Expert Witnesses Barred In Mirena IUD Case

Mirena, IUD

The plaintiffs in a lawsuit against Bayer Healthcare recently faced a legal hurdle when four of their expert witnesses were barred from testifying. Bayer Healthcare is the maker of the Mirena intrauterine device or IUD, a contraceptive. Plaintiffs claim that the Mirena IUD can puncture the uterus and end up elsewhere in the body. Plaintiffs […]

Oracle’s Lawyers Aggressively Cross-Examine Hewlett Packard’s Damages Expert

Itanium chip

Just days after losing a copyright infringement lawsuit against Google, computer technology giant Oracle was back in court. This time it is defending a lawsuit by Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), a spinoff of the former Hewlett-Packard (HP) that inherited HP’s server business. Hewlett Packard Enterprise is trying to convince a jury that Oracle is responsible […]

Kansas Court Allows Defense Expert Witness Testimony But Limits Scope

Kansas US State Law Legal System Concept

A district court in Shawnee, Kansas has allowed a defense expert witness to testify, but limited the scope of his testimony. Pritchard Charged with Murder Colin Edward Pritchard, 59, was charged with the premeditated first-degree murder of his former wife, Cindy Pritchard. Cindy Pritchard was found dead in the apartment that the two shared after […]

Murder Conviction Overturned Because Expert Testified via Skype

Laptop with headset

The New Mexico Supreme Court has overturned the murder conviction of Truett Thomas and ordered a new trial because the trial court judge improperly allowed the prosecution’s expert witness to testify via Skype. Truett Thomas’ Case Thomas was charged with the murder of Guadalupe Ashford, whose body was found behind a trash can in a […]

California Asbestos Exposure Case Allows Controversial Expert Testimony

Workers removing asbestos

In a recent asbestos exposure case, Davis v. Honeywell International, Inc., California’s second appellate district has allowed an expert witness to testify that every asbestos exposure is a substantial factor in causing the disease. This goes against the trend around the country of courts rejecting plaintiff experts’ attempts to proffer similar testimony and moves away […]

Music Experts Testify in Stairway to Heaven Plagiarism Trial

Music expert witnesses have testified on behalf of plaintiffs in the Stairway to Heaven plagiarism lawsuit being heard in a US federal court.  The rock band countered with a music expert of their own, giving jurors the opportunity to weigh expert opinions should the case proceed.  The high profile copyright lawsuit against the surviving members […]

Expert Witness in Freddie Gray Trial Falls Apart Under Cross-Examination

Expert Witness in Freddie Gray Trial Falls Apart Under Cross-Examination

The prosecutors who sought murder charges for the death of Freddie Gray concluded their case against Officer Caesar Goodson Jr. with an expert witness who fell apart under cross-examination. The Prosecution’s Case Goodson, 46, faces the charge of second-degree depraved heart murder, three counts of manslaughter, second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, and misconduct in office for […]

Convictions Based Solely on “Touch DNA” May Be Unreliable

DNA

Fans of the CSI shows know that DNA is the gold standard of evidence in criminal investigations. Unless a criminal is wearing gloves and covered from head to toe in protective clothing, there is a good chance that the criminal will leave traces of DNA at the crime scene. Crime scene investigators are taught that […]

Rough Ride Expert Testifies in Trial of Officer Charged with Freddie Gray’s Death

A “rough ride” expert witness testified for prosecutors charging a Baltimore Police Officer in the high profile death of Freddie Gray, who died in police custody last August.  Six members of the Baltimore PD were charged with felonies ranging from assault to second-degree murder, but prosecutors have so far been unable to earn convictions against two […]

Expert Witness Rejected in Illinois Judicial Corruption Case

USA legal system conceptual series - Illinois

Three plaintiffs, representing a class of State Farm insurance policy holders, have sued State Farm in an Illinois federal court for conspiring to corrupt the Illinois judicial process. The plaintiffs in Hale v. State Farm contend that State Farm engineered the election of Lloyd Karmeier to the Illinois Supreme Court. The plaintiffs allege that after […]