Indiana Injury Lawyer Blog
Many personal injury cases require the testimony of at least one expert witness. Expert witnesses are used to establish certain facts that are beyond the common knowledge of lay witnesses. For example, in medical malpractice cases, expert witnesses are commonly used to explain to the jury what the standard procedures are in certain medical situations.
The selection of an expert witness is critical for several reasons. First, a selected expert should appear credible to both the judge and the jury, rather than looking like a “hired gun.” After all, many personal injury cases come down to a “battle of the experts,” in which each side has competing experts offering diametrically opposed opinions on the same subject. Second, an attorney should have a fairly good idea of what an expert’s opinion will be before retaining that expert. A party’s failure to know what an expert’s opinion will likely be can result in wasted time and expense. Furthermore, as a recent case indicates, careless expert selection can potentially provide favorable evidence to the opposing party.
Malashock v. Jamison: The Defendant Seeks to Depose the Plaintiff’s Unused Expert
Malashock was injured in an accident involving the utility vehicle he was operating. He filed a personal injury lawsuit against the company that sold him the vehicle. Before the trial began, Malashock identified several expert witnesses by name and indicated the subject of their testimony. At no point was any of the experts’ reports provided to the defense.