Handwriting experts will square off in Virginia federal court over allegations that one stole the other’s analysis of the JonBenet Ramsey ransom note. As reported in the Virginia Pilot: Cina L. Wong, a forensic document examiner with an office on Granby Street, is seeking to stop author and handwriting expert…
American Lawyer Media (ALM), which runs the ALM Expert Witness Directory, is reportedly for sale. According to the Business Wire: Wasserstein & Co., LP [ALM’s owner] announced that it has retained Credit Suisse as its exclusive financial advisor to assist it in exploring various strategic alternatives for its investment in…
Oracle said Wednesday that it has sued software expert SAP “about corporate theft on a grand scale” seeking undisclosed damages. Oracle also argues that the theft formed the basis of SAP’s “Safe Passage” program, which is designed to entice Oracle customers to switch to SAP. As alleged in the complaint:…
A Canadian shoe impressions expert witness was allowed to testify in a South Carolina murder trial regarding bootprints made at the scene 11 years ago. Crime scene expert Robert Kennedy said foot impressions made inside the insole of a pair of low-top boots were similar to test impressions made by…
Payouts for medical malpractice claims remain lower in Oregon than in all but seven other states, despite the loss of a cap on damage awards in 1999. What is interesting is that Oregon also does not have standards for expert witnesses to testify. As reported in the The Oregonian: The…
Some expert witnesses believe that their professionalism is affected if they make it known that they are available to be retained as an expert witness. For example, many fear embarrassment or a loss of credibility when it is revealed on cross-examination that they market their services. In reality, the judge…
Fourth District Judge Samuel McVey will allow the prosecution to use an endocrinology expert witness to explain the female body in a case involving sexual abuse. Dr. Larry Andrew is on trial for allegedly inappropriately touching patients during infertility treatments. The defendant has said he massaged the patients genitals to…
The Idaho Supreme Court reversed the district court and allowed neurosurgery expert witness Dr. Edward Smith to testify in a case involving a woman who fell into a coma after receiving an infusion of chemicals through a catheter instead of an intravenous line due to a nursing error. Weeks vs.…
Prior to Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, the courts allowed scientists to play gatekeeper by deciding what was good science–permissible in the courtroom–and what wasn’t. However, in 1993, the Supreme Court ruled in Daubert that judges and not scientists should not be the ultimate arbiters of the quality of science.…
This first myth is only true if you, as an expert witness, do not want to get retained. Out of sight is out of mind and, for the expert witness, out of work. Being an expert witness necessarily means that you market yourself. When the attorney hires an expert, he…