How Expert Witnesses Are Involved in Lawsuits

Watch CSI, Law and Order and the other police dramas on television and you'll never really see an expert testify in a case. In truth, expert witnesses often play a critical part in the outcome of trials.

Nothing is simple these days and the same thing goes for trials. At first glance, a trial is just two parties arguing about different viewpoints of facts as they apply to a law. The problem, of course, is what happens when things get complex.

The world is so complex that nobody can understand everything. This can be particularly true on a jury. Expert witnesses have the role of making the complicated simple for a jury. Consider the following.

Let's assume we have a case involving a traffic accident. The sides might argue who was at fault. Experts might be called to testify in regard to the speed of the cars at the time of the accident, which had right of way and so on.

As we've all seen on television, experts play an important role in criminal cases. They testify regarding evidence and what it shows. The classic example is DNA evidence wherein the identity of a person is associated with the evidence offered.

While experts play critical roles in lawsuits of all types, they don't always have the impact you might expect. Why? Well, experts tend to cancel each other out if lawyers aren't careful. One case in particular showed how this can happen.

The Simpson criminal trial for double homicide gripped the nation. Prosecution experts testified the defendant's DNA was on evidence. Defense experts claimed it was dubious. The gloves were too tight and the jurors said not guilty.

Contrasting opinions from experts really doesn't serve the initial reason for having experts. If opposing experts are giving opposite views, does it really help jurors figure out a complex subject? One would think not.

The role played by an expert in a trial is still critical even where the testimony of multiple experts may confuse things a bit. Some issues are simply to complex to address in any other way.

Article Source: http://www.articleselections.com

Anthony Armand writes about psychiatric expert witness issues for PsychiatricExpertWitness.com.

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