A $3 million study blaming a massive coal ash spill in Tennessee on a complex combination of structural and geologic factors is wrong, says an engineering expert witness who evaluated the disaster for his own mining and utility clients. Though no one was injured, the disaster was one of the…
In Virginia last week Ben W. Hunter, 42, now of Phoenix, Ariz., was found not guilty on all but two of 32 charges which included 13 counts of distributing steroids and 13 counts of distributing drugs to a minor. The former wrestling coach had also been charged with selling drugs…
In How Long An Arm? automotive expert witness Richard O. Neville writes: Can a state law prohibiting direct sales to consumers by a manufacturer have an extra-territorial reach into another state? The Fourth Circuit has said it cannot. The case involved a Volvo and GM truck dealer, Carolina Trucks &…
David Tuffin of the firm Tuffin, Ferraby, & Taylor writes In my expert opinion: How to pick an expert witness Expert witnesses can make or break a case, so it’s vital to pick exactly the right (independent, knowledgeable and impressive) person for the job. With the construction industry seeing a…
A Maryland state psychiatry expert witness believes Victoria Adele Sparrow knew what she was doing was wrong and is therefore guilty of first-degree murder when she poisoned her 3-year-old daughter and then tried to kill herself. Psychiatric experts – one employed by the state and the other hired by the…
On Wednesday, the 1st Circuit Court of Appeal in Baton Rouge threw out a $2 million judgment that a 19th Judicial District Court jury had awarded former UL football coach Jerry Baldwin in 2007. In that case, Baldwin claimed racial discrimination by the university, the UL Board of Supervisors and…
Obstetrics expert witness Dr. Robert Winston says women who freeze their eggs to delay motherhood are being given false hope by some fertility clinics. Winston says there is no guarantee and he believes that some clinics that offer services for healthy women to freeze eggs – at a cost of…
The medical examiner who performed the autopsy on James P. Chasse Jr. after he died in police custody says Chasse suffered 46 separate abrasions or contusions on his body, including six to the head and 19 strikes to the torso. Chasse, 42, who suffered from schizophrenia, died in police custody…
The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act was signed into law in December 2007, giving owners of public pools until December 2008 to comply with the new pool drain safety requirements. This law applies to all pre-existing public and semi-public pools and to any new pools (public or…
Pathology expert witness Dr. Janice Ophoven testified Tuesday in the trial of Amy Dierks, the Sioux Falls day care provider accused of shaking a six-month-old child into a coma-like state in November 2007. In reviewing the Baby Henry Johnson case, she told jurors she doesn’t believe Dierks abused the child;…