Gwyneth Paltrow's Court Appearance Sparks Jokes—'Whitest Trial of All Time'

The internet is seeing the lighter side of Gwyneth Paltrow's ski collision court case, with online jokes being made at her expense.

The Oscar-winner is in court in Utah after a retired doctor accused her of skiing into him and causing severe injuries. He is claiming $300,000 in damages. The actor counter-sued alleging the crash was his fault and is claiming $1 plus her legal fees.

The trial got underway at the Third Judicial District Court in Park City, Utah on Tuesday. With pictures and videos emerging from the trial, social media users have been making jokes.

Paltrow, best known for her roles in Shakespeare in Love, Proof, and the Iron Man franchise, turned up to court wearing large gold-framed glasses, and a cream turtle neck sweater.

"Gwyneth Paltrow looks like she's on trial in 1987 for hiring a hitman to kill her husband," comedian Jenny Johnson wrote on Twitter, sharing a picture of the actress's look. One user replied with a screenshot of the actress Chloë Sevigny from the movie Zodiac, as the pair seemed to be sporting a similar outfit and hairstyle.

The Venture Bros. voice actor James Urbaniak pulled on Paltrow's role in The Royal Tenenbaums. Sharing a series of pictures from the film which eventually morphed into real life, the images read, "Age 19, first marriage. Age 21, Rive Gauche. 22 Ave. Express, Age 32," before the punchline, "Ski Trial, Age 50."

Dan Amira, head writer on The Daily Show had a more simplified take on Paltrow in the trial: "This is officially the whitest trial of all time."

Some Twitter users were confused by Paltrow's choice of eye-wear on the first day of the trial, as they likened her spectacles to that of Jeffrey Dahmer's.

"These are exactly the kind of 1980s aviator specs you should wear when being sued by a retired optometrist," wrote @benterwin. Others simply asked, "Why has she dressed as Jeffrey Dahmer?"

TV writer Louis Virtel however thought she'd come dressed as another notable figure. "The real story is that Gwyneth Paltrow is converging with Faye Dunaway as I hoped and dreamed," he wrote.

Terry Sanderson, 76, is the plaintiff in the case, alleging that Paltrow skied into him with a "full body hit," leaving him with substantial injuries. He has said Paltrow skied into the back of him, while Paltrow has said Sanderson skied into her.

The incident occurred on a beginner's course known as the Bandana Run at the Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah, on February 26, 2016.

"The central question here is who is at fault for what happened, and it seems it comes down to who the jury will believe was downhill," Jesse Weber, attorney and anchor on the Law & Crime Network told Newsweek.

"According to skiing protocol, the downhill skier usually has the right of way, while the uphill skier must look out for the downhill skier. In negligence cases like this, it was 'did the person act as a reasonable and prudent person would under the circumstances?'"

Weber believes it is worth asking whether or not Sanderson would have brought this case against Paltrow if she didn't have such a high profile.

"There is something to be said about 'would Mr. Sanderson have filed this suit if it wasn't Paltrow?' She has a lot of money and perhaps the theory is she would be more likely to settle because she didn't want the bad publicity. However, he claims he suffered extensive injuries and can prove that. So this may be legitimate. Although, Paltrow will try to show his injuries are exaggerated. Also, the fact that she didn't settle and is taking this to court shows she wants to clear her name,' Weber said.