BP Deepwater Spill Negligence Appeal Centers on Expert Testimony

In September, a federal judge determine that British Petroleum (BP) was “grossly negligent” for its role in the 2010 Gulf oil spill, exposing the company to potentially $18 billion in additional fines – raising BP’s total costs of the disaster to over $50 billion.  Earlier this month, BP appealed the decision arguing that expert witness […]

DNA Experts Duel in New York Murder Trial

DNA expert witnesses dueled last week in the New York murder trial of Timothy Matthew Jacoby, accused of shooting and killing 55-year-old Monica Schmeyer during a 2010 burglary.  Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for the murder, so the testimony of DNA experts will prove crucial to the defendant’s fate. Firearms Expert Testifies in Murder […]

Atlanta Public School Cheating Trial Calls Expert Witness

This week a criminal trial of a dozen public school officials in Atlanta, Georgia accused of cheating to improve standardized test scores got underway with expert witness testimony about what it would take to fudge answers on the state assessment exams.  The trial brings to a head a lengthy investigation with origins to a similar […]

Florida Expert Witnesses Duel Over Murder Scene

A murder trial in Florida has become a dueling ground for competing crime scene expert witnesses who debated body position of the shooting victim.  In the retrial of Michael Dunn, a 47-year-old man accused of murdering a teenager, both prosecution and defense attorneys relied on expert testimony in an effort to paint a clear picture […]

Report Indicates DOJ Spent Unauthorized Millions on Expert Witnesses

A recent report indicates that the US Department of Justice paid $15 million for expert witnesses who were not needed by federal prosecutors, and an additional $10 million on experts whose use was not clearly defined. The report, released by the Justice Department’s inspector general, revealed poor governance of the DOJ’s expert witness program that […]

Expert Witness Critiques Police Questioning of Child Accuser

A psychology expert witness specializing in questioning child victims of sexual assault testified on behalf of a California defendant, offering a critical analysis of police investigation and interrogation techniques when interacting with young sex abuse accusers.  The testimony represents a growing trend of use of expert witnesses to present psychological concepts designed to assist jurors […]

Federal Judge Issues Ruling on Lawyers as Expert Witnesses

A federal magistrate judge in Pennsylvania issued a ruling permitting two lawyers to serve as expert witnesses, but limited the permissible content of their testimony in an effort to avoid improper influence on the jury. Judge Martin C. Carlson followed guidance from a previous case and allowed two legal experts to speak during trial provided […]

Ohio Court Dismisses Medical Expert Witness in Asbestos Cancer Lawsuit

Last week, the Ohio Supreme Court dismissed a medical expert witness in an asbestos illness lawsuit because the doctor failed to claim asbestos exposure was the substantial cause of the victim’s fatal cancer.  The plaintiff, filing the claim on behalf of her deceased husband, was granted permission to reinstate her case should she find reliable […]

Death Penalty Discrimination Expert Witness Receives $1.75 Million

The State of Connecticut has agreed to pay a death penalty expert witness $1.75 million to settle a fee dispute that arose after the unsuccessful lawsuit alleging racial discrimination in inmate executions.  The expert witness bill, originally $3.5 million, represented six years of services in investigating discriminatory processes during capital cases in Connecticut. Connecticut Inmates […]

Police Use-of-Force Experts Used in Officer Assault Trial

A police officer in California was convicted of misdemeanor battery for kicking a suspect in the groin during an arrest after a home invasion last year. During the trial, expert witnesses for both sides debated the appropriate use of police force during an arrest, with prosecutors succeeding in showing that Officer Christopher Melton had crossed […]