Expert Witness Blog

Commercial design expert witnesses may write reports and testify on interior designs, space planning, green retrofits, and more. Here, BuildingDesign+Construction.com writes:

The City of Seattle sent letters to more than 800 large commercial property owners and managers today informing them about a new citywide program designed to help owners and managers assess and improve building energy efficiency and spur the market for building energy retrofits.

“Seattle’s buildings provide one of the greatest opportunities to generate energy savings and boost economic development for the city. This new program will help building owners take a key step toward increasing building energy efficiency, which, in turn, helps lower operating costs, makes buildings more competitive and creates good local jobs,” said Department of Planning and Development Director Diane Sugimura.

Reinsurance expert witnesses may opine on reinsurance contracts, reinsurers, and reinsurance policies. Legaldictionary.com defines reinsurance:

A reinsurance contract is a contract of indemnity, meaning that it becomes effective only when the insurance company has made a payment to the original policyholder. Reinsurance provides a way for the insurance company to protect itself from financial disaster and ruin by passing on the risk to other companies. Reinsurance redistributes or diversifies the risk or threat associated with the business of issuing policies by allowing the reinsured to show more assets by reducing its reserve requirements. The reinsurance industry became more popular during the late 1990s and early 2000s because natural disasters and mass tort litigation resulted in large payouts by insurance companies. Because of the large size of the payments, some insurance companies became insolvent.

Read more: legaldictionary.com.

Trucking expert witnesses may write reports and testify on federal motor carrier safety regulations, truck maintenance, qualifications of truck drivers, and related topics. Transport Topics reports that the The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will publish its revised hours-of-service rule by Oct. 28, not the July 26 deadline previously set by a court, it said in a court filing.

The agency submitted four studies on driver fatigue for public comment earlier this month, two of which were published in April, it said in a report to the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit May 20. It then reopened the comment period for its proposal, which will now close June 8.

Read more: ttnews.com.

In FRAUD FILES: Expert witness selection: substance over form, Tracy L. Coenen, CPA, CFF, writes:

These days, it’s not uncommon for organizations to exist simply to generate revenue. They may offer a “certificate,” but a close examination could reveal that it’s nothing more than a “credential” that someone can purchase. It is important to look at how a certificate or credential is conferred, and confirm that the expert indeed has demonstrated some level of skill and has earned it.

In the fields of fraud and forensic accounting, Certified in Financial Forensics (CFF), Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), and Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA) are the gold standard for certifications, and have strict requirements for obtaining the credentials. These are obviously very valuable to your case.

Worker’s compensation plans expert witnesses may opine on worker compensation, wage replacement and medical benefits for employees, and associated topics. BusinessInsurance.com reports In Brief:

Washington state legislators approved a workers compensation reform bill that its backers say will save the state’s disability system $1.1 billion over the next four years. H.B. 2123 passed the Washington state House on a 69-26 vote and the Senate on a 35-12 vote last week, wrapping a three-week effort to revamp the state’s system. Gov. Christine Gregoire is expected to sign the bill into law.

Read more: businessinsurance.com.

Industrial psychology expert witness Dr. Bob Rose of The Rose Porterfield Group writes that one example of Industrial Organizational Psychology case work is sexual harassment. One of his cases was a Fortune 100 company with a middle manager who was terminated for sexual harassment.

Industrial Psychologists (also “Industrial Organizational” or “IO Psychologists”) – those of us who work with the people aspects of work – know that these things really do happen and we know what to specifically look for.

Be proactive. Consult your general counsel or your attorney; don’t assume HR’s sophisticated procedures are being used in the field; and, make sure everyone in the company knows how serious termination is. Well-crafted policy, frequent training and an awareness of change brought about by technology (“textual harassment” is now an issue) can help prevent problems. And watch who puts what into a file.