One of the jurors in the Gwyneth Paltrow trial is breaking her silence.
Samantha Irie, who was Juror No. 11 in the actress’ trial against a retired Utah optometrist over a 2016 ski crash, sat down with “Good Morning America” to discuss this week’s verdict.
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In the trial, which saw both parties claiming the collision was caused by the other person, the jury decided unanimously in Paltrow’s favor.
“The whole thing was a little shocking to me,” Imrie said of being part of the trial.
She also admitted that over the course of the trial, she changed her opinion on the case multiple times, though in the end, the verdict took only two hours to reach.
“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.”
She also talked about the Terry Sanderson, who was suing Paltrow for $300,000 in damages, claiming that he had sustained long term injuries from the crash.
“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,” Imrie explained.
She added that it was Paltrow’s expert witnesses, including Dr. Irving Scher, who helped her reach her final opinion on the case.
“He’s a snow sports expert in many different ways. I think the fact that Dr. Scher could speak to the din settings and he specifically studied snow science, that he had a stronger opinion,” she said.
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Imrie also pointed to social media posts showing Sanderson traveling around the world after the 2016 incident.
“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,” she said.
Finally, when it comes to the verdict itself, Imrie said, “I think it’s important that the public doesn’t just think that this was a win because Gwyneth’s a celebrity. I mean, this is based on the evidence. This is based on the law.
She added, “I do work in medicine and you have to look at everyone the same. So, I think that that should apply in the courtroom as well.”
With her win in court, Paltrow was awarded $1 in damages, along with legal fees.
