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Property management experts at The Lightner Property Group write:

Currently, there are a number of bills which have passed both the Senate and the Assembly which are of interest to landlords and tenants in California. The first of our three bills, AB 1800 (Hagman-Ma), is a response to the numerous scams that have arisen out of the on-line rental market and the increasing number of owners renting their own units through on-line listing services.

To avoid the scam entirely, what can a prospective renter do?

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In Nondestructive Ink and Paper Examinations, handwriting expert witness Ronald N. Norris writes:

When most people think of ink analysis they, think that it is a destructive examination which means my document is going to be severely damaged or destroyed. That is not completely accurate. There is a way of examining ink entries without damaging the document, and it is usually the only test necessary to resolve the issue of ink differentiation.

The examination process, known as infrared fluorescence, or luminescence, was developed by Mr. H. Gibson for use in the study of tissue samples. Forensic document examiners have used the same technique for nondestructive ink differentiation examinations for many years. Because a technical discussion of the process is beyond the scope of this paper, the reader is referred to an article on the web at http://msp.rmit.edu.au/Article_02/04.html. At the same web site there are links to other articles about the theory and equipment necessary to perform nondestructive ink examinations.

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In What are the qualifications to be an expert witness?, David Goodwyne writes:

b) Experience – Obviously the expert witness should be someone with the relevant practical experience in the field which he claims is his scope of expertise. A “forensic expert” who has never been inside a lab is not going to be of much help to you. In contrast, a foresic expert who has 20 years experience working with various governmental investigative bodies would, definitely have more of a presence.

(c) Demeanour – At the end of the day, the expert is trying to convince the judge or jury that their opinion is viable, accurate, and sound. As the judge and jury are all human beings, simple things like demeanour can also sway their mindset. Therefore you may want to avoid a pompous expert, or conversely, one who seems to lack conviction or confidence.

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A Sheffield, UK, man bled to death in the hospital after an “error of judgment” by an experienced surgeon, an inquest has ruled. Andrew Vernon, aged 38, of Moorwinstow Croft, Dore, died after Dr. Dermot Gleeson tried to take a sample of what he thought was a polyp in his stomach, but instead split what was in fact a high pressured ‘varix’ vein.

Deputy Coroner Judith Naylor recorded the fatality as death by misadventure after an independent general surgery expert witness told the inquest Dr. Gleeson’s actions were a “significant error of clinical judgment.” Dr. Jonathan Green, the independent expert assigned by the inquest to investigate the death, said “stalk like” formation of varix veins were rare – but still “well described” in books. He added everything possible had been done to save Mr Vernon’s life. Coroner Naylor said: “I fear Dr. Gleeson made an error of judgment.”

Read more: thestar.com.

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For the second time in a year, the Ninth District Court of Appeals has been tapped to decide whether or not a plaintiffs’ medical expert witness reports meet Texas Civil Code requirements. As the Southeast Texas Record previously reported, in November 2008 Ivalyn and Lee Anderson, an Orange couple, filed suit against eight doctors and three hospitals, alleging Ivalyn suffered from a stroke after doctors inserted a central line into her veins.

In 2009, several of the defendants appealed after Judge Gary Sanderson, 60th District Court, refused to toss the case on the grounds that the Andersons’ medical expert reports failed to fulfill code requirements, court records show. On Dec. 17, 2009, Ninth District justices affirmed one of the expert reports and reversed and remanded the remaining reports.

Read more: setexasrecord.com.

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Property management experts at The Lightner Property Group write:

Currently, there are a number of bills which have passed both the Senate and the Assembly which are of interest to landlords and tenants in California. The first of our three bills, AB 1800 (Hagman-Ma), is a response to the numerous scams that have arisen out of the on-line rental market and the increasing number of owners renting their own units through on-line listing services.

The scam is a simple one. A scam artist advertises a housing rental on the Internet, often on Craig’s List. Often they have lifted the information from another site on the Internet, replacing only one important piece of information – the contact telephone number or email address. The deal is often too good to be true and generates a significant amount of interest and often a sense of urgency to act on the part of unsuspecting prospective renter, so as to not miss out on the “great deal”.

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Law enforcement expert witness, attorney, and former police chief Andy Hall writes:

An Expert Witness is someone who the court recognizes as an authority on a specific topic. In order to be accepted as an expert witness, the court will require the expert to present his/her qualifications under oath so that the judge and jury can determine how much weight should be placed on the expert’s testimony.

An Expert Witness is essential in Litigation arising from these types of issues:

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In What are the qualifications to be an expert witness?, David Goodwyne writes:

What an exactly is an expert witness? An expert witness, as the name suggests, is an individual who is a person whose opinion can be relied upon in respect of an issue or fact that is relevant to the scope of his expertise. Not anyone can be an expert witness as this person is usually an individual with the right level of training, education and experience so that he is deemed an “expert”. Just being “competent” or “good” at your job doesn’t necessarily qualify you to become an expert.

An expert witness’ role is crucial in a trial when there is, for example circumstantial evidence or issues that cannot be directly proven. Hence, the evidence of the expert witness is important because it will help convince the judge or jury of the case theory that the attorney intends to potray. Common examples of expert witneses include forensic scientists (eg: to explain things like estimated cause of death in the event this is cannot be directly and obviously ascertained), psychiatrists or psychologists (eg: to explain a defendant’s state of mind, particularly in cases where insanity or diminished responsibility is claimed as a defence), and engineers (to explain technical concepts in the event this is a core issue of a trial).

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Members of a Texas state panel reviewing the quality of a 1991 arson investigation that helped send a Corsicana man to his execution went back to the drawing board last week, refusing to approve a draft report that cleared the investigators of professional negligence. In a session of the Texas Forensic Science Commission that was marked by curt exchanges, commissioners voted unanimously to meet Nov. 19 and quiz experts who thus far have provided only written testimony.

The case stems from a Christmas season fire at the Corsicana home of Cameron Todd Willingham, in which his three young daughters died. Willingham, 36, was convicted of capital murder in the case and executed in February 2004. He claimed his innocence to the end. No experts have yet testified before the commission. An October 2009 appearance by Baltimore fire expert witness Craig Beyler, hired by the commission to review state and local fire probes, was canceled by Chairman John Bradley shortly after he was appointed by Gov. Rick Perry.

Read more: chron.com.

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In Nondestructive Ink and Paper Examinations, ink differentiation expert witness Ronald N. Norris writes:

The forensic examination of documents involves more than just the identification of handwriting and hand printing. Frequently, questions concerning the differentiation of inks, obliterated writings where it is important to determine what is being covered up by the overwriting, and paper examinations are necessary. To conduct these examinations, special techniques involving light of different wavelengths, cyan/green and ultraviolet, in conjunction with special filters and a digital camera, are frequently employed instead of using destructive techniques. This paper is an attempt to explain how this is accomplished.

In any type of forensic examination of documents, a conservative assessment of the observable evidence present on and in the documents is absolutely essential. The cardinal rule, the evidence in the documents may not provide the basis for a definitive answer in every case or examination. The techniques described in this paper have their limitations. The results must always be reported that include the limitations.