Book Law For The Expert Witness, Contenidos

LAW for the
EXPERT
WITNESS
Fourth Edition
Downloaded by [John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY)] at 12:01 15 May 2015
LAW for the
EXPERT
WITNESS
Fourth Edition
Daniel A. Bronstein
Boca Raton London New York
CRC Press is an imprint of the

Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
CRC Press
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© 2012 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

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No claim to original U.S. Government works

Version Date: 20111012
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-1-4398-5157-9 (eBook - PDF)
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Dedication
Again, of course, to my wife, Lee, with all my love,

and to the other important women in my life
my mother, Elaine Kinzler; my sister, Ruth Breindel; and the
“kids,” Dr. Linda Wennerberg and Dr. Judith Bronstein
Contents
Preface to the Fourth Edition.....................................................................................xi
Acknowledgments................................................................................................... xiii
Introduction............................................................................................................... xv
About the Author....................................................................................................xvii
Part I
Before Trial
Chapter 1
Filing Suit, or Legal Paperwork..................................................................................3
Complaint............................................................................................................... 3
Answer...................................................................................................................4
Counterclaims, Cross-Claims, Third-Party Claims, and Class Actions................5
Reference................................................................................................................7
Chapter 2
Discovery in General..................................................................................................9
Policy Considerations........................................................................................... 27
Reference..............................................................................................................28
Chapter 3
Depositions............................................................................................................... 29
Reference.............................................................................................................. 37
Chapter 4
Other Discovery Techniques..................................................................................... 39
Chapter 5
Failure to Cooperate in Discovery............................................................................ 49
Chapter 6
Pretrial Conferences................................................................................................. 63
Part II
The Rules of Evidence
Chapter 7
Fundamental Concepts............................................................................................. 69
“Burden of Proof”................................................................................................ 69
vii
viii Contents
Burden of Persuasion....................................................................................... 69
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt....................................................................... 69
Preponderance of the Evidence.................................................................. 70
Clear and Convincing Evidence................................................................. 70
Substantial Evidence.................................................................................. 70
Who Bears the Burden............................................................................... 70
Burden of Going Forward............................................................................... 71
Presumptions................................................................................................... 71
Origins of the Law of Evidence........................................................................... 72

Weight and Admissibility..................................................................................... 72
The Fundamental Rule of Evidence..................................................................... 73
Chapter 8
Who Is an Expert and When Can One Testify......................................................... 75
References............................................................................................................ 87
Chapter 9
The Form of Questions to an Expert........................................................................ 89
Chapter 10
Tests, Experiments, and the Chain of Custody.........................................................99
Tests and Experiments.........................................................................................99
Chain of Custody............................................................................................... 102
Conclusions................................................................................................... 108
Chapter 11
Common Knowledge and Routine Practice............................................................ 111
Chapter 12
Real Evidence......................................................................................................... 113
Chapter 13
Exhibits and Demonstrations.................................................................................. 121
References.......................................................................................................... 130
Chapter 14
The Rule against Hearsay....................................................................................... 131
Chapter 15
Hearsay Exceptions I: Introduction........................................................................ 139
Contents ix
Chapter 16
Hearsay Exceptions II: Writings and Records........................................................ 143
Past Recollection Recorded, Present Recollection Revived.............................. 143
Business Records........................................................................................... 144
Government Records.......................................................................................... 151
Chapter 17
Hearsay Exceptions III: Printed Matter.................................................................. 155
Chapter 18
Hearsay Exceptions IV: Miscellaneous.................................................................. 161
Chapter 19
Best Evidence Rule................................................................................................. 165
Chapter 20
A “Real” Case......................................................................................................... 169
Part III
Suggestions and Hints for Expert Witnesses
Chapter 21
Presenting Direct Testimony................................................................................... 179
Organizing Narrative Testimony....................................................................... 179
Be a Teacher....................................................................................................... 181
Presenting the Testimony................................................................................... 183
References.......................................................................................................... 184
Chapter 22
Withstanding Cross-Examination........................................................................... 185
Reference............................................................................................................ 188
Part IV
Appendices and Case Listings
Appendix A: Extracts from the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (in

Numerical Order).................................................................................................... 191
Appendix B: Extracts from the Federal Rules of Evidence (in Numerical Order)....209
Appendix C: Table of Illustrative Cases................................................................. 223
Preface to the Fourth Edition
Since the last edition there have, again, been changes in the law, which have neces-
sitated this new edition. The issue of the discoverability of the expert’s draft reports
has been settled (in the negative) by a change to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26
discussed briefly in Chapter 2. The issue of spoliation, the destruction of evidence,
has become quite important, and a discussion of this has been added to Chapter 5
and, briefly, to Chapter 10. And in Chapter 8 the list of states that follow different
rules regarding who is an expert and whether that person’s testimony will be admit-
ted into evidence has been updated. In addition, the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure
have been reissued with new subsectioning.
I would like to thank readers of previous editions who have written me with
comments and suggestions regarding the arrangement and content of the new edi-
tion. And I particularly thank Professor Edward J. Imwinkelried of UC Davis for his
thoughtful review.
Daniel A. Bronstein
xi
Acknowledgments
Since I appear to have reached that age at which one writes books that elucidate on
the continuing themes of one’s life, the time has also arrived for me to acknowledge
those who have helped me reach this position.
For classroom training in trial law, Bernard Auerbach, John Brumbaugh,
and James McElhaney; for practical training, Paul Berman, Sigmund Levin, and
Bob Hochberg; and for restraint in advocacy, Hon. Edward Northrop—all in
Baltimore. For encouraging my switch from legal practice to teaching, Garrett

Power in Baltimore; Joe Sax, Paul Carrington, and Gordon Kane in Ann Arbor;
and Raymond Vlasin and John Cantlon in East Lansing. For personal support and
friendship when most needed, Angie and Dave Boyter, Gina Arents, Jim Durkay,
Ileana Grams, Marguerite Williams, and Ted Rosenberg in Baltimore; Peter Waight,
Frank Jackson, Gene Farber, John Freese, and Sharon and Gerry Lapkin in Ann
Arbor; and Gladys and Rupert Cutler, Don Erickson, and Karen and Eric Winston
in East Lansing.
xiii
Introduction
When I entered teaching in 1972 I knew, based on my experience as a practicing
trial lawyer, that there was a great need to familiarize professionals of all types
with the process of giving expert testimony in legal proceedings. A course on that
subject was one of the first that I developed, and I have taught it in alternate years
ever since, attracting graduate and professional students from the entire Michigan
State University campus. Starting in 1977 I also have given a two-day continuing
education version of that course at various locations around the United States and
under contract to many government agencies. This book is a revised version of the
readings assigned to the students in that course, along with some of the professorial
oral commentary. The book is divided into three major parts: procedural issues that
an expert witness might need to understand; evidentiary issues that an expert witness
might need to understand; and some hints for witnesses based on my experience as
a trial lawyer.
Unlike my previous book, Demystifying the Law, which serves as an introduction
to the legal system, Law for the Expert Witness is not discursive in nature. It deals
with technical legal issues and is filled with quotes from various legal sources, par-
ticularly the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP) and Federal Rules of Evidence
(FRE). Since rules are merely words on paper until we see how they may be applied
to real-life situations, edited versions of court decisions that show how the courts
interpret the rules are provided where appropriate.
I used FRCP since that is the model on which most states have based their pro-
cedural processes. In different states the rules are numbered differently, but the sub-
stantive content is very similar to FRCP. I used FRE because it also served as a
model for those states that have adopted rules of evidence. Even in states that do
not have rules of evidence, however, the substance and interpretation of the rules
are fundamentally the same; FRE is nothing more than a listing of the evidentiary
principles that have evolved in U.S. courts over the past 200 years.
The extracts from FRCP, FRE, and from cases decided by courts have been
edited. A standard ellipsis (…) indicates that less than a paragraph has been omit-
ted. An asterisk ellipsis (* * *) indicates that a paragraph or more has been omitted.
Footnotes that appear at the bottom of a page are those written by the court in its
opinion. Notes I provided are set at the end of the chapter.
xv
About the Author
Daniel A. Bronstein is a professor at Michigan State
University where he teaches environmental law in the
College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and
medical jurisprudence in the medical schools. He
received his bachelor of arts in biophysics from Johns
Hopkins University and his bachelor of law from the
University of Maryland. After practicing trial law

in his native Baltimore for five years, he decided to
go into teaching. He received his master of law and
doctor of jurisprudential science degrees from the
University of Michigan. He has taught at Michigan
State University since 1972.
Bronstein was editor of Impact Assessment and
Project Appraisal, the refereed journal of the Inter
national Association for Impact Assessment, from
1993 to 2000 and is currently a member of its publications committee. He is the author
of five books, eleven monographs, and numerous journal articles, and is admitted to
the practice of law in both Maryland and Michigan. He is an ex-officio member of the
council of Section K of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
and has served as chair of the Committee on Environmental Law and as a vice chair
of the Committee on Scientific Evidence of the American Bar Association.
xvii

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LAW for the

Boca Raton London New York

CRC Press is an imprint of the

© 2012 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

No claim to original U.S. Government works

International Standard Book Number-13: 978-1-4398-5157-9 (eBook - PDF)

and the CRC Press Web site at

Again, of course, to my wife, Lee, with all my love,

Origins of the Law of Evidence........................................................................... 72

Appendix A: Extracts from the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (in

Baltimore. For encouraging my switch from legal practice to teaching, Garrett

University of Maryland. After practicing trial law

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