Fifth Circuit Rejects Chiropractor’s Medical Testimony

Fifth Circuit Rejects Chiropractor’s Medical Testimony

Can a chiropractor serve as an expert witness? In cases involving injuries or conditions that chiropractors are qualified to treat, the answer is clearly “yes.” Like any other expert, however, chiropractors may offer only those opinions that they are qualified to render. A recent decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit […]

Plants Cannot Testify, But Forensic Botanists Can

Scientist examining plants in petri dish

Plants cannot testify, but they give up their secrets to forensic botanists who serve as expert witnesses. Forensic botanists help the police solve crimes. Then they help prosecutors or defense attorneys explain plant science to juries. The Beginning of Forensic Botany According to a recent article in Atlas Obscura, the first forensic botanist was Arthur […]

Expert Witness Testifies That Security Flaws Enabled Aurora Theater Shooting

Wooden Mallet and flag Of Colorado

In a state court suit by victims of the July 20, 2012 Aurora movie theater shooting, a security expert has testified that flaws in Cinemark’s security helped enable the attack. University of New Haven professor Gil Fried opined that Cinemark “contributed to an environment where they didn’t have the deterrence or prevention necessary to protect […]

Choosing the Right Expert Means Asking the Right Questions

Choosing the Right Expert Means Asking the Right Questions

Expert witnesses are often essential to proof of a claim or defense. Some claims, like medical malpractice, will rarely succeed unless they are supported by expert testimony. Proof of damages may depend on the testimony of physicians or economists. Other claims and defenses can be bolstered by credible testimony provided by engineers, forensic scientists, psychologists, […]

Expert in Drug Cartels Testifies in Support of Duress Defense

Expert in Drug Cartels Testifies in Support of Duress Defense

Claiming that he was acting under duress when he located an informant marked for murder by a drug cartel, Jesus Gerardo Ledezma Cepeda supported his defense with the expert testimony of a documentary filmmaker. The filmmaker testified as an expert in drug cartel violence. Juan Jesús Guerrero Chapa was gunned down in Southlake, Texas while […]

Terrorism Expert Testifies in Trial of Minnesota Men Accused of Joining ISIS

a judge's chair

A terrorism expert witness took the stand this week in the trial of three Minnesota men accused of joining ISIS and plotting to commit violent acts abroad.  The high profile trial highlights recent efforts by state and federal government officials to fight growing concerns over radicalization of young men who are exposed to recruitment videos […]

Expert Bite-Mark Evidence Debated in Texas

hands show molar teeth over x-ray dental scan

Should bite-mark experts be permitted to testify in criminal trials? An editorial in the San Antonio Express-News suggested that “Texas prosecutors and judges should maintain the integrity of the criminal justice system by voluntarily declaring a moratorium on the use of bite-mark evidence.” Responding in an op-ed, a Texas judge contends that a moratorium “is […]

Missouri Passes Daubert Bill, Governor May Veto

Missouri Passes Daubert Bill, Governor May Veto

States legislatures, bar associations, and courts are continuing to debate the appropriate standard for the admission of expert testimony. As an attempt to defeat the Florida legislature’s adoption of the Daubert standard heats up, the Missouri legislature has sent Governor Jay Nixon a bill that would replace the state’s current rule of expert testimony admissibility […]

DNA Experts Exonerate Wrongfully Convicted Indiana Man After 25-Years in Prison

A report by a DNA expert witness was key in clearing an innocent man wrongfully convicted of a 1989 rape allegation.  Late last month the former inmate greeted his family as a free man after spending nearly 25 years in prison for a crime he did not convict when DNA expert witness evidence finally exonerated […]

Experts Support Robert Bates’ Defense of Accidental Shooting

Taser and police car, lights in the background

The defense of Robert Bates, a former Tulsa Reserve Deputy who was charged with manslaughter, hinged largely on expert testimony. The charges against Bates were filed after Bates shot an unarmed suspect who fled when Tulsa deputies tried to arrest him during an undercover gun buy. Bates explained that he was trying to shoot the […]