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Industrial psychology expert witness Dr. Bob Rose of The Rose Porterfield Group writes that one example of Industrial Organizational Psychology case work is sexual harassment. One of his cases was a Fortune 100 company with a middle manager who was terminated for sexual harassment.

Industrial Psychologists (also “Industrial Organizational” or “IO Psychologists”) – those of us who work with the people aspects of work – know that these things really do happen and we know what to specifically look for.

Be proactive. Consult your general counsel or your attorney; don’t assume HR’s sophisticated procedures are being used in the field; and, make sure everyone in the company knows how serious termination is. Well-crafted policy, frequent training and an awareness of change brought about by technology (“textual harassment” is now an issue) can help prevent problems. And watch who puts what into a file.

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Environmental toxicology expert witness Richard Troast, PhD, Troast Environmental Consulting, explains lead toxicity and environmental exposures:

Environmental lead (Pb) and its toxic effects on adults and children have long been recognized. The US EPA has had a continuing goal to minimize exposures to lead to populations threatened by exposures to lead in the air, soil and paint. Lead exposures have been linked to neurological effects including IQ decrement in children and to systemic and reproductive toxicity in adults. Data continues to demonstrate that children are the most sensitive to the effects of lead and this sensitivity forms the basis of the EPA Superfund approach to remedial of cleanup environmental soil lead to levels that would insure a maximum blood lead concentration of 10ug/dl. Adult lead exposures, within the control of Superfund, are cleaned below the levels expected to affect adults by cleaning to the levels not expected to present health risks to children. The EPA has used two models to predict blood leads during its remedial efforts and has used blood lead as the biomarker of exposure. The children’s model is the Integrated Exposure Uptake Biokinetic Model (IEUBK) and the adult exposures were calculated using the Adult Lead Model (ALM). Both of these were published by EPA after significant peer review.

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Psychology expert witness James H. Hilkey for accused murderer Shelton Mills told jurors that the shooting deaths of Cylvonnia Preddy Crowder and Robert Bizzell Jr. Aug. 26, 2007″ is not a ‘who-dunnit,’ crime, but a ‘why-dunnit’ crime.”

In Pitt County Superior Court, North Carolina, the psychologist described Mills’ personality as paranoid, avoidant, psychotic and probably schizophrenic. He also testified that Mills, who was last tested with an IQ of 71, has “mild mental retardation.” The state threshold for eligibility for the death penalty is 70.

Read more: reflector.com.

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Florida’s new homeowners insurance laws will combat fraud which has increased since Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Insurance expert David Miller, CEO of Brightway Insurance and independent agency, said change is long overdue and that recently passed state insurance laws will reduce fraud. “We’ve seen a tremendous increase in fraud over the last few years,” he said. “The law is meant to clamp down on … (fraud) which does not help anyone.”

Read more: firstcoastnews.com.

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Tree removal expert witnesses may write reports and opine on tree pruning, the safety of nearby trees, and tree removal, among other topics. The Tree Care Industry Association reports that winter storms with high winds, ice and snow, put tremendous pressures on trees growing near houses or power lines. In their wake, property owners face the task of clearing trees and downed limbs. TCIA offers these safety tips to help avoid personal injury or damage to property during storm clean-up.

When deciding whether to try removing a tree yourself:

Consider the size and location of the tree. If it is more than 20 feet tall or you would have to leave the ground to take it down in pieces, call a professional. Even small trees bent under tension can be extremely hazardous.

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In What the Defendant Can Do Wrong, risk assessment expert witness Ira Somerson, BCFE, CPP, CSC, writes on organizing security functions.

Reasons for Failure Why do organizations persist in having incidents of violent crime? Why are their employees and business invitees exposed to serious security risks? Organizations usually look for quick fixes to problems that they believe are within their area of stewardship. Having never had any serious exposure to the art and science of security management, they are likely to feel that they have the ability to conserve and protect their assets (people, information, property and reputation) without expert support. Unfortunately, “security” is usually folded in with the image of the “rent-a-cop” at the entrance or “those things that you put on doors,” etc. It’s easier to keep it simple than to admit you are vulnerable or unaware of how to manage a problem. It may also require capital investment and/or operational outlays (this will serve as an excellent rationalization for doing nothing). As with most management problems, security is a complicated problem requiring knowledge of a significant body of knowledge. Security risks do not disappear simply by buying “things” and wish it will then go away. As with all business problems it requires data to arrive at a strategic plan.

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Insurance coverage expert witnesses may testify regarding insurance policy coverage and insurance loss claims. The National Association of Professional Insurance Agents reports on crop insurance questions following an intentional levee breach.

Homeowners whose property was flooded after the levee at Birds Point, Missouri, was breached by the Army Corps of Engineers on May 3 are questioning whether they will be able to collect on crop insurance claims. In his challenge to the Corps’ authority to release water into the floodway, Chris Koster, the Missouri attorney general, said that it was unclear whether insurers would compensate losses from the breach. Koster said that some insurers suggested that claims would not be paid since the flooding was not a natural disaster.

Read more: pianet.com.

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In Toxicity of Crude Oil and It’s Vapors environmental toxicology expert witness Dr. Richard Parent writes:

Some of the immediate symptoms resulting from exposure to crude oil would include difficulty breathing, nausea, headaches, dizziness in relatively healthy people, but those with conditions such as COPD, allergies, and asthma would be affected even more and their health problems significantly exacerbated. Effects presenting at a later time could result in long-term effects on the respiratory, immune, nervous, and reproductive systems and may even result in birth defects and cancers. Endocrine disruption, DNA damage, damage to the developing fetus, blood disorders, and mutations have all been shown to result from exposure to the components of crude oil.

In conclusion, crude oil is a highly toxic mixture of carcinogens, neurotoxins, respiratory irritants, hepatotoxins, nephrotoxins, and mutagens. Its toxic effects can be both acute and chronic resulting in a number of immediate symptoms and significant long-term effects including reproductive problems and cancer. Exposure to crude can be through the air as a result of volatilization of some of its components, through direct contact by dermal penetration, and orally through the ingestion of contaminated food.

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Insurance expert witnesses may testify on homeowner’s insurance, auto insurance claims, and related topics. Recently, price comparison websites have come under fire for misleading people about the best deals available. The websites promise a ‘one-stop shop’ for products that include insurance, utilities, loans and broadband deals. But there can be wide discrepancies in prices between sites.

Some have commercial ties or are owned by companies whose products tend to come out cheaper on that particular website. Moneysupermarket’s insurance expert, Peter Harrison, admitted the website had exclusive deals with some companies. ‘That way we can get customers great deals,’ he added. For example, in the UK, the insurance company Admiral owns Confused.com.

Read more: metro.co.uk.

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In Toxicity of Crude Oil and It’s Vapors environmental toxicology expert witness Dr. Richard Parent writes:

Also contained in crude oil are several polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, many of which are also classified as known human carcinogens. These materials mostly have very limited volatility, but they can penetrate human and animal skin resulting in significant exposure to those contacting the crude oil. They can adhere also to airborne dust particles and be inhaled. These polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PNAs) tend to concentrate in fatty tissue and are slowly released into the body producing a long-term exposure scenario. Animals and aquatic life exposed to crude also would be expected to concentrate these PNAs in fatty tissue which could later be consumed by humans resulting in additional exposure to polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons. The use of dispersants exacerbates this problem and, in my opinion, significantly increases the toxicity of crude oil and its components to marine life. This could easily be tested using standard toxicological protocols, but, to my knowledge, this has not been done.

Read more: consultox.com.