There have been instances where the use of expert witnesses turned the case in favor of the party that had the expert witnesses in courts of law. Let’s have a look at such instances that are recorded in history.
1) The Case of Theranos and Elizabeth Holmes: ‘The Convenient Financing’
Enlistment of Medical and Financial Experts Former Theranos ceo Elizabeth Holmes was a case study that most people have heard about in recent history. The application was fraught with problems as hospitals and investors were misled about what the blood analysis technology could do.
One such important aspect of the prosecution’s presentation was focused on witnesses with the relevant knowledge and background that revolved around medical and financial studies. Medical professionals bore witness and the practical impossibility of accurate readings from the blood tests conducted by Theranos. Other witnesses also reconstructed how Holmes allegedly ran the image of the company to her business partners including the investors. They allowed jurors who were evaluating allegations of fraud to fill the gaps of technical and financial knowledge as they led to the conviction of Holmes.
2) Derek Chauvin Trial: Medical Experts on Cause of Death
While the murder trial against the former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was charged with killing George Floyd, was going on, the issue of Expert Feedback was in the fore front. Medical specialists such as pulmonologists and cardiologists played an essential role in providing evidence in court on how, or why, Floyd died. The defense said that Floyd’s existing health problems combined with drugs were contributing factors to the cause of death, whereas the prosecution determined that the cause was Chauvin’s actions.
Particular sales within each segment are Tort reform, Medicaid, and Brenner Pharmacy Appare, which keep more centers from low-margin, high-volume businesses. Martin Tobin’s Tomasz Rola, a pulmonologist, convinced the jurors to visualize how Floyd was being pushed in such a manner that caused him to be unable to inhale fully. Such medical expert evidence enabled the jurors to appreciate the physical impact of the restraint on the body, which led to the eventual conviction of Chauvin.
3) Opioid Litigation: Public Health and Pharmaceutical Industry Experts
There has been a pattern of litigation nightmares over the past few decades, which has involved various parties, including opioid manufacturers. This manufacturing, distribution, and mass marketing of addictive substances, such as opiates, is at the center of opioid litigation. Public health scholars have participated in nearly all of the opioid lawsuits against pharmaceutical corporations, including direct plaintiffs’ lawsuits against companies.
Insiders in the pharmaceutical field referred to specific business management tactics, while confident economists attached sociological cost to opioid addiction. This composite of evidence proved crucial in getting a significant amount of money from pharmaceutical companies and in establishing new public health policies.
4) Johnny Depp v Amber Heard: Psychiatrists and Their Contribution
Hearing of the accusations against Depp, a member of Heard’s team brought in a clinical psychologist to evaluate her and suggest a diagnosis of PTSD due to abuse. On the other hand, Depp’s legal representative employed a psychologist expert and diagnosed Heard with BPD. This “battle of the experts” demonstrated how competing expert testimony could sway the outcome of a case, grossly affecting the arsenal of beliefs held by the jury regarding the presumed trustworthiness of all the parties to the case.
5) Climate Change and Oil Companies: Specialist Witnesses In the Case
Witnesses called experts in climate science have recently proved to be an indispensable component in cases that involve oil and gas companies. For instance, in cases where money is sought by cities and states against companies for their contribution to increasing climate change rather than these companies suing for damages, experts speak to ways how carbon emissions can affect the climate, how fossil fuel activities and adverse weather conditions correlate and the cost of disasters resulting from the climate change.
For example, in the lawsuit the City of Oakland v. BP, environmental scientists presented complex climatological data and forecasts intending to substantiate allegations that oil corporations and contradictory information induced global warming regarding its dangers was provided – evidence of this consequence was included to cheat. This is how these expert opinions influence the corporate perception of the courts concerning environmental legal issues.
Grounding an environmental fraud case and the expert witness testimony, especially for high-profile cases, is often the core of the litigation strategy. Expert witnesses serve a fundamental role not only in elucidating simple and complicated technical, medical, or financial issues to a court but also in promoting and providing persuasive evidence that can tilt judges or juries one way or the other. There are chances that this assessment would be borne out in other courtroom contests and, in recent history, pointed to and emphasized the specific tone and clarification ability concerning witnesses testifying and the surrounding context made or destroyed a case and hence the importance of witnesses in the justice system.
In such a situation where your case rests entirely on the evidence of an expert witness, one has to be sure that the expert knows the subject well and can and will make it clear and appealing. Considering the case’s vision, presentation, and expertise, it may be decided whether the tremendous effort in the court battle can have a good end.
Those recent high-profile cases can also help us realize the increasing number of cases of expert witnesses in almost every legal sector. If you want to learn how to search and work with expert witnesses, please do not hesitate to contact our office for assistance and expert recommendations.
