Art Experts Gather for Fraud Trial in Manhattan

Art experts from around the world are gathering in a federal courtroom in Manhattan to testify in a case alleging that a prominent New York gallery fraudulently sold forged art. The lawsuit involves a painting of black and red rectangles, attributed to Mark Rothko, that was actually painted by a Chinese immigrant in Queens. The […]

Expert Opinion Excluded from Evidence in Lipitor Case

A number of individuals have filed federal lawsuits alleging that their use of the cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor caused them to develop Type 2 diabetes. The lawsuits have been consolidated in a federal district court in South Carolina. When large numbers of cases are consolidated in one court under federal rules governing multidistrict litigation, a single […]

False Confession Expert Testifies in New Mexico Murder Trial

A false confession expert witness has testified in the trial of a New Mexico man who stands accused of murdering his girlfriend in 2013. The testimony represents the growing relationship between American courts and psychology experts used to explain human behavior during criminal trials, suggesting the once substantial gap between the two fields is shrinking […]

3D Evidence Enters the Courtroom

The latest tool for expert witnesses who want to explain a crime or accident scene to a jury is the 3D laser scanner. A 3D scanner creates a three dimensional image of the area it scans. Used indoors, it can capture all the contents of a room, from floor to ceiling. Used outdoors, the scanner […]

Conviction Reversed Because Defense Expert Not Allowed to Testify

In a decision released on January 20, 2016, the Arizona Supreme Court decided that a trial judge erred by refusing to allow a criminal defendant to call an expert in experimental design as a defense witness in a murder trial. That ruling allowed the testimony of the state’s firearms expert to go unchallenged. The Evidence […]

Rap Lyric Experts Help Lawyers in Criminal and Civil Cases

Rap lyrics are often condemned as vulgar, misogynistic, and violent. In some cases, they might be, but Professor Charis Kubrin, an expert witness who studies perceptions of rap and hip hop in society, believes that rap is unfairly stereotyped as dangerous or threatening by prosecutors and other government officials who use rap lyrics as evidence […]

Expert Opinion Supports Challenge to Panama City’s Spring Break Ordinances

People partying at a beach during sunset

Spring break is a tradition fueled by sunshine, alcohol, and — on occasion — rowdy behavior. Panama City recently passed ordinances that, according to their proponents, are meant to “tone down” disturbing behavior during spring break. Some of the city’s nightclub owners are challenging those ordinances in federal court, claiming that they are motivated by […]

California Suspect in Deputy Shooting Declared Competent to Stand Trial after Expert Testimony

Mental competency expert witnesses assisting prosecutors in California have convinced a judge that a defendant accused of murdering two Sacramento sheriff deputies is legally competent to stand trial. After a series of hearings last fall which featured disputes among expert witnesses who argued over mental competency, the long awaited murder trial of two law enforcement […]

Missouri Debates Adoption of Daubert Standard

Missouri is the latest state to consider jumping on the Daubert bandwagon. The Daubert standard for the admissibility of expert opinion testimony requires judges to exclude opinions that are not based on reliable methodology. Proponents of the Daubert standard argue that it protects against jury verdicts based on “junk science.” The difficulty of deciding whether […]

Utah Supreme Court Upholds Lower Court Decision to Disallow Testimony of Eyewitness Identification Expert

At the end of 2015, the Utah Supreme Court reversed a decision the Utah Court of Appeals that granted a new trial to a defendant who was not permitted to call an eyewitness identification expert at his trial. The decision, based on a conclusion that the trial judge did not abuse its discretion in disallowing […]

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