Expert Witness Blog

Accident Reconstruction Expert On Collisions

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 06:00:00 -0800

Allegan County, MI, sheriff's Sgt. Chris Kuhn is an accident reconstruction expert. With traffic accidents increasing due to distracted drivers, Kuhn said a June 28, 2010, crash in Allegan County could have been fatal. The expert said the only reason no one died was because it was a head on collision and that cars are built to sustain those type of accidents rather well.

DNA Expert Witness Testifiies In Sexual Assault Case

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:55:00 -0800

A DNA expert witness from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension testified that DNA recovered from the victim's body matches that of defendant John Fitzgerald Thomas. Thomas is accused of sexually assaulting a woman in North Mankato, MN, in February 2011.

Patents Expert Witness On Pharmaceutical Patents Part 1

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 06:00:00 -0800

On his website, patents expert witness Manfred E. Wolff writes:

In today's competitive environment, existing pharmaceutical patents are at risk from a number of pitfalls.

In particular, "Designing Around" (i.e., developing a chemical entity, device, or method that avoids the claims of an existing patent) is a legal means for producing new products to compete with existing patented products.

Moreover, would-be competitors have enhanced incentives to invalidate patents. Under the terms of paragraph 4 of the Hatch-Waxman legislation, invalidation of a US patent provides 180 days of regulatory exclusivity to a generic manufacturer. The value of 180 days of exclusivity for the generic version of a patented $500 million drug is such that a legal challenge to the patent is highly attractive financially.

Manfred E. Wolff has been involved in strategic planning for pharmaceutical research since 1988, first with a subsidiary of SmithKline Beckman, and later as Senior Vice-President for R&D at Immunopharmaceutics, Inc. Since founding Intellepharm, Inc., he has conducted planning sessions for a number of biotechnology start-ups.

Insurance Expert Witness On Bad Faith

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 19:30:00 -0800

In How to Avoid Charges of Bad Faith, insurance expert witness Barry Zalma writes:

Almost every lawsuit filed against an insurance company, especially when a claim is denied, alleges that the insurer acted in bad faith. In the first party context, bad faith claims typically allege that the insurer did not have a reasonable basis to deny coverage, and that the insurer engaged in unfair or deceptive conduct in the process of handling the claim and reaching its conclusions regarding coverage. In the third party context, there is typically an allegation that the insurer failed to timely settle a claim in which liability had become reasonably clear. Insurers, with unfounded courage, deny claims based on the recommendations of a claims handler whose experience may be, and usually is, limited.

Trucking Expert Witnesses & Bendix Press Release

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:02:00 -0800

Trucking expert witnesses may testify on trucking safety, commercial motor vehicles, truck maintenance, and related matters. In the news this week, Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems has notified customers and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that its ATR-6 valves installed on as many as 60,000 vehicles may be faulty and cause breaking problems. Many of the vehicles manufactured between Dec. 2, 2010 and Jan. 18, 2012 will be retrofitted and delivery of new vehicles has been postponed.

Real Estate Expert Testifies On Behalf of FDIC

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:26:00 -0800

Real estate expert witness Michael K. Ryan, President of CastleLyons Corporation, was selected to provide testimony on behalf of the FDIC in proceedings against a dissolved bank. Ryan was asked to share his expertise on a number of matters regarding real estate entitlement, development, and standard of care issues that the case involved.

Transportation Expert & Cell Phone Use

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:00:00 -0800

Transportation expert Deborah Hersman, chairwoman of the N.T.S.B., an independent federal agency which promotes traffic safety and investigates accidents, says the concern over cell phone use is increased due to more powerful phones that people can use to e-mail, watch movies and play games.

Every year, new devices are being released. People are tempted to update their Facebook page, they are tempted to tweet, as if sitting at a desk. But they are driving a car.

Police Procedures Expert Witness On Stun Gun Death

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:56:00 -0800

Police procedures expert witness Robert F. Thomas Jr. of the Mecklenburg County, NC, Attorney's Office, testified that sheriff Rudy Torres was justified in using a stun gun twice on Jarrel Gray during an arrest. The expert said "The entire course of action, in my judgment, was wise and prudent.” Gray's parents area seeking $145M in the wrongful death suit.

Forensic Accounting Expert Witness On Fraud Case

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 06:00:00 -0800

Forensic accounting expert witness Bob Grosnoff says he is "an expert witness in financial fraud cases and I'm usually on the side of claimants. I like to get the bad guys off the street." When Wealth Strategies Advisory Group invited the expert to investigate their company, Grosnoff uncovered seven tax liens against Vince Annable who runs the company.

Insurance Consultant On Reinsurance Arbitrations

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 06:00:00 -0800

Attorney Robert M. Hall is a former insurance and reinsurance executive and acts as an insurance consultant as well as an arbitrator and mediator of insurance and reinsurance disputes. In HOW REINSURANCE ARBITRATIONS CAN BE FASTER, CHEAPER AND BETTER (REVISTED), he writes:

This is an update of an article which first appeared in 2004 and was intended as an action plan for remedying some of the more significant problems with the reinsurance arbitration process. Unfortunately, this action plan has not progressed very far since then.

Patents Expert Witness Advised Government Of India

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 06:00:00 -0800

As a consultant to the World Bank, patents expert witness Bruce Abramson, JD, PhD, advised the Government of India about the steps necessary to complete the reform of their patent system. He contributed to overall study of India’s knowledge economy, the state of its innovation system, and the further reforms needed for the country to transition into the information age.

Criminology Expert Witness On Vancouver Missing Women Inquiry

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:10:00 -0800

Criminology expert witness Kim Rossmo heads Texas State University’s Center for Geospatial Intelligence and Investigation and is a former member of the Vancouver Police Department. Rossmo recently told the Vancouver Missing Women Inquiry that serial killer Robert Pickton could have been caught earlier if Vancouver police had not "dropped the ball." Pickton was charged in the murder of twenty-five women.

In addition to assisting in criminal cases and training law enforcement on how to use his methodology in serial property crime investigations, Rossmo is exploring its versatility by applying it to projects ranging from border control to counterterrorism.

Accident Investigation Expert Witness & Cellphone Use

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 06:00:00 -0800

On his website, accident investigation expert witness Christopher Gayner, Expert Reconstruction Company, shares this information:

A federal agency called for a ban on all cellphone use by drivers — the most far-reaching such recommendation to date — saying its decision was based on a decade of investigations into distraction-related accidents, as well as growing concerns that powerful mobile devices are giving drivers even more reasons to look away from the road.

As part of its recommendation, the National Transportation Safety Board is urging states to ban drivers from using hands-free devices, including wireless headsets. No state now outlaws such activity, but the board said that drivers faced serious risks from talking on wireless headsets, just as they do by taking a hand off the wheel to hold a phone to their ear.

Psychiatry Expert Witness Testifed In Johnson & Johnson Lawsuit

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 06:00:00 -0800

Psychiatry expert witness Joseph Glenmullen testified in the Texas case against Johnson & Johnson. Glenmullen, a clinical instructor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, said J&J hid information revealing that the antipsychotic drug Risperdal could cause weight gain, leading to diabetes.

Real Estate Expert On Toronto Skyscraper Sale

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 10:42:00 -0800

Real estate expert Bill Argeropoulos says there may be a bidding war over Scotiabank's landmark red skyscraper in Toronto. Canada's second tallest building could sell for $1 billion or more. Argeropoulos is Vice President and Director of Research for Avison Young’s Canadian operations.