News exclusive after siding with the A-list actress Thursday.
The jury sided with the actor and Goop CEO, concluding that Paltrow was not at fault in a 2016 collision with retired optometrist Terry Sanderson on a Utah ski slope.
Samantha Imrie was juror number 11 in the trial.
“The whole thing was a little shocking to me,” the 31-year-old told ABC News.
Imrie said she changed her opinion multiple times as the trial unfolded, but after the eight-person jury began deliberating, it took them only a couple of hours to reach the same decision.
She said she did find Paltrow’s testimony convincing.
“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 said. “She’s always in the spotlight so she always has to be honest.”
When it came to Sanderson, Imrie said, “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.”
Ultimately, Imrie said social media photos of Sanderson traveling around the world following the 2016 accident didn’t help his case. Sanderson had claimed that the collision between him and Paltrow had left him with “serious brain injuries.”
“I think I wrote down, ‘Wow, I need to make some more money so I can go travel this way.’ I wouldn’t have thought he was capable of those things based on the picture that had been painted.”
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