The importance of expert opinion (offered either by affidavit or in deposition testimony) in summary judgment practice cannot be overstated. We have previously written about this in a number of different contexts: medical malpractice (https://www.videntpartners.com/blog/2019/medical-expert’s-affidavit-opposition-summary-judgment-fails-establish-triable-issue), health insurance coverage (
During the course of our nearly 15 years in the business, we’ve provided attorneys with consulting and testifying experts in over a hundred fields of expertise for many different types of litigation. From time to time a particular litigation area gets “hot,” which leads to attorneys requesting experts in particular specialties for an unusually high number of cases. For example, there was a period of about 3 years a while back when we provided experts for dozens of asbestos cases.
Appellate opinions usually begin with a very short introductory paragraph – just enough to orient the reader to the nature of the case and the outcome of the appeal. Here’s a typical example:
The Rhode Island Supreme Court recently emphasized the requirement of expert opinion in an important class of premises liability cases – namely, those in which the plaintiff alleges that negligent design, construction, or maintenance created a dangerous condition. The case is Yanku v.
Last April I wrote about the FDA’s decision to ban the use of surgical mesh devices for transvaginal repair of pelvic organ prolapse (“transvaginal mesh” or “pelvic mesh”). https://www.videntpartners.com/blog/2019/fda-bans-surgical-mesh-transvaginal-repair-pelvic-organ-prolapse. Of course, because transvaginal mesh was used for that purpose for 14 years (2002-2016), the resulting litigation isn’t over yet. The most recent case to come to my attention is Kaiser v.
Dr. Stephen L. Thornton is one of our top experts specializing in emergency medicine and medical toxicology. He consistently receives the highest praise from both plaintiff and defense attorneys.
As a baseball fan I always pay attention to the various sports websites, and a couple of weeks ago I saw an article that I read with amazement and some concern.
There’s real consumer fraud, and there’s imaginary consumer fraud. Becerra v. Dr Pepper/Seven Up, http://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2019/12/30/18-16721_.pdf (9th Cir. 12/30/19), is a striking example of the latter.
Attorneys who have never used an expert referral service may question the benefits of going that route, rather than continuing to find their own experts. Indeed, that very question has often been asked of us during our 14 years in the business. As a result (and without speaking for other referral services), we can comprehensively explain the benefits of working with our firm, Vident Partners.
As the managing partner of Healthcare Litigation Support and (after our name change) Vident Partners, I’ve had the opportunity to assist in hundreds of medical malpractice cases. I’ve provided expert witnesses to attorneys from large and small firms, both plaintiff and defense, throughout the United States as well as Canada and the U.S. Virgin Islands. I don’t claim to be an expert on medical malpractice law, but I’m experienced enough to understand why these litigations begin, how they proceed, and how they resolve.
