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Injury reconstruction expert witnesses with the Colorado State Patrol will do a reconstruction of the accident at a Bradley gas station in Arapahoe County, where 62-year-old Sandra Fredin of Denver suffered fatal injuries after being hit by a car. Fredin left the store and was walking in an unoccupied parking space when a Dodge Magnum driven by Byron Bailey, 43, of Denver pulled into the space and hit Fredin.

Experts will use computer video to produce a second-by-second analysis of what transpired. Once the reconstruction and witness interviews are complete, the information will be forwarded to the Arapahoe County district attorney’s office to determine if any charges will be filed. One potential charge is careless driving resulting in death
Read more: denverpost.com.

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Genetic engineering expert witnesses may write reports on genetic testing, biochemical engineering, and more. Here, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations writes on genetically modified organisms:

While there is little controversy about many aspects of biotechnology and its application, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have become the target of a very intensive and, at times, emotionally charged debate. FAO recognizes that genetic engineering has the potential to help increase production and productivity in agriculture, forestry and fisheries. It could lead to higher yields on marginal lands in countries that today cannot grow enough food to feed their people. There are already examples where genetic engineering is helping to reduce the transmission of human and animal diseases through new vaccines. Rice has been genetically engineered to contain pro-vitamin A (beta carotene) and iron, which could improve the health of many low-income communities.

Other biotechnological methods have led to organisms that improve food quality and consistency, or that clean up oil spills and heavy metals in fragile ecosystems. Tissue culture has produced plants that are increasing crop yields by providing farmers with healthier planting material. Marker-assisted selection and DNA fingerprinting allow a faster and much more targeted development of improved genotypes for all living species. They also provide new research methods which can assist in the conservation and characterization of biodiversity. The new techniques will enable scientists to recognize and target quantitative trait loci and thus increase the efficiency of breeding for some traditionally intractable agronomic problems such as drought resistance and improved root systems.

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Risk management expert witnesses may opine on enterprise risk management, credit risk, market risk, and more. The Risk Management Association is presenting Counterparty Risk Management and Control: Best Practices October 19-20, New York, NY.

Course Overview Measuring and mitigating counterparty default risk has been one of the risk management topics that challenged risk professionals in the past 10-15 years. Since the inception of OTC derivative contracts trading on a global scale, there were very few situations (Drexel, LTCM, Barings, Lehman Brothers) where practitioners could test the effectiveness of ISDA Master Netting Agreements and collateral agreements in stressed markets. The financial crisis that commenced in 2007 has offered an unprecedented laboratory for such research. This two-day course on counterparty risk purports to draw conclusions from the most recent events and comments on what features make a sturdy counterparty risk framework.

The course will focus on methodologies, limit systems, and processes along with day-to-day management techniques used by leading global financial institutions.

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In Identifying the Source of a Power Surge, forensic engineering expert witness Mamoon Alyah, P.E., answers the question “Is it possible to differentiate between lightning related surges and artificially generated electrical surges?”

A power surge is a condition where there are voltage variations from normal levels (110 Volts for a single phase system). These variations can be caused naturally by events such as lightning or artificially by many different events, ranging from simple power interruptions to significantly more complex events such as harmonics on the power line. Both sources of surge can cause similar types of damage to equipment including: premature failure of motors, computer and communication equipment mis-operation (lockups), loss of equipment following a thunderstorm and other symptoms of failure.

There are subtle, but significant differences between the nature of damages caused by the two types of surge (artificially vs. naturally generated). The cause of these differences is related to surge magnitude and the duration of the surge. Magnitude refers to the amount of energy contained in the power surge, while duration refers to the amount of time the power surge was sustained.

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Copyrights expert witnesses may opine on copyright infringement, copyright notice, and copyright limitations. On their website, the ABA Section of Intellectual Property Law defines what copyright is:

Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States (title 17, U.S. Code) to the authors of “original works of authorship” including literary, dramatic,

musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works. This protection is available to both published and unpublished works. Section 106 of the Copyright Act generally gives the owner of copyright the exclusive right to do and to authorize others to do the following:

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The failure to properly control traffic was a key factor in the death of Northern York County, PA, Regional Police Officer David Tome, an accident reconstruction expert witness testified Friday. Former Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Steven Rickard was the first witness called by the attorney representing Joanna L. Seibert, 39, of 28 Clemens Drive. She allegedly struck and killed Tome on Route 15 in Franklin Township two years ago.

Rickard testified that drivers were given little to no advance warning that officers were in the area investigating a previous fatal accident. He said there were no warning signs and only a few cones to direct traffic into the other lane. He also said the failure to put up warning signs was a “significant” factor in Tome’s death.

Read more: yorkdispatch.com.

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Biotechnology expert witnesses may write reports on genetic engineering, biochemical engineering, and more. Here, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations describes biotechnology:

There is a wide array of “biotechnologies” with different techniques and applications. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) defines biotechnology as: “any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use”.

Interpreted in this broad sense, the definition of biotechnology covers many of the tools and techniques that are commonplace in agriculture and food production. Interpreted in a narrow sense, which considers only the new DNA techniques, molecular biology and reproductive technological applications, the definition covers a range of different technologies such as gene manipulation and gene transfer, DNA typing and cloning of plants and animals.

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Polymers expert witnesses may opine on vinyl chloride polymers, electroactive polymers, functional polymers, and more. Here, the International Cast Polymer Alliance defines cast polymer:

Cast Polymer is the umbrella term used to encompass cultured marble, cultured granite, cultured onyx and solid surface products used in a wide range of household and commercial applications. Some of these applications include: counter tops, lavatories, vanities, shower receptors, bathtubs, enclosure sets, fireplace surrounds, window sills, wall panels, floor tiles, whirlpool baths and molding accents.

Cast polymer products are man-made, chemically–bonded, mineral-filled, polymeric materials which are molded and hardened to a solid material in a variety of shapes that meet diverse design needs. The manufacturing process permits a range of uses almost impossible to achieve with quarried stone. Cast polymer is stronger and less brittle than quarried marble; it is more durable than porcelain. Cast polymer products resist mildew and stains and are easily cleaned with non-abrasive cleaning agents. The one-piece, seamless construction of cast polymer is easy to maintain and resistant to breakage.

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On his website, Consultox.com, environmental toxicology expert witness Dr. Roger A Parent writes on generic drugs:

In June 2009 the US FDA’s Office of Generic Drugs issued, “Guidance for Industry; ANDAs: Impurities in Drug Substances” which basically follows the Q3A, Q3B, Q3C ICH guidelines. These guidelines focus on Drug Substances and covers original abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs), drug master files(DMFs), including Type II DMFs and ANDA supplements for changes in the synthesis or processing of a drug substance.

The guidance provides recommendations for establishing acceptance criteria for impurities in drug substances and recommends that the specifications for a Drug Substance include a list of impurities. A rational for the inclusion or exclusion of impurities should be included. As indicated in the ICH guidelines, if an impurity cannot be identified, then the efforts made to identify the impurity should be included if present at a level greater than the identification threshold given in ICH Q3A. Organic and inorganic impurities should be considered as well as residual solvent.

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Mortgage expert witnesses may opine on mortgage fraud, residential mortgages, and wholesale mortgages, among other topics. TheStreet.com reported this week that Bank of America said it will stop originating mortgages through brokers, the latest sign of caution among lenders that are grappling with a horde of buyback requests, lawsuits and fraud accusations stemming from loans that were originated carelessly.

As mortgage delinquencies, defaults and foreclosures have continued to pile up across the nation, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac began pushing back loans to servicers last year. Over the weekend, news broke that Bank of America had halted foreclosures in dozens of states due to a raft of litigation stemming from paperwork errors. JPMorgan and GMAC Mortgage followed suit while an array of other large lenders, including Citi, U.S. Bancorp, HSBC and PNC Financial Services, are reportedly scrutinizing their foreclosure processes at regulators’ behest.

The so-called “originate to sell” model is central to the problem banks are now facing in regards to buybacks. Mortgage originators had little reason to care about what happened to mortgages once they left the balance sheet via securitization. As a result, those working directly with customers had been trying to push as many applications through the pipeline as quickly as possible, leading to paperwork errors that investors have seized upon to force servicers to buy back debt.

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