Kristin VanOrman's Gwyneth Paltrow Questions Trashed by Lawyer: 'Truly Bad'

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The lawyer questioning Gwyneth Paltrow in court over a ski collision has gone viral, with her conduct being described by one legal expert as "truly bad."

Paltrow is currently appearing in court in Park City, Utah, after she was sued for allegedly causing a ski collision that left a retired optometrist with severe injuries. Terry Sanderson, 76, claims Paltrow skied into the back of him on the Deer Valley Resort on February 26, 2016, leaving him with multiple injuries. Paltrow claims it was actually Sanderson that skied into the back of her, and she's counter-suing for $1 plus her legal fees.

The trial has been running for a number of days at the Third Judicial District Court in Park City, and will continue this week.

Paltrow took the stand for the first time on March 24, when she was called as a witness by Sanderson's legal team. Her time in the witness box went viral online, but not for the reasons you'd expect.

Gwyneth Paltrow in court
Terry Sanderson's attorney Kristin VanOrman has been criticized for how she questioned Gwyneth Paltrow (L) during the ski collision court case in Part City, Utah. Sanderson is suing actress Gwyneth Paltrow for $300,000, claiming she... Rick Bowmer-Pool/Getty Images

Sanderson's attorney Kristin VanOrman asked the Oscar winner a series of questions, a compilation of which has now been viewed over 4.4 million times on Twitter alone.

VanOrman asked Paltrow questions including "may I ask how tall you are?" and "Now I'm assuming, and you're under oath here, that you're a good tipper?"

The back and forth between the two women went viral online as they exchanged compliments and jokes. Some people have criticized VanOrman for her approach, while others have pointed out that she's attempting to disarm Paltrow. Others have been less impressed.

"Oh man the lawyer this dude hired to sue Gwyneth Paltrow is truly, truly bad," wrote British barrister Rupert Myers on Twitter on Monday, sharing a video put together by The Washington Post.

Myers was asked by a follower if VanOrman's questions were a strategy to disarm Paltrow. "Not a good one," he replied.

Journalist and presenter Sangita Myska wrote: "I can't decided if the lawyer star-struck or trying to lower Paltrow's defenses by being a bit.. err.. hokey?" Considering this, Myers replied: "I think she's just bad."

VanOrman's performance has been widely commented on across social media.

British television personality Lorraine Kelly couldn't believe what she was watching was real. "Is it an early April Fool? coz this is some super parody shenanigans," Kelly wrote on Twitter on Monday morning.

Holy smokes... this woman is shocking, "actress and newsreader Zora Suleman wrote on Monday. "Truly awful (in this example). I'm surprised she hasn't asked for an autograph or a selfie yet."

The trial began on March 21 and is expected to last eight business days in total, which means it will continue this week and could end by March 30.

About the writer

Jamie Burton is a Newsweek Senior TV and Film Reporter (Interviews) based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the latest in the world of entertainment and showbiz via interviews with celebrities and industry talent. Jamie has covered general news, world politics, finance and sports for the likes of the BBC, the Press Association and various commercial radio stations in the U.K. Jamie joined Newsweek in 2021 from the London-based Broadcast News Agency Entertainment News (7Digital) where he was the Film and TV Editor for four years. Jamie is an NCTJ-accredited journalist and graduated from Teesside University and the University of South Carolina. Languages: English.

You can get in touch with Jamie by emailing j.burton@newsweek.com.


Jamie Burton is a Newsweek Senior TV and Film Reporter (Interviews) based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on ... Read more