Expert Witnesses/Testimony

In Kearney v Papish, 2016 NY Slip Op 00697 (App. Div. 2nd Dept. Feb. 3, 2016), a medical malpractice action, the court affirmed the denial of a motion to set aside a defense verdict. This decision is instructive as to when an expert has deemed material “authoritative” such that they may be confronted with it on…

Read More Medical Text Properly Used During Cross-Examination; Court Rejects Purported “Semantic Trick” as to the “Authoritative” Status of Work
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Governor Cuomo recently signed into law A6265/S5188, which amends N.Y. C.P.L.R. 3212 – the statute that governs summary judgment – with respect to the use of expert affidavits. The statute now reads, with new text bolded: (b) Supporting proof; grounds; relief to either party. A motion for summary judgment shall be supported by affidavit, by a…

Read More CPLR Amended to Expand Use of Expert Affidavits on Summary Judgment Motions
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In Ashton v. EQR Riverside A, LLC, 2015 NY Slip Op 07916 (Oct. 29, 2015), the court affirmed the dismissal of plaintiff’s trip-and-fall case. This case, like many premises liability cases, turned on the critical issue of “notice”. From the decision: It was undisputed that defendants did not have actual or constructive notice of the height differential…

Read More Trip/Fall Case Properly Dismissed; Expert’s Conclusion Was “Speculative”
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In Dosanjh v. Satori Laser Ctr. Corp. (App. Div. 1st Dept. Apr. 16, 2015) – a personal injury case arising from burns sustained by the plaintiff during a laser hair removal procedure – the court discussed the limitations on the doctrine of “res ipsa loquitur” in a negligence case. The court unanimously reversed the Supreme Court’s…

Read More Expert Testimony Required to Prove Negligence in Laser Hair Removal Injury Case, Court Holds
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Did a car accident cause plaintiff’s stroke? That is the question recently addressed by the First Department in Sadek v. Wesley. The court reversed a trial court ruling precluding plaintiff’s neurological experts from testifying and dismissing plaintiff’s complaint. This motor vehicle accident case arose from a collision between a limousine driven by plaintiff Sadek and a Greyhound…

Read More First Department Reverses Decision Precluding Expert Testimony on Causation and Condemns “Ambush” Trial Motion Practice
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In Kemp v. CSX Transp., Inc., the Northern District of New York recently denied defendant’s motion for summary judgment on plaintiffs’ racially hostile work environment and disparate treatment claims. As to plaintiffs’ hostile work environment claims, the court held: Plaintiffs allege that they were subjected to vulgar racial language throughout their employment and often viewed…

Read More Citing “Vulgar Racial Language” and More Lenient Treatment of White Employees, Court Denies Summary Judgment on Plaintiff’s Race Discrimination and Hostile Work Environment Claims
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In a recent rear-end collision case, Neat v. Pfeffer, Supreme Court, New York County (Judge Bluth) allowed defendant’s expert Dr. Fijan, a biomechanical engineer, to testify “as to the forces involved in the accident” but not “as to whether those forces could have caused plaintiff’s injuries.” The court reached this determination following a so-called Frye hearing to…

Read More Biomechanical Expert Permitted to Testify as to Forces, But Not Injuries
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