So the Gwyneth Paltrow case has concluded in her favour. This is a good thing. It was fairly obvious that the plaintiff was a chancer and the jury came to that conclusion. What struck me about this case is that in a sane world, it would never have been brought in the first place, but the Americans do like to sue at the drop of a hat. Skiing is a risky sport. The hazards are entirely foreseeable and the likelihood of a collision a likely possibility.
There are plenty of risky sports that people take part in and people get injured and sometimes killed doing them. When two motorcyclists or drivers collide on the track, the competitors don’t go rushing to the courts to get money, they accept that this was part of the game.
Regardless of what you might think of Paltrow – and she is a divisive figure – the judgement here was right. If you go onto the slopes, expect the occasional collision. If you can’t accept that with good grace, either don’t do it or take out suitable insurance. In this case, a chancer got greedy and is now facing ruin. That is punishment enough, I think.