Expert Witness Will Be Allowed to Explain Alleged Victim’s Recantation

Expert witnesses are commonly called by both the prosecution and defense to testify concerning accusations that a defendant sexually assaulted a child. Defense experts usually explain why children are susceptible to influence that may cause them to believe that false accusations of sexual assault are actually true. Prosecution witnesses include medical experts who testify that […]

Psychology Expert Witnesses Testify in Colorado Murder Sentencing Trial

A Colorado man convicted of murdering five people outside of a bar avoided the death penalty when jurors found sufficient mitigating factors to believe he deserved jail time instead of execution.  In part, the jury was influenced by psychology expert witnesses presented by the defense during the sentencing phase who testified that the defendant’s history […]

Psychology Expert Witness Testifies in Alabama Child Sex Abuse Case

Defense attorneys for an Alabama man convicted of sexually abusing a child younger than 6 have presented a psychology expert witness during the sentencing hearing in an effort to avoid a conviction for life without parole.  With hopes of persuading the judge to place the convicted defendant to a program for sex offenders rather than […]

Boston Nanny Freed After Expert Witness Report Disputes Cause of Infant’s Death

An Irish woman in Boston who was accused of causing the death of a child under her care earned relief last week when prosecutors dropped all charges against her due to medical expert witness reports that cast doubt on the infant’s cause of death.  Although the child’s death was initially ruled a homicide by medical examiners, […]

New Hampshire Prep School Case Features DNA Expert Witnesses

The high profile rape trial of a former prep school student ended without a rape conviction despite DNA evidence presented last week by forensic expert witnesses called by prosecutors to connect the defendant to his alleged crime.  While jurors were unwilling to convict the defendant of rape, they found the DNA to be enough to […]

False Confession Expert Witness Denied in Virginia Murder Trial

A Virginia judge has recently denied a request for a false confession expert witness by a woman on trial for murder who alleges she was coerced by police into admitting to the crime.  While the refusal to admit a false confession expert is not unusual given the judiciary’s reluctance to embrace social psychology experts, the […]

Wisconsin Court Applies Relaxed Standard to Medical Expert Evidence

To recover damages in a medical malpractice lawsuit, Wisconsin law requires the injured party to prove that the physician accused of negligence failed to provide the same standard of care that would have been provided by reasonably prudent physicians who practice in the same field of medicine and in the same locality. Expert testimony is […]

What Makes a Medical Examiner a Credible Expert Witness?

Medical examiners often serve as expert witnesses in criminal trials, grand jury hearings, coroner’s inquests, and other legal proceedings. Many testify on behalf of the governmental body that employs them, but pathologists and retired medical examiners are also asked to serve as expert witnesses for private parties. Any case in which cause of death, time […]

An Expert’s Take on Counterfeit Coins

The concept of money has been used for many thousands of years. In ancient China, shells were accepted as currency. Some 5,000 years ago, Mesopotamians had a rudimentary banking system where people could “deposit” grains, livestock and personal valuables, for both safe keeping and trade. The first coins, as we know them today, first appeared […]