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In Event Data Recorders: Proper Evidence Collection in Criminal, Insurance and Tort Liability Investigations, accident investigation expert witness Shawn Gyorke writes:

Over the last several years, the landscape of traffic accident reconstruction and insurance claims investigations has changed dramatically at the hands of technological advances such as event data recorders (vehicle black box technology). This technology has been challenged on numerous occasions and generally been found to be reliable and admissible under both Frye and Daubert paradigms ยน.

The requirement for law enforcement and private insurers to collect and consider this type of evidence in their investigations has not been clearly defined. Law enforcement, insurance investigators and litigators may need to heighten their efforts in the preservation of this critical evidence. A failure to properly memorialize this evidence may ultimately result in evidence spoliation claims by criminal defendants, as well as claims of bad faith by parties involved in civil litigation.

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In High-Speed Fun with High-Speed Defects, personal watercraft expert witness Dr. Craig Good, Collision Analysis, Inc., writes:

Personal watercraft are vessels operated by a person positioned on the craft. They are less than 4 m in length and use an internal combustion engine to power a water pump or jet as the vessel’s primary source of propulsion. The jet exits the rear of the craft from a steerable nozzle….

In 1998, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a much-anticipated safety study of PWCs. This study found that they comprise only 7.4% of all registered recreational boats; yet, 51% of all boating accidents involved PWCs, and 41% of all boating injuries involved PWCs.

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Legal nurse consultant expert witnesses may testify on palliative care, forensic nursing, medical record review, and legal nurse certification, as well as related issues. In 5 ways Legal Nurse Consultants Assist with Medical Mass Torts, Mednick Associates writes:

Defending or prosecuting medical mass tort cases requires long term discipline, an array of research, and from an administrative standpoint, organization. Many law firms that handle these cases require, at the outset, a way to organize the vast array of case files and medical records.

See: https://www.jurispro.com/MednickAssociates

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Pharmaceutical companies expert witnesses may consult on issues involving pharmaceutical medicine, drug prescriptions, and the pharmaceutical industry. In the news, plaintiff Laura A. Plumlee is suing Pfizer Inc. for consumer fraud after taking the prescription antidepressant Zoloft for three years. Plumlee and her attorney argue that Pfizer did not make known studies showing the drug is as useful as a placebo in the treatment of depression but instead advertized the drug as very effective. In her San Jose, CA, lawsuit, Plumlee is asking for patients to be reimbursed for the cost of the medication.

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In Amendment to contingency fee contract expanding scope of work and scope of compensation held enforceable, legal fees expert witness James King writes:

In Rowe v. Law Offices of Ben C. Brodhead, PC., 735 S.E.2d 39 (Ga. Ct. App. 2012), a Georgia state appellate court upheld a jury verdict awarding a law firm $160,000 pursuant to an amendment to its contingent fee contract with its client. The amendment expanded its work to additional matters beyond that originally contemplated by the parties.

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In FIRE LOSS FROM IMPROPER HALOGEN FLOODLIGHT INSTALLATION, failure analysis expert witness Charles C. Roberts writes:

Halogen floodlights have been used in both residential and industrial applications for years. They are characterized by high light intensity on task and high heat dissipation….

Most manufacturers of halogen flood lamps warn about the fire hazards of insufficient clearance between the fixture and combustible materials. Ignoring these recommendations can precipitate a significant fire loss as illustrated by this field expedient.

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In Incident Handling: When the Breach Occurs, computer security expert witness C. Matthew Curtin of Interhack Corporation writes:
Reputation is made or broken not on whether an incident takes place, but how well the incident is handled. Thus every security program includes a component on incident handling. Effectively handling adverse events requires planning and practice, paving the way for sound execution. In preparation, there are four questions every CIO needs to answer.

Full article: http://web.interhack.com/publications/incident-handling-cio

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The American Institute for Expert Witness Education’s Expert Witness Bootcamp is an intensive three-day clinic designed to develop and enhance the testifying and communication skills of professionals who serve as expert witnesses in the courtroom in a variety of industries including accounting, financial and valuation, marital dissolution, fraud investigation, medical, high technology, fire and others.

The AIEWE Bootcamp is not a program where attendees work on simulated case studies, but incorporates the attendee’s actual work product and engagements that are used to tailor and personalize the training.

Read more: http://www.nacva.com/CTI/CTIExpertWitnessBootcamp.asp

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Education and schools expert witnesses may testify on school funding, school districts, and education administration. In the news, Shirley Beaulieu, chief financial officer at the Texas Education Agency, testified before state District Judge John Dietz that Texas’ public schools are $1 billion short. Stanford University education expert Eric Hanushek testified for Texans for Real Efficiency and Equity in Education and said funding is not so much the issue as “lack of efficiency.”

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In W.D. Penn. Court reduces “Petition for Reasonable Attorneys Fees” to make requested hourly rates consistent with prevailing market rates for routine discovery disputes, rather than “overall trial victories.”, legal fees expert witness James King writes:

In Sandvik Intellectual Prop. AB v. Kennametal Inc., 02:10-CV-000654, 2013 WL 141193 (W.D. Pa. Jan. 11, 2013), the prevailing party in a discovery suit sought reimbursement for 264.20 hours which resulted in counsel fees of $98,384.01 for time expended by its attorneys as a direct result of Sandvik’s lengthy pattern of discovery delay, obfuscation, and misconduct. The District Court granted the petition for fees, but reduced it by 20% on the basis that the fee request cited prevailing market rates for attorneys performing “trial” litigation work as opposed to “discovery” litigation work. In support of its fee request, the Pittsburgh law firm Kilpatrick Townsend submitted to the court the published rates of Pittsburgh firms Reed Smith and K & L Gates. The Court reached its result as follows:

While the Court is fully cognizant of the vast experience and expertise of the Kilpatrick Townsend firm in the area of intellectual property, the Court cannot justify the rates advanced by Kilpatrick Townsend for this discovery dispute irrespective of its comparison to the published rates of Reed Smith and K & L Gates. Therefore, the Court will reduce the hourly rates sought by Kennametal across the board by twenty percent (20%), which the Court finds to be reasonable and fair and much more in line within the general billing rates of the Pittsburgh legal community for a discovery dispute.

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