Category: Mechanical Engineering Expert Witness
-
Mechanical Engineering Expert Witness’ Product Identification Opinion Excluded
This case arises from a boating accident at Lake Powell on July 29, 2018. Plaintiff, while aboard a Moomba Mondo ski boat purchased from Rocky Mountain Boat Company (ROMOBOCO), was injured when a carabiner (the Subject Carabiner) suddenly failed and struck her in the head. Plaintiff survived, but she allegedly suffers from permanent disabilities due…
-
Mechanical Engineering Expert Witness’ Theories Explaining the Tire Blowout Partly Admitted
This case stems from a tire blowout that occurred while Plaintiff Kenneth Harris was at work driving his employer’s truck, which was outfitted with tires manufactured by Defendant Michelin North America. That tire blowout caused Harris’s truck to flip multiple times, resulting in injuries to his “neck, back, hip, arm, elbow, and head.” Causation is…
-
Mechanical Engineering Expert Witness Not Allowed to Opine About the Accident or on the Credibility of Individuals
This matter arises from the tragic death of James Lemaster, a technician employed by Orbis Corporation at the company’s manufacturing plant in Georgetown, Kentucky. Lemaster’s job duties involved fitting industrial molds for filling and pressing to produce various made-to-order plastic hardware. On August 12, 2021, Lemaster was operating a hoist crane to lift and move…
-
Mechanical Engineering Expert Witness’ Opinions on Vessel Design and Operations Rejected
This matter concerns a maritime personal injury. On May 19, 2023, Bunting filed this case against Odyssea, alleging claims for Jones Act negligence, unseaworthiness, and negligence under general maritime law and state law, and seeking damages for injuries to his back, legs, knees, and feet. Facts In March 2018, Odyssea hired Bunting to work as…
-
Testimony of Mechanical Engineering Expert Witness Rejected, Complaint Dismissed
Plaintiff Nathan Cottrill (“Plaintiff” or “Cottrill”) filed a lawsuit against Defendant Tricam Industries, Inc. (“Defendant” or “Tricam”), alleging product liability and breach of implied warranty. Nathan Cottrill, a Best Buy Geek Squad employee, went to a client’s house on December 22, 2019, to mount two Sonos 5 speakers in an indoor basketball court. To carry…
-
Mechanical Engineering Expert Witness Opinions on Slipperiness of Shower Floor Admitted
The case involved the Plaintiff, Anthony Cladd who fell and suffered injuries while using a shower stall at a truck stop owned by the Defendant, TA Operating, LLC. The Plaintiff asserted that the fall and injuries were a result of the shower stall being unsafe, and claimed that the Defendant breached a duty of care…
-
Mechanical Engineering Expert Witness Opinions on Design Defects and Manufacturing Defects Admitted
Plaintiff Patricia Medellin filed a lawsuit to recover damages for severe injuries she suffered when she fell while using Defendant’s Little Giant Velocity Ladder, a multi-use ladder with adjustable features. The ladder could be configured into various climbing systems, including an extension ladder. Medellin asserted that the “Rock Locks” (version 2.1), which were the locking…
-
Court rejects testimony of Mechanical Engineering Expert Witness for lacking specialized knowledge or experience in the pulp and paper industry
The Plaintiffs—Michael Johnson, Charles Cunningham, Jerry Bailey, Eric Woodward, Michael Darbonne, Michael McCullough, Christopher Harrington, Demon Benjamin, and Pamela Green—filed a lawsuit against Packaging Corporation of America (“PCA”), Boise Packaging & Newsprint, LLC (“BPN”), Boise, Inc. (“Boise”), and Rick Butterfield after a tragic explosion at PCA’s DeRidder, Louisiana paper mill on February 8, 2017. During…
-
Experts cannot base their methods on personal experience unless it is proved to be a sufficient basis; Court excludes expert testimony on the cost of developing alleged trade secrets
This case was between Larada Sciences (the Plaintiff) and Pediatric Hair Solutions (PHS – the Defendant) in the United States District Court for the District of Utah. Larada manufactures devices that use heated air to treat head lice and licenses the devices to head lice treatment clinics. In 2015, Larada and PHS entered into license…
-
Michigan Court excludes the misleading testimony of Mechanical Engineering Expert in Maritime Personal Injury Action
In a maritime personal injury action, Plaintiff Hussein Al Qari alleged serious injuries from a fall aboard the M/V H. Lee White. Expert testimony from mechanical engineer Dr. John Samuel Morse was introduced, claiming the ship’s ladder’s design was unsafe according to OSHA regulations. However, the Court deemed these OSHA regulations irrelevant to U.S. Coast…