A Cassia County, ID, judge ruled that a sexual abuse expert witness may appear in defense of former teacher Alvin Andrew. Andrew is charged with felony counts of lewd conduct with a child under 16 and sexual abuse of a child under 16. The trial is expected to begin June 5th.
Forensic Psychology Expert Witness On Possible False Confession
Forensic psychiatry expert witness Dr. Clarence Watson reported that David Granskie Jr. may have given a false confession in the death of Carolyn Stone due to heroin addiction. The evidence will be weighed in July in Somerset County Superior Court, NJ.
Expert Witnesses In Slip & Fall Cases Part 2
In More effective use of experts in slip-and-fall cases –
The right expert will help you to better prepare the case and win it at trial, attorney David Reinard writes:
Why to retain an expert
Criminal Law Expert Witness On False Confessions
Criminal law expert witness Richard Leo testified last week regarding what he believes was the false confession of Angelica Swartout. The Oregon woman is accused of killing her newborn baby. Dr. Leo is a University of San Francisco law professor recognized for his research on police interrogation practices, the impact of Miranda, psychological coercion, false confessions, and wrongful convictions.
Cyber Liability Insurance Expert
In Businesses find greater need for cyber liability insurance, Mark Schwartz, CEO of Corporate Insurance Advisors, says many small businesses are not aware that their traditional general liability insurance policies do not cover cyber liability claims. Cyber liability insurance expert witnesses may opine on coverage for malicious code or viruses, loss of data, and correlated matters.
Read more: miamiherald.com.
Insurance Expert Witnesses & New Coverate Issues
Insurance expert witnesses may testify on commercial liability policies, risk management, and insurance class actions, as well as associated matters. In The Next New Thing: Coverage Issues from Fracking Claims, Brian S. Martin, partner in the Insurance Litigation and Coverage Practice of the law firm of Thompson Coe Cousins & Irons LLP, writes that the next litigation surge may be over the use of fracking in the oil and gas industry.
Read more: insurancejournal.com.
DNA Expert Witness Testifies In Roger Clemens Case
DNA expert witness Alan Keel testified this week in the case against Roger Clemens who is charged with lying to Congress about using steroids. The expert is with Forensic Science Associates in California and testified in the case against the former pitching star.
Child Sexual Abuse Expert Witnesses In Sandusky Trial
Defense attorney Joe Amendola requested more time to work with child sexual abuse expert witnesses in the case against Jerry Sandusky. Judge John Cleland denied the request in the trial against Sandusky, retired assistant coach at Pennsylvania State University.
Five Rules For Expert Witnesses
In What Should an Expert Witness Look for in an Attorney or Law Firm?, Dr. Gerry Goldhaber, Goldhaber Research Association, LLC, writes:
Recently, a lawyer’s group discussed in quite a bit of detail, the topic of what criteria a lawyer should consider when retaining an expert witness. While it is important for a lawyer to find a good expert to work with in litigation, it is also important for an expert to find a good lawyer.
My 33 years as a warnings expert has taught me that there are at least five rules that should help the expert maintain a healthy relationship with the lawyer.
Construction Site Expert Witness On Marketing Part 3
In Peaks and Valleys for Expert Witnesses construction site expert witness William Gulya, Jr., President & CEO, Middlesex Trenching Company, writes:
“The worst part of a tight economy is a lack of funds to properly represent clients [President Carmen Roberto of the Ohio State Bar Association]. As a defense attorney he has had to forego hiring his own expert witness and relied on cross-examination of the prosecution’s witness. A possible upside is that tools like mediation, designed to ease court dockets, are being used now to save money.” (“Economy has ripple effect on lawyers,” J.D. Bruewer, October 5, 2010, www.limaohio.com.)
There you have it from the source: Attorneys do cut back on expenses in a bad economy and may even forego hiring an expert that they would otherwise have hired in a better economy. This equates to a lower retention rate for experts. That said, and with all due respect to Mr. Roberto, this is generally a big mistake in most cases. As Melvin Belli Sr. said, “The cost may be high to employ the expert, but it may be well higher not to employ one. Indeed, counsel who chooses to proceed without an expert may be flirting with malpractice.” (Melvin Belli Sr., Trial Magazine)