An Expert Witness Defense Fund was established today by the Free Software Foundation and the Recording Industry vs The People blog (run by copyright attorney Ray Beckerman) to help defendants cover the costs of entertainment and media expert witnesses used to defend themselves against file-sharing lawsuits brought by the recording…
A San Francsico federal grand jury has indicted Barry Bonds on four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction alleging that he “knowingly and willfully” made material false statements regarding his use of performance-enhancing substances during his grand jury testimony in the into the Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative. Bonds…
The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals has ruled that Ohio Circuit Judge Arthur Recht improperly excluded neurosurgery expert witness Peter Sheptak in a trial over a car crash. The decision means Sheptak can to testify for Lambert Jones II, whose Ford Probe rear ended a Lincoln driven by George…
The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals recently held that although a medical expert witness does not use the medical tools alleged to have caused harm does not mean he or she may not testify to the standard of care needed while using them. The court found the fact that…
The murder trial of Wilson Santiago could cause Ohio to reconsider its controversial rule forbidding defendants from seeing all of the state’s evidence against them. Santiago is accused in the 2006 shooting death of Cleveland Detective Jonathan “A.J.” Schroeder. Defense lawyers want the police reports in order for sanity/trial competency…
In Defense Medical Expert: Turning the Defense Advocate Into the Plaintiff’s Witness, R. Rex Paris advises on the cross-examination of a defense doctor. Paris writes that often the defense medical expert witness creates a “mountain of rubbish” which mesmerizes the jury. Because jurors do not have the benefit of court…
South Dakota Attorney General Larry Long has hired the firm of Stinson Morrison Hecker LLP to defend the state in a lawsuit over the school-aid formula. Long described the case as countering education and schools expert witnesses from the parents and schools challenging the adequacy of the state-aid formula. “There…
Ex-drill instructor Sgt. Jerrod Glass is standing trial in military court for allegedly hitting, slapping, and abusing dozens of recruits. Expert witness Gunnery Sgt. Rogerio De Leon, one of the depot’s most experienced drill instructors, testified that even “incentive training” has strict guidelines. The military expert witness said recruits in…
In Utilizing Experts In An Expert Way, Kelli Hinson and Tesa Hinkley describe the crucial role expert witnesses have at trial and give advice on how best to use them. In this excerpt, Hinson and Hinkley give tips on planning ahead when drafing confidentiality / protective orders. Confidentality / protective…
Jamaican expert witness Fitzmore Coates testified Thursday at the inquest into the death of ex-Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer. Woolmer, 58, was found unconscious in his Kingston hotel room on March 18 and Coates, acting chief forensic officer at the Government Forensic Science Laboratory, said tests showed traces of the…