Expert Witness Blog

In Agent Errors and Omissions Insurance Expert, insurance agencies expert witness Burl Daniel, CPCU, CIC, CRM,

Insurance agents and brokers are under constant scrutiny for their errors and omissions; this scrutiny often results in questions regarding agents’ performance. Among these questions: What standard of care should clients reasonably expect from their agent or broker? What insurance customs and practices should apply to a given set of circumstances? Who said what – and when, and where? How were insurance transactions documented?

Read more, including Common Causes of Agent Errors & Omissions Allegations.

In Fatal Asthma, pulmonary medicine expert witness Dr. James F. Lineback, Newport Longevity Medical Group, writes:

Fortunately, the overwhelming majority of asthmatics experience mild symptoms that are easily treated with medications which open up the airway and reduce inflammation in those structures. A certain subset however, have more severe narrowing of the airways and must be treated more aggressively and monitored more carefully with serial pulmonary function testing.

Patients with severe asthma require more medication, have more frequent visits to the emergency room, and may actually require mechanical ventilation for acute respiratory failure. These patients constitute a high risk group for a fatal outcome and generally have certain risk factors, such as steroid dependence, prior need for mechanical ventilation, a high number of medications, and frequent episodes of acute respiratory failure. Aggressive treatment in this group prevents accumulation of dried secretions in the airways as well as severe life threatening airway obstruction. Once this process occurs, these patients are faced with a significant increase “work of breathing” which eventually leads to respiratory muscle fatigue.

Logistics expert witnesses may advise regarding freight forwarders and cargo movement. In the news, RLS Corporation, a third-party logistics provider, announced the launch of the first phase of its next-generation website at www.rlscorp.com.

The new website features critical real-time updates for the logistics industry, including national weather conditions and fuel prices. The site also provides the latest news from key industry groups, such as the American Trucking Association, the Transportation Intermediaries Association, and the National Industrial Transportation League.

Read more: rlscorp.com.

Trucking industry expert witnesses may consult on issues involving the Department of Transportation, trucking and transportation rules and regulations, and more. In Changes at Port Terminals Needed to Improve Operations, Not an Act of Congress, truckline.com writes:

Those interested in truly helping truck drivers at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach should advocate relatively quick and easy improvements to drayage operations at marine terminals, not an act of Congress, Kevin Dukesherer, owner of Progressive Transportation Services and founding member of The Clean Truck Coalition, said in a July 8 Op-Ed in The Daily Breeze.

Read more: truckline.com.

Insurance adjusters expert witnesses may may advise on issues involving insurance claims, , insurance agencies, and associated topics. In Adjusters’ Pet Peeves, Charles Hunter Mcree, claims expert and risk management executive, writes: Knowing adjuster pet peeves and their hot buttons can help those who work with adjusters to foster better relationships. This includes the gamut of vendors and business partners such as defense lawyers, rehab specialists, surveillance firms, and expert witnesses…. So what sets an adjuster’s teeth on edge? Let’s explore an informal and highly subjective list I have composed:

1. Cheapskate insurance buyers. Some policyholders make insurance-buying decisions based on “the cheapest quote,” and then feign surprise when they don’t get platinum claim service. Usually things are cheaper for a reason. If you check into a Motel 6 and pay a bargain basement price, then please do not whine because the hotel lacks concierge service and a mint on the pillow. When shopping for insurance, many accounts are “all about price.” When they have a claim, it is all about service. Sorry, but those two usually go hand-in-hand – in both claims adjusting and in other realms.

Read more: propertycasualty360.com.

In Before the 2008 Financial Crisis, a Real Real Estate Market Did Not Exist, finance expert witness Chris McConnell, AIFA, writes:
Chris McConnell AIFA®, FiduciaryFORENSICS® expert based in Los Angeles, has released his FiduciaryALERT™ for 2011. According to McConnell, after every mortgage borrower signed their name they thought they were just getting a mortgage. In addition to lending the money, certain banks “converted” those mortgages into residential mortgage backed securities (RMBS)and held them as investments, for their own profits. The so-called “value” of these mortgages, was leveraged quite literally for pennies on the dollar. Paper profits mushroomed allowing banks to hand out massive bonuses to their own proprietary traders. It was all done according to certain banks’ and often the very same traders’ internal proprietary computer models.

Read more: prweb.com.

In Fatal Asthma, pulmonary medicine expert witness Dr. James F. Lineback, Newport Longevity Medical Group, writes:

Asthma is a very common pulmonary problem affecting between three and five percent of the population. Fortunately, fatal asthma is a rare complication, though it often involves young people in the prime of their lives. The definition of asthma is reversible airway obstruction and involves inflammation and narrowing of the airways. Patients experience shortness of breath and feel as if they are breathing through a straw. Allergies, exercise, infections, and stress may cause an acute worsening of their condition.