Gwyneth Paltrow's family ski instructor testified that she 'doesn't go down the hill screaming' while defending the actor's skiing prowess during her collision trial

• Gwyneth Paltrow's son's ski instructor praised the actor's skill while testifying Monday.

• Eric Christiansen took the stand in Paltrow's legal battle over a 2016 crash.

• The ski instructor rejected suggestions that he was helping Paltrow "cover up" the collision.

A Utah ski instructor who taught the actor Gwyneth Paltrow's children on several vacations defended the star's snow-sport ability, testifying in court Monday that he had always known the Goop founder to be a safe and responsible skier.

Eric Christiansen, a ski instructor for 44 years, offered his recollection of the 2016 ski collision between Paltrow and Terry Sanderson, a retired optometrist who's in court this month battling the lifestyle "guru" over dueling negligence claims stemming from the mountaintop accident at Deer Valley Resort in Utah seven years ago.

Christiansen was working with Paltrow's son, Moses Martin, then 10, when the crash between Paltrow and Sanderson, 76, occurred on a beginner slope.

Sanderson sued Paltrow in 2019 for $3 million over the collision, alleging she crashed into him and left him with four broken ribs and a traumatic brain injury, according to medical records shown in court. The actor later countersued Sanderson, alleging that he was responsible for the accident because he skied into her from behind.

Sanderson is now seeking $300,000 in damages. Paltrow, on the other hand, is asking for $1, plus reimbursement for attorney fees.

Witnesses throughout the trial, including both Sanderson and Paltrow, have offered contradictory accounts as to who was at fault in the crash, but Christiansen on Monday said he believed Sanderson was to blame.

Christiansen's testimony began with a slow-motion video animation depicting the collision, which the ski instructor said he did not personally witness.