Category: Law Enforcement Expert Witness
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Law Enforcement Expert Allowed to Opine on the Dynamics of Consensual Adult Sex Work
Defendants Brandon Washington and Maria Georgianna Palm are charged with various crimes arising out of their scheme to recruit, entice, harbor, transport, provide, obtain, and maintain vulnerable women, and to perform commercial sex acts for their financial benefit via threats of force, fraud, and coercion. The government retained FBI Supervisory Special Agent Steven Vienneau to…
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Law Enforcement Expert Was Allowed to Opine on the Deputies’ Conduct
On May 21, 2022, Defendants Deputies Montana Arceo and Brandon Avalos contacted Mr. Lyric Leeyn Cline at an ARCO gas station in Tacoma, Washington, after observing a vehicle they believed matched one involved in recent criminal incidents. Cline fled on foot, the deputies pursued him, and a struggle followed during which the deputies used physical…
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Law Enforcement Expert Was Allowed to Opine on Jail Policies
Billy Joe Altstatt, acting as the brother and legal guardian of Johnny Altstatt, an incapacitated individual, filed suit against the Board of County Commissioners of Oklahoma County and the Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Authority, alleging violations of Johnny’s federal and state constitutional rights. Defendants Board of County Commissioners for Oklahoma County and Oklahoma County Criminal…
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Law Enforcement Expert Was Allowed to Opine on Chemical Munitions
Wesley Cotton alleged that on March 19, 2022, an incident occurred on Yard 3C at California State Prison, Corcoran (“CSP-Corcoran”), in which officers deployed multiple chemical agents, including oleoresin capsicum (“OC”), chloroacetophenone (“CN”), chlorobenzalmalononitrile (“CS”) grenades (collectively, “chemical agents”) to stop a fight between third party prisoners. At the time the chemical agents were deployed,…
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Law Enforcement Expert’s Testimony on the Use of Pepper Spray Limited
Plaintiff LaBlanca Sibley’s excessive force claim against Officer Nicholas S. Riggall, arising from her arrest and detention, was based on Riggall’s use of pepper spray while she was seated in the patrol car. Sibley retained Mr. Jeronimo Rodriguez, an expert in law enforcement practices and use-of-force standards. Riggall moved to exclude Rodriguez’s opinions and testimony.…
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Law Enforcement Expert’s Testimony on Workplace Dynamics Admitted
Solangie Acosta was a Muskegon Heights Police Department(“MHPD”) law enforcement officer between 2017 and 2022 who brought nine claims against her former employer, alleging discrimination on the basis of sex, disability status, and an exercise of her worker’s compensation rights. Defendants filed a motion to preclude testimony by Acosta’s expert Wendy Patrick, a former prosecutor…
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Law Enforcement Expert’s Testimony on Tunnel Vision Excluded
Eric Kelley contended that he was wrongfully incarcerated for a 1993 murder and robbery for 24 years until DNA testing provided a basis for the trial court to vacate his convictions, and the State declined to retry him, Kelley then sued several members of the Paterson Police Department (“PPD”) who allegedly violated his constitutional rights…
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The Law Enforcement Expert Was Allowed to Opine on Pennsylvania State Police Policy
The Defendants are Pennsylvania State Police Troopers accused of using excessive force when they served a 302 warrant on Plaintiff Carl Giuli based on his wife’s reports that Giuli was experiencing a mental health crisis. While serving the warrant, an altercation occurred in Giuli’s house involving Giuli and Pennsylvania State Police Troopers Joseph Montagna and…
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Law Enforcement Expert Was Not Allowed to Opine on the Party’s Intent
Plaintiff Deborah Jones-MacDonald brought this civil rights action against Defendants, Harris County Sheriff’s Office (“HCSO”) Deputies Ronaldo Delgado and Charles Ribbe (collectively, “the Deputies”), alleging that she suffered personal injuries as a result of an August 13, 2021 encounter with the Deputies. Plaintiff sought to exclude the report of the Deputies’ expert, Michael A. Dirden,…
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Law Enforcement Expert Was Allowed to Opine on the Standard Practices Involving Police Canines
In this excessive force case involving a police canine, Plaintiff Herman Evans (“Evans”) filed a motion to exclude the opinion of The City of Lynchburg’s (“City”) expert witness—Jeffrey T. Barrett (“Barrett”). Barrett offered four opinions (although the confines of those opinions are not as clearly defined as they should be). First, he reviewed the training…
