Expert Witness Blog

In the abstract for Which CEO Characteristics and Abilities Matter?, Steven N. Kaplan, Mark M. Klebanov, and Morten Sorensen write:

We exploit a unique dataset to study individual characteristics of CEO candidates for companies involved in buyout and venture capital transactions and relate these characteristics to subsequent corporate performance. CEO candidates vary along two primary dimensions: one that captures general ability and another that contrasts communication and interpersonal skills with execution skills. Subsequent performance is positively related to general ability and to execution skills. The findings expand our view of CEO characteristics and types relative to previous studies.

Finance expert witnesses may opine on CEOs, buyouts, venture capital, and other finance related issues.

Biotechnology means any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use. For instance, biotechnology is applied to improve or facilitate cellular processes such as energy metabolism, gene transfer between unrelated species, or the engineering of enzymes for large scale production of drugs.

Blue biotechnology is concerned with the application of molecular biological methods to marine and freshwater organisms. It involves the use of these organisms, and their derivatives, for purposes such as increasing seafood supply and safety, controlling the proliferation of noxious water-borne organisms, and developing new drugs. Biotechnology expert witnesses may testify on antibiotics, pharmaceuticals, biochemical engineering, algae, etc.

Read more: biologyonline.org.

Service stations expert witnesses may opine on gas stations, filling stations, gasoline, petrol, and diesel fuel. Here the 24 Hour California Gas Station Association writes on safety:

Economic conditions sometimes lead to desperate acts by desperate individuals. As gasoline prices rise we all want to be sure employees at service stations are not placed in harms way. Misguided anger by frustrated individuals directed at service station employees can become a reality. Incidents of aggression could be on the rise particularly in the late evening and early morning hours at 24 locations, unless proactive measures are taken. When there are no perceived witnesses or an employee appears to be in a vulnerable position, theft, vandalism and aggression toward service station personnel is more likely to occur.

Read more: http://24hourgasstationassociation.com/

Digital video expert witnesses may opine on digital multimedia evidence and streaming media, as well as related topics. The Law Enforcement & Emergency Services Video Association (LEVA) issued their Best Practices for the Acquisition of Digital Multimedia Evidence Version 3.0 on April 14, 2010.

Executive Summary:

The proliferation of digital video recording systems (DVRs) in our society presents significant challenges to law enforcement when attempting to obtain visual evidence of a crime. Proprietary digital recording technology and a lack of interoperable standards in the CCTV Industry, means that no single Standard Operating Procedure or process can be referenced for the acquisition of all Digital Multimedia Evidence (DME).

In Insurance 101 – Property – Casualty Basics, the American Insurance Association writes on Checks and Balances – An Insurance Regulation Overview:

Property-casualty insurance is heavily regulated at the state level; this is particularly true for personal lines and for workers’ compensation. Generally speaking, state regulators have oversight of market conduct; insurance company and agent licensing; insurance rates; policy language; financial condition (solvency) of insurance companies; and, consumer protection in insurance transactions.

Ideally, regulators focus their resources on making sure that insurance rates are adequate to cover losses, so that claims can be paid in full. They also are responsible for making sure that rates are neither unreasonably high nor unfairly discriminatory. Another key regulatory duty is to make sure that insurers remain solvent, i.e., that they maintain enough capital to pay policyholder losses as they come due.

In Insurance 101 – Property – Casualty Basics, the American Insurance Association writes on commercial property insurance:

Commercial property policies cover buildings and the organization’s property, and include a type of coverage known as “business interruption” designed to help a company continue operating if it is put out of its office/physical plant by a covered risk. Commercial liability policies protect policyholders against financial responsibility for injury or property damage resulting from a policyholder’s premises, products, services, or other operations. One example of commercial casualty coverage is workers’ compensation, which deals with lost earnings and medical expenses of employees injured on the job.

Commercial liability policies expert witnesses may testify on commercial property losses, workers’ compensation, and other insurance issues.

Wrongful death expert witness Barry Gustin, MD, MPH, FAAEP, writes on de-escalating the toxicologically altered aggressive individual:

Toxicologists when reviewing cases are often faced with a subject in question that had altered mental status as a consequence of the effects of illicit substances. In this setting, dealing with aggressive patients can make a big difference in outcome. Patient death or injury resulting from the use of restraint and seclusion is an increasing concern in the field and in prison. Excessive and inappropriate TASER use has also been associated with sudden death. A well-known 1998 article documented 142 restraint-related deaths nationwide over a decade, 40% of which were attributed to unintentional asphyxiation during restraint. Restraint not only poses a risk for patient harm but also is physically and emotionally traumatizing for staff involved in the incident. Many have pointed out that high restraint rates are now understood as evidence of treatment failure. Since the Joint Commission began tracking sentinel events in 1996, it has reviewed the deaths of 20 patients who were physically restrained. Since then, the Joint Commission has advocated standards based on prevention as an intervention and the use of restraint as a last resort only after the least restrictive measures are exhausted.

Read more.