Gwyneth Paltrow took the witness stand Friday in the civil trial that has pitted the Oscar winner against a retired optometrist with whom she collided during a ski trip in 2016.

A 76-year-old optometrist, Dr. Terry Sanderson, has accused the actress and wellness guru of a hit-and-run crash and of slamming into him while skiing on a beginner’s run at Deer Valley Resort, causing ongoing injuries, and then quickly leaving the scene along with her instructor. Specifically, he alleges Paltrow, 50, delivered a “full body hit” resulting in permanent traumatic brain injury, four broken ribs, pain, suffering and loss of enjoyment of life.

The testimony began with grilling Paltrow about her skiing experience and her understanding of the rules of ski accidents.

“I was hit by Mr. Sanderson and he was at fault,” she declared, wearing a black suit in the witness stand. “I assume that Eric [Christiansen] – who was our ski instructor who was there at the time, who was overseeing the event – he said, ‘I’m going to leave all of your information,’ and he said, ‘You should go ski down’ because my kids were waiting for me.”

Sanderson’s attorney pressed: “But my question was: Did you know of the rule of skiing? At the time of the collision, were you aware of the rule that if you’re in a collision, you need to share your name, your contact information with the person that you’re involved in collision?”

“I don’t think I was aware of the rule,” Paltrow replied.

“Were you aware that there is kind of a common decency to do that?”

“I would not have left the scene without leaving my information,” Paltrow said, and added again that her instructor left her information.

The actress also described her anger and confusion – as she tells it – of having a stranger suddenly fall on top of her. “I was skiing and two skis came between my skis, forcing my legs apart, and then there was a body pressing against me and there was a very strange grunting noise,” she said. “So my brain was trying to make sense of what was happening. I thought, ‘Is this a practical joke? Is someone doing something perverted? This is really, really strange.’ … I didn’t know if it was an accident, but he was groaning and grunting in a very disturbing way.”

Updates from Paltrow’s testimony to come, refresh for latest. Live video below…

The trial started Tuesday in Park City, Utah, when counsel for both parties gave their opening statements. The proceedings have been streaming online, allowing for nonstop commentary from a growing number of courtroom celebrity drama fans and armchair experts, with many picking on Paltrow for looking bored (though, in fairness, the trial has been fairly boring – at least, until now). Paltrow’s lawyer griped to the judge Wednesday about a camera in the courtroom that was trained on his client’s face.

Paltrow countersued Sanderson in 2019 accusing him of slamming into her instead. She has alleged Sanderson was the uphill skier and plowed into her back. Paltrow says she expressed anger at Sanderson, and he apologized, and then she simply skied on.

The trial has so far had a slew of witnesses, mostly medical professionals focusing on trying to pin down exactly what injuries were endured by Sanderson. Paltrow’s attorneys have explored whether Sanderson’s health problems were overstated or the result of aging or a preexisting condition, and the actress herself has suggested the lawsuit is an attempt to “exploit her celebrity and wealth.”

Sanderson originally sued for $3.1 million in damages, but then later reduced the amount to $300,000. While Paltrow has asked the court for a symbolic $1 plus legal fees (leaving some to wonder why Paltrow, whose estimated worth is around $200 million, hasn’t simply settled). But experts have suggested that for both the Plaintiff and the Defendant, the associate costs of this seven-year legal battle far outweighs any of the potential payouts involved and it has seemingly become a matter of principal for both sides – as well as recouping their sunk-cost investment due to battling each other.

On Thursday, Sanderson’s daughter told the seated jury that her father’s condition has deteriorated and that she wanted “someone to at least apologize or acknowledge, or be held accountable for their decision that day.”

Sanderson himself is expected to also take the witness stand at some point, as is Paltrow’s daughter Apple (18) and son Moses (16), and he husband Brad Falchuk, all of whom accompanied Paltrow on the ski trip.