Apr 02, 2023 at 2:06 PMUpdate: 4 minutes ago
Nearly 30 million people followed the trial of Gwyneth Paltrow via YouTube and Law & Crime Network social media last week. The actress was on trial in a US court for allegedly causing a ski crash in 2016. The jury found Paltrow innocent on Friday.
Law & Crime Network, an American platform that broadcasts live court cases, speaks to Variety of “incredibly good” numbers. 16.5 million people watched the live stream of the trial on YouTube. 7.4 million people watched via Facebook and another 4.2 million people followed the process via TikTok.
The great interest can partly be explained by the attention the lawsuit received on social media. For example, people made a lot of memes and jokes about the eight-day case.
Law & Crime also scored earlier with the much-discussed case between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. According to the channel, “a special fascination” has arisen for celebrities in the courtroom.
Paltrow’s “fairly simple personal injury case” is the perfect example of this, according to Law & Crime. “If it wasn’t for a celebrity involved, no one would have cared.”
Possible appeal
The case revolved around an accident on a ski slope in 2016. The alleged victim, Terry Sanderson, claimed that Gwyneth Paltrow had skied into him. He would have suffered four broken ribs and permanent psychological damage.
Sanderson demanded damages of almost 3.3 million dollars (3 million euros). Paltrow, in turn, filed a counterclaim for a token dollar plus legal fees. She stated that Sanderson had just crashed into her. The jury ruled in favor of the actress.
Sanderson’s lawyer said on Saturday that he may appeal.