Articles Posted in Researching Experts

Voting expert witness Pete Perry testified regarding voting irregularities in the Hattiesburg, MS, June mayoral election. Among the problems, Perry found that absentee ballots did not match the number of absentee envelopes. Mr. Perry is owner of Paradigm Government Relations, LLC, Jackson, MS.

Child safety expert witnesses may testify on poisoning prevention, playground injuries, electrical safety in the home, and childhood injuries, as well as related issues. In the news, a 7-month-old boy died after eating a laundry detergent “pod” which was accidentally left where he was sleeping. The American Association of Poison Control Centers writes:

Poison centers receive many calls each year about children getting into laundry detergent. Swallowing it often causes mild stomach upset, if there are any symptoms at all, but poison center experts say the new highly concentrated single-load liquid laundry detergent packets seem to be different.

Some children who have gotten the product in their mouths have had excessive vomiting, wheezing and gasping. Some get very sleepy. Some have had breathing problems serious enough to need a ventilator to help them breathe. There have also been reports of corneal abrasions (scratches to the eyes) when the detergent gets into a child’s eyes.

Fire expert witnesses may provide reports concerning arson detection, arson investigators standards of care, fire equipment, and fire origin and cause. Rhode Island fire officials are investigating a suspicious electrical fire extinguished Saturday on the Sakonnet River Bridge. The fire damaged nearby equipment and not the bridge structure. Arson is suspected.

Aviation expert witnesses may testify on air traffic control, aircraft accident investigation, aircraft contract manufacturing, aircraft design, and aircraft operations. In the news, The National Transportation Safety Board has launched a full Go-Team to investigate the crash of a United Parcel Service Airbus A300. The crash occurred while on approach to Runway 18 at Birmingham International Airport in Birmingham, Ala.

Senior Aviation Investigator Dan Bower will serve as investigator-in-charge. NTSB Board Member Robert Sumwalt is accompanying the team and will serve as the principal spokesman during the on-scene phase of the investigation. Federal officials have found no evidence of a pre-crash fire or engine failure aboard a UPS plane that went down in Alabama, killing two pilots.

Read more: http://www.ntsb.gov/news/2013/130814.html

Patents expert witnesses may provide reports and testify regarding computer patents, design patents, and international patents and licensing. In Experts Streamlined in Microsoft-Motorola Case, Courthouse News Service writes that U.S. District Judge James Robart, W.D. Wash, “has approved and denied a raft of expert witnesses in a contentious battle between Microsoft and Motorola over the licensing of wireless technology.” In the Seattle complaint, Microsoft claims that “Motorola demanded exorbitant licensing fees in breach of industry wide agreements, while Motorola cried patent infringement against Microsoft over the disputed technology.”

Courthouse News Service is a nationwide news service for lawyers and the news media. Based in Pasadena, California, Courthouse News focuses on civil litigation, from the date of filing through the appellate level. Read more: http://www.courthousenews.com/.

In The Building Permits New York Requires, building codes expert witness Christopher E. Chwedyk, AIA, CSI, writes:

According to New York City building codes, unless you’re only making a minor alteration or repair to your property, you’ll need to obtain a building permit before you commence work. The type of building permits New York requires for your project depends on the nature of the project itself and what type of construction will be happening.

There are four main types of building permits New York property owners may have to seek:

In What’s Your H2O (Safety) IQ?, water safety expert witness Dr. David Smith, Commander, USCG (RET) writes:

The following 20 questions were the basis of a key address to the First International Boating and Water Safety Summit, April 18-25, 1997 in San Diego, California. The Summit was sponsored by the National Water Safety Council and The National Safe Boating Council. This article is taken from the proceedings of the Summit. The article has been repeatedly updated to reflect current aquatic accident statistics. Human physiology, by contrast, has not been known to change in the last 10,000 decades.

How well can you answer these twenty boating and water safety questions:

11. [a] How fast does an immersed body lose heat to water?

Workers compensation expert witnesses may provide reports regarding injured workers, compensation claims, and employee claims. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, Portland, OR, ruled Friday against worker’s compensation benefits for longshoreman Gary Schwirse. Evidence showed he had 9 beers and half-pint of whiskey before he fell over a railing and landed on concrete.

Case No. 11-73172; BRB No. 11-0119.

Lead poisoning expert witness Joseph Courtney testified in The People of California v. Atlantic Richfield Company et al regarding lead-based paint as a source of lead poisoning. Courtney is a research scientist for the California Department of Public Health’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Branch. Ten cities and counties want lead based paint manufacturers to pay for eradicating lead paint from homes.

The Department of Public Health’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Branch states that children at risk for lead poisoning are young children under six years of age who spend time in homes, childcare centers, or buildings built before 1978 that have chipping or peeling paint. Because their brains and nervous systems are still forming, they are at greatest risk of harmful health effects from lead poisoning.

Food safety expert witnesses may testify on nutritional supplements, food packaging, food sanitation, nutrition, food processing, and more. On Saturday, the FDA released this information on the multistate outbreak of Cyclosporiasis:

The FDA traceback investigation has confirmed that the salad mix identified by Iowa and Nebraska as being linked to the outbreak of cyclosporiasis in those states was supplied to restaurants in those states by Taylor Farms de Mexico, S. de R.L. de C.V., a processor of foodservice salads. The FDA traceback investigation found that illness clusters at restaurants were traced to a common supplier, Taylor Farms de Mexico, S. de R.L. de C.V. The restaurants in Iowa and Nebraska include Olive Garden and Red Lobster, both of which are owned by Darden Restaurants.

FDA’s investigation has not implicated consumer packages sold in grocery stores.