An Ongoing Court Trial
Montecito actress Gwyneth Paltrow, 50, is used to being in the limelight, but her current appearance in a Utah courtroom – where she is being sued for $300,000 over a 2016 ski crash on the slopes of the Deer Valley Resort in Park City – must be quite a new experience.
Retired Soda Springs optometrist Terry Sanderson, 76, initially sued the Oscar winner for $3.1 million in 2019, claiming the Goop founder seriously crashed into and injured him when she was skiing “out of control” while on the slopes with her two children Apple and Moses, now-husband TV producer Brad Falchuk, and his two children.
But a local judge dismissed a number of the claims in May 2022, saying the incident was “clearly not a hit-and-run ski crash.” Paltrow countersued, blaming Sanderson – who has now lowered his claim to $300,000 – for the accident and is seeking symbolic damages of just $1, plus her legal fees.
Sanderson, now living in Salt Lake City, claims he was left with traumatic brain injury, broken ribs, and loss of enjoyment of life – but Paltrow’s lawyers say he is lying.
The trial, which has been live streamed, is expected to end this week. But it could be all downhill from there.
Conservative Think Tank Concerned Over Immigrant’s Visa
Prince Harry’s candor in his best-selling memoir Spare, and the publicity tour associated with the book in which he admitted taking cocaine, cannabis, and magic mushrooms, could now threaten his U.S. residency visa.
The Riven Rock-based Duke of Sussex, 38, is facing calls for his U.S. visa application to be released to see whether King Charles III’s youngest son admitted his drug use before emigrating to California with former actress, wife Meghan Markle, in 2020.
A conservative think tank is in the middle of a battle with Washington D.C. officials, who are staunchly refusing to publish any details, including texts and emails.
The D.C.-based Heritage Foundation has applied under the Freedom of Information Act to have Harry’s visa application released so U.S. taxpayers can see whether he declared his drug use.
Visa immigration law has harsh penalties for lying to immigration officials, including deportation and being barred from applying for citizenship.
Stay tuned…
Goodwill Ambassador Visits Ukraine
British actor Orlando Bloom, fiancé of Santa Barbara singer Katy Perry, has visited Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv.
It was the 46-year-old Lord of the Rings star’s first visit to the embattled nation since 2016 as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, and he told the country’s leader to “go win” the war against Russia.
“It is encouraging in so many ways to see the remarkably stoic nature of the people of Ukraine,” he says…
Home on the Malibu Market
Rosewood Miramar owner and former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Rick Caruso is selling his Malibu Beach home for $39 million.
The real estate tycoon, 64, purchased the two-story, five-bedroom, eight bathroom 7,264 square foot property with three terrace decks overlooking the Pacific in 2008 for $11.3 million and did a total renovation taking it back to the studs.
It was originally on the market in February 2021, for $40 million. The house was used as a proof-of-concept for the design of the Rosewood Miramar using a Cape Cod architectural style.
The property also boasts a pair of two-car garages and a theater.
StonePark Takes on Hotel Cerro in SLO
Santa Barbara property dynamo Andrew Firestone and his business partner Jess Parker, who own the investment company StonePark Capital, have acquired the Hotel Cerro – a 65-room hotel in downtown San Luis Obispo with the only rooftop pool and bar in the city.
This comes just a month after opening Courtyard by Marriott, a 122-room hostelry on State Street, formerly the La Quinta Inn, in February.
Hotel Cerro will join the Autograph Collection Hotels, part of Marriott Bonvoy’s portfolio of 30 extraordinary brands, with design and branding updates to begin immediately.
This represents the third collaboration between Marriott International and StonePark Capital on California’s Central Coast.
The company currently owns five hotel projects on the Central Coast representing 365 guest rooms. After opening their first hotel in 2019 in San Luis Obispo, the dynamic duo have been eager to increase their investment in the area.
The project represents the third collaboration between StonePark and AZUL Hospitality, whose team will be taking over operations of the hotel, restaurant, and spa.
Sightings
Montecito rocker Adam Levine celebrating his 44th birthday at Disneyland with his former supermodel wife Behati Prinsloo… Actress and game show host Jane Lynch noshing at Tre Lune… Oscar winner Jon Voight at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara.
Pip! Pip!
