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New Mexico Attorney General Gary King filed a case in 2009 against the lender FastBucks for charging interest rates of more than 650 percent a year. Now, finance expert witnesses are expected to testify that FastBucks preys on the poor, minorities, and financially inexperienced who sign up for “payday loans” from high-interest lenders rather than established banks.

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The city of Anchorage, AK, has hired a former deputy chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, Lou Reiter, as a police procedures expert witness in the case against former Anchorage police officer and convicted serial rapist Anthony Rollins.

Reiter is with the Legal & Liability Risk Management Institute which offers training and services for law enforcement, jails and corrections, and risk managers.

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The DNA Initiative is offering a 13 module training course entitled Introduction to Law 101: Legal Guide for the Forensic Expert. The course was produced by the National Clearinghouse for Science, Technology and the Law (NCSTL) at Stetson University College of Law with funding from the National Institute of Justice.

More info: http://www.dna.gov/training/law101.

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Michigan Lawyer blog author Ed Wesoloski writes that expert witnesses can testify at criminal and civil trials via two-way interactive video under 2012 PA 68, signed into law by Gov. Rick Snyder. The law takes effect June 1 and is expected to reduce travel expenses for experts.

Read more: http://michiganlawyerblog.wordpress.com/author/milw/.

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Insurance fraud expert witnesses may consult and testify on insurance claims, the insurance industry, insurance class actions, and associated topics. On its website, the California Department of Insurance offers search capability back to 2001 in their Formal Enforcement Actions.

Use this page to find pleadings and other legal documents related to formal enforcement actions that the Department has taken against insurance companies, agents, brokers and other Department licensees. Examples of documents you may find include Accusations, Orders to Show Cause, Notices of Non-Compliance, Final Decisions and Orders of the Commissioner and Appellate Orders. See insurance.ca.gov.

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Trucking accidents expert witnesses may provide reports regarding the Department of Transportation (DOT), trucking computer systems, crash-worthiness, trucking insurance, trucking safety, and correlated topics. In the news, Bendix is delivering repair kits for a faulty brake valve to truck manufacturers. Bendix is replacing faulty ATR-6 valves on its commercial vehicle brake systems.

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Auto insurance claims expert witnesses may opine on automobile insurance rates, auto insurance companies, and related matters. On its website, the California Department of Insurance offers Studies & Reports including the Automobile Complaint Composite report. The report includes 50 large automobile insurers licensed to conduct business in California.

Read more: insurance.ca.gov.

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Courthouse News service reports a forensic pathology expert witness will not testify that repeated police Tasering contributed to the death of a schizophrenic man. U.S. Magistrate Judge William Wall ruled in the wrongful death case against Southampton, Suffolk County (NY), police officers and Taser International.

Read more: courthousenews.com.

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In the news this week, insurance experts commented on proposed legislation by California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones regarding self insured plans for small employers. The Self-Insurance Industry Institute of America defines self insurance:

Self-Insurance (also referred to as self-funding) is an alternative risk transfer strategy used by tens of thousands of employers across the country to finance their group health care and Workers’ Compensation liabilities. Self-Insurance has become an increasingly attractive option for many employers due to the rising costs associated with health care and Workers’ Compensation commercial insurance.