In The Collateral Attack: Challenging Qualifications of an Expert Witness, attorneys Ben Rubinowitz and Evan Torgan write that blind reliance on your expert’s CV is a “sure road to failure.”  They go on to offer a series of questions for a “collateral attack” of the opposing expert. 

Mr. Rubinowitz and Mr. Torgan co-author a regular column entitled, Trial Advocacy, for the New York Law Journal, the daily newspaper for attorneys in New York State. The column discusses state of the art techniques required for successful outcomes at trial.

Read more athttp://www.newyorklawjournal.com/.

Explosion cause expert witnesses may opine on explosion origins, explosives, explosive devices, and more.  Texas officials have begun a criminal investigation into the April 19^th explosion that killed 14 people at the West Fertilizer Company in West, Texas, 18 miles north of Wasco.  Texas paramedic Bryce Reed was arrested Friday for possession of a pipe bomb and authorities are looking to see if there is a connection. 

Psychology expert witness Robert Geffner testified as one of the last experts in the trial of accused murderer Jodi Arias.  Geffner described Arias as suffering from PTSD, saying the "consistent pattern of trauma" caused her to kill her boyfriend Travis Alexander. The grizzly details of Alexander's death have made media headlines since January.

Pharmaceutical product liability expert witnesses may opine on product liability, consumer products safety, consumer products warnings, and related matters.  Plaintiffs may go to trial this fall in a federal case against Merck & Co over the contraceptive device NuvaRing.  As many as 1,000 women are suing the pharmaceutical manufacturer Merck & Co alleging that the device caused blood clots and that the company did not properly test or label the product.

NuvaRing, which came on the market in 2001, delivers hormones directly into the blood stream. 

Automotive failure expert witnesses may opine on brake failure, equipment failure and failure analysis.  Last month, a Philadelphia jury awarded Noreen Lewis $11.4 as a result of a roll over accident in 2010.  Dr. Lewis was seriously injured after a minivan serviced by Central City Toyota had mechanical failure.  The roll over sent Lewis down a ravine resulting in injuries to her arm.  Central City Toyota said the plaintiff was driving too fast but the jury found that faulty maintenance caused the accident. 

Food safety expert witness Barbara Petersen testified this week in Alameda County Superior Court (CA) regarding lead levels in baby foods. The expert said that lead levels fall under requirements for warning labels in California. The Environmental Law Foundation filed the lawsuit against baby food manufacturers wanting them to let consumers know that products may contain low measurements of lead.  Dr. Petersen is a Principal Scientist in Exponent’s Health Sciences Center for Chemical Regulation and Food Safety.

Navel architect expert witness Achilleas Kakarantzas testified this week in the trial of the 2007 cruise ship wreck off the island of Santorini. The expert said the Sea Diamond  was crippled with four lacerations after striking a reef and could not have escaped sinking.  http://www.ekathimerini.com reports:

Every 15 minutes, 3,000 tons of water poured into the ship and the pumps could not take out more than 840 tons per hour.

A New Jersey appellate court ruled this week that a trial court judge was mistaken in limiting how many expert witnesses could testify in a medical malpractice case. Judge Victor Ashrafi, Appellate Division of the Superior Court of New Jersey, said the trial court did not have the authority to limit the number of expert witnesses in the case of Kevin McLean. A second medical malpractice  trial will be scheduled against Greenville Hospital in Jersey City.

 

U.S. Armry Major Nidal Hasan will be tried at Fort Hood on July 1, on 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting massacre. Terrorism expert witness Evan F. Kohlmann has evaluated Hasan prior to the murder trial. Kohlmann is an American terrorism consultant who has worked for the FBI and other governmental organizations

WPL Publishing will hold a 90 minute webinar on Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013, to provide construction professionals and their attorneys with useful information about forensic schedule analysis.

Forensic schedule analysis is the study and investigation of events using critical path method (CPM) scheduling techniques, sometimes supported by other analysis techniques, to determine the cause and magnitude of delays and disruptions on construction projects of various types. 

More info: https://www.registrationheadquarters.com/events/?4a7b662a5e9a4e208832c1b09eccf880a