Bloggers Debate Expert Witness Fees in Hulk Hogan Litigation

Bloggers are at war over the fees that Hulk Hogan’s legal team has paid to an expert witness who is assisting his invasion of privacy lawsuit against Gawker. One blogger seems shocked that an expert in the ethics of journalism would charge $250 per hour. Another blogger, who has a stronger sense of what experts […]

Bite-Mark Expert Witness Recants Testimony, Opens Door for Death Row Appeal

A bite-mark expert witness central to a 1994 conviction of a Mississippi man has since recanted his belief in the strength of his testimony, setting the stage for a possible reversal of conviction by the state Supreme Court this month.  Although an expert recanting his testimony does not guarantee a new trial, the modern rejection […]

Court Balks at Funding Expert for Defendant in Manslaughter Trial

An expert on drunkenness may be called as a witness in a Buffalo, New York manslaughter trial. The proposed expert would be basing his testimony on the science of neurology rather than personal experience. The question is whether the court will agree to fund the expert. The manslaughter charge Paul Flynn is charged in Niagra […]

Use of Force Experts to Dual in Federal Civil Rights Trial of Alabama Police Officer

An Alabama police officer accused of using excessive force to subdue an unarmed elderly man will call a police training expert witness to defend himself in a federal civil rights trial.  According to court documents submitted this week, the police officer’s defense team will counter prosecution experts with a certified police trainer who will offer […]

Optometrist Called as Visual Perception Expert Witness in Fatal Accident Lawsuit

A federal judge in Pennsylvania has approved the use of an optometrist called as an expert witness in a negligence case that arose from a fatal motor vehicle accident, but has expressly limited the extent to which she is able to speak about the case.  Citing the Federal Rules of Evidence, the judge warned attorneys […]

Teaching Expert Witnesses to Testify

One of the greatest challenges that expert witnesses face is explaining technical concepts in simple language that lay jurors can understand. Experts who are used to discussing their work with professional colleagues assume a basic level of familiarity with the language of science that lay jurors lack. Frustrated lawyers who ask experts to “explain that […]

Estranged Heirs use Expert Witness in Billionaire Sports Owner Mental Competency Trial

A Louisiana judge will decide the future of both of New Orleans’ professional sports franchises and billions of dollars of inheritance money in the mental competency trial of 87-year-old billionaire owner, Tom Benson.  Although the court will hear testimony about Benson’s competency from a variety of sources, the testimony of a geriatric psychiatry expert witness […]

Expert Witness Testifies in James Holmes Mass Shooting Trial

After several weeks of hearing from witnesses and police who explained how James Holmes carried out the 2012 attack on a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, jurors in the case were finally presented with testimony about his mental state when a prosecution expert witness took the stand to affirm that Holmes was legally sane at […]