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Juvenile justice system expert witness Paul DeMuro testified in a Polk County, FL, federal trial over the constitutional rights of juveniles at the Polk County jail and the conditions under which they are held. Representing the Southern Poverty Law Center in a class action suit, DeMuro described conditions at the jail, including the use of pepper spray and inadequate supervision. A security camera captured a young detainee being punched and kicked by fellow cellmates and then Polk County deputies spraying them with pepper spray.

Mr. DeMuro has over forty-one years experience working on juvenile justice and child welfare issues. He serves as a senior consultant to the Annie E. Casey Foundation and to the National Juvenile Detention Association.

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Firearms expert witness Bryce Linskey testified in the Danbury, CT, murder trial of Robert Bell. Bell is accused in the shooting death of his wife Svetlana Bell in their home in December 2012. Mr. Linsky, now with the armed school security provider Direct Contact Solution LLC, is a retired sergeant with the Bristol Police Department and served in the United States Marine Corps. He testified on firearms, reaction times, and other details of the shooting.

Firearms expert witnesses may testify regarding ammunition, ballistics, firearms, firearms design, and related matters.

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Attorney and accounting expert witness Michael Wagner testified last week in the lost profits case between Samsung and Apple. Apple is asking for $114M in lost profits over a touch screen feature. Yesterday Samsung asked Judge Lucy Koh to stop the retrial after the US PTO said an Apple patent might not be valid. The case is in jury deliberation. Samsung’s net sales in 2012 were $247.5B.

The US PTO offers Laws, Regulations, Policies & Procedures here: http://www.uspto.gov/patents/law/index.jsp

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In 3 Tips for Improving your Expert CV, Rosalie Hamilton, the leading authority on expert witness marketing and founder of Expert Communications, offers advice on the form and content of your CV including:

Read your CV as though you were reading someone else’s CV, with three or four others having been received from people with similar credentials and experience. What can you do to improve your CV, including making your expertise instantly recognizable?

Read more: Expert Communications.

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Transportation safety expert witnesses may provide reports regarding transportation brokering, bus & truck safety, highways, transportation engineering, and transportation infrastructure. On its website, the American Transportation Associations describes how technology is changing the trucking business:

The analysis and utilization of data is changing the driver, vehicle and operational landscape for those fleets that have discovered how to harness it. Transportation leaders are saving time and are able to streamline their operations using integrated technologies that are leading to safer, productive and more efficient operations. Fleet executives and managers need faster, more convenient access to reliable information to find efficiencies in order to survive or gain a competitive advantage.

Information on the ATA Executive Summit may be found at here.

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Arson detection expert witnesses will testify in the Gatesville, TX, murder trial of David K. Allen who is accused of killing his wife, Paula Allen. Fire investigators have already classified the mobile home fire as intentionally set. The former preacher’s trial has been delayed from November 2013 to February 2014. Chemical experts will perform laboratory analyses to determine whether an accelerant was used in the 2011 fire.

The current Mrs. Allen, 28, has been indicted for perjury in the case.

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Pharmacology expert witnesses may provide reports and expert witness testimony concerning clinical pharmacology, generic drugs, patented drugs, pharmaceutical companies, and associated matters. It was recently announced that the state of Vermont will receive almost $1.4M in the consumer fraud lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson and Janssen Pharmaceuticals. The DOJ charged the drug companies with illegal marketing and kickbacks to influence doctors to prescribe Risperdal, Natrecor and Invega to their patients.

Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a New Jersey pharmaceutical company of J&J, provides medicines for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), general medicine (acid reflux disease, infectious diseases), mental health (bipolar I disorder, schizophrenia), neurologics (Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, migraine prevention and treatment), pain management, and women’s health. Sister companies include Janssen Biotech and Janssen Theraputices.

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Dr. Robyn Porterfield and her partner industrial psychology expert witness Dr. Bob Rose write about the benefits of knowing about the services of Industrial Psychologists.

Judging from the scarcity of Industrial Psychologists (often called IO Psychologists) on legal websites many practitioners may know little, if anything about what they do. IO’s are a specialized group of professionals who have PhDs in Psychology and focus on behavior in the workplace and can speak to issues such as safety, discrimination, harassment, hiring and termination. While these areas require some specialized knowledge beyond the scope of IO training they also have associated psychological factors. For example, a safety program may not be effective if not communicated in a way people can understand and remember. Discrimination in hiring often involves understanding psychometric issues such as validity, an area where Industrial Psychologists have considerable training and understanding of practical applications. Industrial Psychologists whose consultation to business is their sole or major endeavor know the difference in ivory tower theory and real-world applications.

Read more: Rose Porterfield Group Inc

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I asked safety and disaster management expert Dr. Michael J. Fagel to comment on the Typhoon Haiyan disaster. He specializes in industrial safety, OSHA, safety, FEMA, security, transportation, and the food industries. He spent over 100 days at ground zero following the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Planning, something we always talk about, but, when the disaster happens, we wonder what has occurred and why. The extraordinary events that have occurred in the Philippines, underscore the need for human services and support. I have been to many hurricanes and man made disasters over the last 30 years.

We must strive for open and honest communications during the event. Specifically,

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Accident investigation expert witnesses may give opinions and provide reports concerning crash investigations, preservation of the accident scene, skidmark analysis, and more. In October, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released a statistical projection of traffic fatalities for the first half 2013 which showed that an estimated 15,470 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes. USA Today reported this week that hit-and-run crashes, including fatal ones, are increasing in many big cities. Los Angeles has the dubious distinction of having almost half of accidents fall into this category.

Dr. Sara Solnick, Professor at the University of Vermont, has studied hit-and-run crashes in the context of the economic model of behavior. She says drivers who have much to lose, e.g. young drivers, those under the influence, or those without a license, are motivated to not get caught.