Plaintiff William A. White (“White”), a federal inmate, initiated this action alleging nine distinct claims against the United States of America (“United States”) and the Federal Bureau of Prisons (“BOP”) (collectively, the “Federal Defendants”), and two distinct claims against BOP inmate Robert Kenneth Decker (“Decker”).
Dr. Richard M. Samuels conducted an independent psychological examination of White. The Federal Defendants filed a motion to strike Dr. Samuels’ report.
Psychology Expert Witness
Richard M. Samuels has nearly fifty years of medical experience. He has conducted 2,500 psychological evaluations, treated thousands of patients, and testified in several states.
He is licensed in Arizona and New Jersey and is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and two of its divisions.
Discussion by the Court
The Federal Defendants argued that Samuels is not qualified to be an expert, the report is outdated, and this report is neither helpful nor based on sufficient facts related to the issues in this case.
As to the first step, the Court found the Federal Defendants’ argument unconvincing. Samuels is a trained psychologist who had been licensed at one time in two different states, giving him general expertise regarding the issue of standard of care for White’s mental health needs. He need not be a specialist in Indiana or hold active registration as a psychologist to render his report useful.
Moreover, Samuels’ medical opinion is not based on ‘junk science’, but almost fifty years of medical experience. The Federal Defendants pointed out that Samuels is not registered with the American Board of Psychology, however, both the Middle District of Florida and Middle District of Pennsylvania accepted Samuels’ testimony and ruled him qualified to provide an expert opinion.
Due to his specific knowledge of the circumstances and experience in the field, Samuels’ testimony and report will assist the Court in understanding the evidence and in determining the facts at issue in this case.
Held
The Court denied the Federal Defendants’ motion to strike Dr. Richard Samuels’ report.
Key Takeaway
Anyone with relevant expertise enabling him to offer responsible opinion testimony helpful to judge or jury may qualify as an expert witness. In this case, Samuels has established that he has specialized knowledge as required by Rule 702.
Case Details:
| Case Caption: | White V. Decker |
| Docket Number: | 1:22cv2405 |
| Court Name: | United States District Court, Indiana Southern |
| Order Date: | January 23, 2026 |
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