When Dr. Terry Anderson, a retired optometrist, went skiing in Utah in 2016, the last thing he expected was to be on a collision course with celebrity Gwyneth Paltrow. After suffering what he called “serious injuries,” Dr. Anderson sued Ms. Paltrow for $3.1 million in damages, claiming she skied right into him, causing the accident that left him in great pain. The judge, at the time of the suit, determined Dr. Anderson was only eligible for $300,000 if he won the lawsuit.

Ms. Paltrow countersued for $1 plus her legal fees.

The actress denied the doctor’s explanation of the accident and his allegations in the lawsuit. In a recent trial by jury, Ms. Paltrow was found not liable for the crash.

The jury then awarded her the one dollar, saying they deemed the accident was 100% Sanderson's fault.

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Though this at first sounded like a case of “he said, she said,” and many may have assumed the public status of Ms. Paltrow as a beloved celebrity may have swayed the jury, the case was won by her attorneys providing strong evidence.

Ms. Paltrow took the stand and told the court it was Dr. Sanderson, not her, who had caused the collision. On the stand, Ms. Paltrow said she was vacationing at Deer Valley in Utah with her boyfriend and two of her children. She described the moment when two skis came right in between her two legs and skis, and that she remembered hearing a loud “grunting noise” and a body forcefully pressed against her back. It was then, she noted, that they both crashed and fell down.

Sanderson told another story, saying he was the victim, not Ms. Paltrow.

“I got hit in my back so hard and right at my shoulder blades and it felt like it was perfectly centered and the fists and the poles were right at the bottom of my shoulder blades, serious, serious smack and I’ve never been hit that hard,” Sanderson testified. “All I saw was a whole lot of snow.”

During the trial, Mr. Sanderson’s attorney said his client suffers for 16 hours every single day, due to being injured in the ski crash that he claims led to a serious brain injury.

In response, Ms. Paltrow’s attorney told the court his client was like a “punching bag” for Dr. Sanderson.

“He hurt her and then he asked $3 million for the pleasure of it,” the lawyer said.

Witness testimony backed up the actress and Goop founder’s testimony. Several other skiers, Ms. Paltrow’s children Apple and Moses, plus resort staff testified that Dr. Anderson was at fault and recklessly skied into Ms. Paltrow.

Medical records following the collision showed that Ms. Paltrow suffered a concussion, a bruised right arm and pain in her lower back. Video from a nearby restaurant located on the mountain offered key evidence, showing Ms. Paltrow in distress and pain, immediately after the incident, while the plaintiff Dr. Anderson calmly spoke to the ski patrol.

In this case, the witness testimony and other evidence offered in court led to the court dismissing Dr. Sanderson’s lawsuit against Ms. Paltrow.

For attorneys, the specter of going to court against a public figure can be daunting. Paltrow won her case handily, but as in all cases pitting celebrities against civilians, the question lingers: does celebrity status sway juries toward a friendly verdict?

Celebrities are sued all the time. Just a few of many recent public figures’ lawsuits include Meghan Markle vs. Associated Press, Taylor Swift vs. David Mueller, Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard, and many more. The impact a celebrity has upon a court cannot be measured in dollars or spreadsheets, but instead, in the ephemeral aura all famous people exude: status.

Though attorneys must prevail as usual for their celebrity plaintiff or defendant, many experts believe public figures assist attorneys to better argue their cases.

The legal system is supposed to treat everyone equally, regardless of their social status or fame. However, there have been cases where the celebrity status of a person has been suspected of playing a factor in the outcome of a legal dispute.

One example is the case of O.J. Simpson, who was acquitted of murder charges in 1995. Simpson, a former football star and celebrity at the time of the trial, is often cited by experts as an example of someone so famous that this fact may have been a factor in the jury's decision.

Another example is the lawsuit brought by Hulk Hogan, who won a $140 million suit against the website Gawker in 2016. Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, argued that Gawker had violated his privacy by publishing a sex tape featuring him without his consent.

The jury in the Hogan case was seen by many experts as being influenced by Hogan's celebrity status and the popularity of the video which had been viewed millions of times online.

However, the case brought by Dr. Anderson against Ms. Paltrow was dismissed because of good old-fashioned legal prowess: eyewitness testimony, expert testimony, and video evidence.

After Ms. Paltrow won the day, she even stopped for a moment to offer a few words to her accuser, telling him that she wished him well.