Category: Law Enforcement Expert Witness
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Law Enforcement Expert Witness Cannot Opine on the Duties of Railway Police Officers in Idaho
On February 28, 2022, Adam Bennett stole a ride on a BNSF railcar in Kootenai County. BNSF Special Agent Daniel Mattson intercepted him and was informed by police dispatch—erroneously—that he had a warrant for his arrest in Washington but not Idaho. Based on this information, and COVID procedures governing misdemeanor arrests, Agent Mattson released Bennett…
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Court Admits Law Enforcement Expert Witness’ Opinion on Police Tactics for Dealing with Pet Dogs
On September 6, 2018, Rochester Police Department (“RPD”) officers Jeremy Nellist (“Nellist”) and Joshua P. Kelly (“Kelly”) traversed through the backyard of Plaintiff Erin Gursslin’s (“Plaintiff”) property on St. Paul Street, in the City of Rochester (the “City”), during the course of executing a search warrant at a location three properties north of Plaintiff’s home.…
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Law Enforcement Expert Witness’ Opinion About Officer’s Demeanor Has Marginal Relevance
Joshua Briggs was arrested for Disorderly Conduct and Harassment because he called Anchorage Police Officer Orean Yi a pig. Briggs filed this lawsuit alleging that he was arrested without probable cause in retaliation for exercising his First Amendment rights. Officer Yi asserted that he had probable cause to arrest Briggs because Briggs was making sufficient…
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Psychiatry Expert Witness’ Rebuttal Testimony Admitted Despite Claims of Untimely Disclosure
Plaintiff Rebecca Leeper filed a Complaint for Damages against the Defendants, the City of Tacoma and Tel Thompson. The case arose from injuries she sustained in a sexual assault on July 17, 2018. In her Complaint, Leeper alleged that the City had prior knowledge of Thompson’s dangerous conduct, including a documented history of confrontational behavior and inappropriate sexualized…
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Law Enforcement Expert Witness Allowed to Discuss Intoxication’s Impact on the Ability to Communicate
As personal representative to the estate of Joshua Sarrett, Plaintiff Derek Stenson brings federal and state law claims against King County and Jacob Leenstra, a Sherriff’s Deputy, who shot and killed Sarrett on September 19, 2020, while responding to a request for help at Sarrett’s residence. On September 19, 2020, Sarrett’s sisters, Chantal Capps and…
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Law Enforcement Expert Witness’ Testimony on Officers’ Actions Excluded
The present lawsuit revolves around Plaintiff Van Aelsytn’s claims of civil rights violations and malicious prosecution against Defendants Coleman Sparks and Scott Carnes. Both Defendants were officers with the Versailles Police Department and were involved in an investigation that led to domestic violence charges against Van Aelsytn. However, the Plaintiff possessed evidence suggesting his innocence.…
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Law Enforcement Expert Witness Prohibited From Testifying About the Existence of Probable Cause For Arrest
On February 26, 2024, the Defendant David Boruchowitz, a Deputy Sheriff with the Nye County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO), collaborated with Ken Johnson, a former Valley Electric Association (VEA) employee to arrest Angela Evans, the then-CEO of the Valley Electric Association (“VEA”), the entity responsible for providing power to residents of Nye County. Ken Johnson was…
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Law Enforcement Expert Witness Testimony on LAPD’s Compliance with Policies and Procedures Deemed Relevant
This matter involves an incident that occurred on May 29, 2020, while Plaintiff, David Zuniga was present during the George Floyd protests in Grand Park, Downtown Los Angeles. During this time, Zuniga and his experts contended that he was struck with a nonlethal projectile to his head by Defendant Officer Aaron Green. Officer Green, and…
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Law Enforcement Expert Witness is Qualified to Opine On Tactics and Uses of Force Employed by the Police
This matter involves an incident that occurred on May 29, 2020, while Plaintiff, David Zuniga was present during the George Floyd protests in Grand Park, Downtown Los Angeles. During this time, Zuniga and his experts contended that he was struck with a nonlethal projectile to his head by Officer Aaron Green. Officer Green, and the…
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Law Enforcement Expert Witness’ Disclosure Held to be Inadequate
This case deals with the indictment of Derik Carothers. He is charged with three offenses. At Count One, the grand jury charged him with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine base, in the form commonly known as crack, a Schedule II controlled substance. At Count Two, the grand…
