Category: Expert Challenges
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Elections Expert Witness Barred from Providing Opinions on the Interpretation of Campaign Finance Laws
In March 2023, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, indicted Donald Trump on 34 charges tied to the hush money payments, accusing him of “falsifying New York business records to conceal damaging information and unlawful activity from American voters before and after the 2016 election.” It all started when the Wall Street Journal reported…
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Safety Expert Witness’ Testimony on Situational Awareness and Duty of Care Rejected
A district judge in Oklahoma noted the expert witness’ extensive background in event safety at live events but barred him from testifying because he never inspected the area where Plaintiff fell and ignored relevant statutes and codes. Plaintiff Boulac sought damages for injuries she allegedly sustained at the Bank of Oklahoma Center (“BOK Center”) in…
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Montana Court rules against “fossil fuel–based provisions” in favor of a “clean and healthful environment”
On March 13, 2020, sixteen Montana youth (collectively Plaintiffs or Youth Plaintiffs), then between two and 18 years old, filed a complaint against the State of Montana challenging the constitutionality of the State’s fossil fuel-based state energy system, which they alleged caused and contributed to climate change in violation of their constitutional rights guaranteed under Article II,…
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Economics Expert Witness’ Testimony on Disparities in Promotion Admitted
A district judge in Massachusetts admitted the findings of an expert economist meant to advance a theory of disparate impact. Plaintiffs Marc Savage (“Savage”) and Randolph Blake (“Blake”) (collectively referred to as “Plaintiffs”), a retired and current employee, respectively, of the Fire Department for the Defendant City of Springfield (“City” or “Springfield”), pursued claims of…
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Class Size Calculations of Economics Expert Witness Held to be Reliable
Spokeo owns and operates the website spokeo.com. It collects consumer and public data from various public sources and private vendors, associates that data with particular names, and publishes it online. Using proprietary algorithms and systems, Spokeo “attempts to collect and aggregate and merge all that data into persons, person objects, which are then designated with…
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Safety Expert Witness’ Interpretation of Driver Logs Deemed Reliable
A district judge in Texas allowed a truck safety expert to testify about safety regulation compliance after stating that his testimony did not consist of methodological flaws. Plaintiff Antoine Manson alleged that on March 20, 2021, at about 3:00 a.m., he was traveling on Loop 1604 in Bexar County, Texas when he was struck by…
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Lost Earning Capacity Opinions of Vocational Rehabilitation Expert Witness Fails to Satisfy Rule 702
A district judge in Colorado limited the opinion of a vocational expert because the injuries were obscure and a loss of future earnings capacity could not be deduced from the same. This case arises from a car accident that occurred on July 7, 2020, between Plaintiff and a person who was operating a commercial semi-truck while…
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Pharmacy Expert Witness Barred from Offering Legal Opinions
This lawsuit arises from the State of Missouri enacting a law forbidding pharmacists from contacting a prescribing doctor or patient “to dispute the efficacy of ivermectin tablets or hydroxychloroquine sulfate tablets for human use” unless the doctor or patient asks the pharmacist about these drugs’ efficacy first. A pharmacist who violates the statute by alerting…
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Accident Reconstruction Expert Witness’ Testimony Admitted despite his Alleged Disregard of the Evidence
This Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) case arises out of an accident that occurred on January 5, 2021 between Plaintiff Avery Stinson and a U.S. Postal Service tractor-trailer driven by Stewart Henry. When the accident occurred, Plaintiff was operating a bicycle on a sidewalk and attempting to cross an intersection. At the same time, a…
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Washington Court Rules against Admitting AI-Enhanced Video as Evidence
A Washington state superior court judge recently rejected the admission of video exhibits “enhanced by artificial intelligence” as evidence in a triple murder case. To begin with, the state of Washington charged Defendant Joshua Puloka with three counts of murder stemming from a 2021 shooting. The shooting was captured on a bystander’s smartphone and the…
