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Property insurance expert witnesses may consult on home insurance, property claims, fire insurance, flood insurance, and earthquake insurance. In the news, flood insurance rates are scheduled to go up sharply on October 1, 2013 as part of the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012. BW 2012 will require the NFIP to raise rates to reflect true flood risk, make the program more financially stable, and change how the Flood Insurance Rate Map updates impact policyholders.

FEMA offers Q&A re: BW 12 at http://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/31873?id=7266

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Civil engineering expert witnesses may consult on bridges, sewers, flood control, and earthwork. This week the Leo Frigo Bridge in Wisconsin was closed indefinitely due to a section that is sagging by an estimated two feet. The bridge was built in 1980 and last inspected in August 2012. The Federal Highway Administration has sent a team to aid in the investigation.

greenbaygazette.com offers a link to a DataMine: Search for ‘structurally deficient’ bridges in the state: Use this tool to look up the bridges in your community that have been identified as “structurally deficient,” meaning that the deck, substructure and/or superstructure requires attention for issues such as potholes or rusting trusses.

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Legal nurse consultant expert witnesses may testify on general nursing, surgical nursing, palliative care, and medical record review, as well as related issues. In “Nurse experts: Are YOU prepared for cross-examination?” by Juris Educational Resource Knowledge guest blogger Lori Combs RN, LNC, writes that “Extensive preparation is needed to ensure the expert is well versed with the case and is prepared for the dreaded cross-examination.”

According to Jim McElhaney (2011), a Litigation Columnist at the ABA Journal, there are eight ways to cross-examine a witness, both expert and lay[1]. First stated is that opposing counsel (OC) is going to try and make the witness their witness. They will try to get them to speak on their clients behalf instead of going at them head on in a defense attack. This occurs when the OC switches the questioning around so that you, as the LNC witness, will be talking about their client in a manner that is more beneficial to their issues.

More: http://www.thejerklnc.com/blog/?p=1673

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Adoptions expert witnesses may assist with disputes involving adoptive parents, child support obligations, custody, and more. In a high profile adoption case, 4-year-old Veronica was returned to her adoptive parents Matt and Melanie Capobianco after living with her biological father for 18 months. The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled that although Dusten Brown invoked the Indian Child Welfare Act to gain custody of Veronica, he had to return her to her adoptive parents.

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Business expert witnesses will testify in Samantha Perelman’s lawsuit against her uncle James Cohen over the Hudson News business legacy. Perelman, daughter of billionaire Revlon chairman Ronald Perelman, claims that Cohen used undue influence to transfer sizable portions of the Hudson News business from his father, Robert Cohen, to himself and changed his will so that Perelman was entitled to little inheritance.

Hudson News began as a newspaper and magazine wholesale business and grew to a retail chain of newsstands in airports and train stations.

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In The Straight Truth, The Life Of An Expert Witness, construction site expert witness William Gulya, Jr., President & CEO, Middlesex Trenching Company, writes:

So, why would you want to become an expert witness?

After all, the work can be very tedious and demanding. It can require the expenditure of long hours for two, three, or even four weeks at a time.

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Forensic pathology expert witness Dr. Judy Melinek is presenting a 3 hour course for Continuing Legal Education entitled “Science on Your Side: Forensic Experts in the Courtroom” for California attorneys on October 12, 2013 at the UCSF Mission Bay Campus. Dr. Melinek, a forensic pathologist who works for the Alameda Sheriff-Coroner, will speak on the interpretation of injuries in criminal and civil cases. She will be followed by lectures given by a forensic toxicologist and a forensic psychologist, who will speak on drug level interpretation and sex offender cases, respectively. The lectures will be of particular interest to criminal defense attorneys and wrongful death/personal injury attorneys.
Flyer: www.pathologyexpert.com/CLEFlyer.pdf
Dr. Melinek is a board-certified forensic pathologist who was recently re-appointed as an Assistant Clinical Professor at UCSF and is working with the Department of Pathology educating Pathology Residents and Fellows about neurotrauma. Her most recent publication is about being an ethical expert witness and was published by Academic Forensic Pathology. She has been qualified as an expert more than 100 times in both Federal and local courts.

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In Quality Fade in China, international trade expert witness Rosemary Coates of Blue Silk Consulting writes:

Products manufactured or assembled in low cost countries, aren’t designed to break or poison anybody. In fact, typically when a new contract is signed and specs are given for initial production at a new supplier, importers of Chinese goods are thrilled. The vendor’s service levels are outstanding, the quality is above expectations and the future looks bright. Customers are pleased with the price of initial production, and they assume that it will last. New importers feel like they’ve hit a home run with low-cost country sourcing.

Don’t be fooled! The initial production runs are often not sustainable. Over time, degradation in quality is likely. For example, the label on your product becomes 10 percent smaller, your 100 ml product may actually be 99 ml, non-toxic paint you specify for toys may become fast-drying lead paint, the 5/8 inch seam may become 3/8 inch.

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Livestock expert witnesses may advise regarding livestock accidents, farming, and livestock production. In livestock cases ranch owners have been found negligent when farm fencing was not properly maintained resulting in farm animals wandering onto a highway and causing an accident. Livestock accidents also include the deaths of farmers killed each year in cattle-related deaths after blunt force trauma to the head or chest. OSHA.com writes that “According to the National Safety Council, agriculture is the most hazardous industry in the nation.”

In Use of Experts in Livestock Accident Cases, attorney Edward A. Smith writes that “livestock accidents are amongst the cases most commonly mishandled by inexperienced attorneys.” Mr. Smith considers it “crucial that a lawyer handling these cases has the proper experts immediately available for use, including investigators, fencing experts and animal behaviorists.”

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Bus accident expert witnesses may consult regarding transportation accidents, motor carriers, truck safety, and bus safety. On September 14, 2013, thirty people were injured when a Greyhound bus drove off the highway 25 miles north of Cincinnati and landed on its side. As of Sunday night The Ohio State Highway Patrol said there was no new information to release on the investigation. The firm of Fisher and Talwar note that “National bus crash statistics show almost 13,000 buses were involved in accidents in 2010. According to the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 226 people died from bus accidents nationwide in 2010.” The law firm lists those who may be held responsible for … bus accident injuries here: http://www.ftpersonalinjurylawyers.com/bus-accident-attorneys-in-los-angeles.

FARS is a nationwide census providing NHTSA, Congress and the American public yearly data regarding fatal injuries suffered in motor vehicle traffic crashes. Data may be accesses here http://www.nhtsa.gov/FARS.