Gwyneth Paltrow trial: Why did the US actress offer ‘treats’ to courtroom staff?

It is an unusual move in a situation where most defendants would want to keep their heads down and mouths shut.

Yet the legal team of actress Gwyneth Paltrow opted to take the unorthodox step of offering to “bring in treats” for courtroom staff during her trial in Utah – a day before she was due to testify. The Oscar-winning actress is facing charges of causing a skiing collision, which left a retired eye doctor, Terry Sanderson, concussed.

The incident happened in 2016 on a beginners’ slope in Park City, Utah. Both parties claim they were crashed into from behind, which would mean, under Utah law, the other party was responsible for the crash.

Mr Sanderson, who was left with concussion and broken ribs, is suing her for $300,000 (£240,000). A previous judge threw out Mr Sanderson’s earlier $3.1m [£2.54m] lawsuit and ruled that he was not entitled to punitive damages.

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow sits in court in Park City, Utah. Terry Sanderson is suing the actress for $300,000, claiming she recklessly crashed into him while the two were skiing on a beginner run at Deer Valley Resort in 2016.

It was not specified what the “treats” for bailiffs would be, but Ms Paltrow’s legal team said they wanted to thank them for being “helpful”.

Ahead of testimony on the third day of the civil trial, Ms Paltrow’s lawyer Steve Owens said: "Private security for my client wanted to bring in treats for the bailiffs for how helpful they've been."

He added: "So, I wanted to do that transparently and see if there are any objections," he added.

Lawyers for Mr Sanderson objected. Judge Kent Holmberg replied: "OK, there's an objection, so thank you, but no thank you."

He said either party could "decide to do that later" if they wished. Mr Sanderson’s daughter on Thursday told how she believed her father had been affected by the accident.

"He was sitting in a chair by the window and I almost expected drool to be coming out of his mouth," she said.

"First of all, he wasn't engaged with anybody. He had kind of taken himself to a remote corner and that was my first real kind of slap in the face of, like, something's terribly wrong."

Ms Paltrow is seeking $1m [£820,000] in damages, plus legal fees. She is expected to give evidence today. Her children, Moses and Apple, are also expected to testify.