Lt. Col. Steven Jordan, the only U.S. military officer to face a court martial in the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal, was reprimanded after his conviction on a single charge – failing to obey an order. Jordan was cleared of all charges including the abuse of prisoners and failing to…
A cell phone forensics expert witness brought in records of text messages, photographs and short videos taken from the phone of Raul Manuel Magallanez Jr., who is on trial in Lyon County District Court. Magallanez has been charged with raping a 13-year-old girl, as well as about 60 counts of…
Bankruptcy judge Louise Adler will rule in September whether the San Diego’s Catholic Diocese can legitimately file for bankruptcy. Attorneys representing 150 people who claim they were victims say re-activating those trials is the only way to force the diocese into a settlement. Judge Adler called in financial expert witness…
An eight-member jury returned a verdict of not guilty for Dan L. Petersen, charged with the 1986 murder of Tiffany Hambleton, 14. Expert witness testimony was crucial to Petersen’s defense. Two forensic expert witnesses testified that in such a brutal stabbing, blood would have been everywhere. A roommate saw him…
The trial for singer R. Kelly will begin September 17 more than five years after he was charged with multiple counts of child pornography. Kelly allegedly videotaped himself having sex with a girl prosecutors say could be as young as 13. The girl denies that she’s the person on the…
San Bernardino County, CA prosecutors may file criminal charges against an attorney and an expert witness who shocked their client with a Taser when trying to show how police injured their client with the stun gun. ABCNewsOnline also writes: Police say they briefly used the Taser a few times on…
After you have thoroughly researched and hired an expert witness in your case, it is natural to want to get the best testimony possible from your expert. While it may be tempting to try and tell the expert what to say on the stand, the expert witness’s job is to…
Make sure to comparison shop when hiring an expert witness. Interview several potential experts and be sure they can tell you how they will proceed with your case. Checking their background has become less of a burden since much of the information can be found online for free. The experts…
When hiring an expert witness, make sure to allow time to research their background. Waiting until the last minute to hire an expert could be trouble. An important factor is an accurate assessment of an expert’s qualifications history in court. There is compelling statistical evidence to suggest that experts who…
Special health courts could be the answer to our medical malpractice mess writes Mark Crane, a former USA TODAY editorial writer. Ordinary citizens aren’t usually asked to decide complex legal disputes about tax law, bankruptcy, maritime cases, etc. for good reason. Crane writes: While the principle of trial by jury…