Expert challenges in workers comp

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Transcript of Expert challenges in workers comp

If It Walks Like a Duck, and Talks Like a Duck,

It’s Probably a ...

Dealing With the Carrier’s Experts on Judicial Review

Who Am I and Why Am I Here?

I am John

Lubbock

I Used To Practice Here

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Most of my practice is here

Austin

Pretrial Issues in Judicial Review

Pretrial Issues

Jurisdiction

Venue

Discovery

Motions to Compel

Motions for Summary Judgment

Important Issues

EXPERT WITNESS

TEX.R.EVID. 702Scientific

TEX.R.EVID. 702Technical

TEX.R.EVID. 702Specialized Knowledge

TEX.R.EVID. 702Understand the Evidence

TEX.R.EVID. 702Determine a Fact in Issue

TEX.R.EVID. 702Witness

TEX.R.EVID. 702Qualified

TEX.R.EVID. 702Knowledge

TEX.R.EVID. 702Skill

TEX.R.EVID. 702Experience

TEX.R.EVID. 702Training

TEX.R.EVID. 702Education

TEX.R.EVID. 702May Testify

Daubert

Robinson

RobinsonCore Holding

Gatekeeper

Qualified

Relevant

Reliable

Relevant

“A jury more readily accepts the opinion of an

expert witness as true simply because of his or her

designation as an expert”

Robinson

Reliable

Six Factor Test

Robinson

•The extent to which the theory has been or can be tested

Robinson•The extent to

which the technique relies upon the subjective interpretation of the expert

Robinson

•Whether the theory has been subjected to peer review and/or publication

Robinson

•The technique’s potential rate of error

Robinson•Whether the

underlying theory or technique has been generally accepted as valid by the relevant scientific

Robinson

•The non-judicial uses which have been made of the theory or technique

•“Trial courts may consider other factors which are helpful to determining the reliability of scientific evidence”

Robinson

Burden

Relevant

Reliable

Proponent

Question?

EXPERT WITNESS

scientific evidence

Answer

Gammill

Reliable

Relevant

EXPERT WITNESS

Six Factor Test

Six Factor Test

Gammill

Nothing requires a court to admit evidence which is

connected to existing data only by the ipse dixit of the

expert

Gammill

Analytical Gap

Practical Advice

Excluding Experts

Wrong Specialty•Broders v. Heise

“Given the increasingly specialized and technical nature of medicine, there is no validity, if there ever was, to the notion that every licensed medical doctor should be automatically qualified to testify as an expert on every medical question.”

Missing Key Facts

•Borg-Warner v. Flores“the record reveals nothing about how much asbestos [plaintiff] might have inhaled.”

Unsupported Jump

“If skill and experience were all Rule 702 required,

merely establishing the witness’s qualifications

would show the relevance and reliability of the

testimony every time.” Gammill at 722

Using Post-Hoc Reasoning

•Havner

Using Wrong Facts

•Havner

Fails to Rule Out Alternative Causes

•Robinson

Besides Robinson Challenges

Reports

Reports

“Elicited by an outside interested source”

Freeman v. American Motorist

Reports

“Elicited by an outside interested source”

Freeman v. American Motorist

Where to Find Dirt

Websites•American Academy of Orthopaedic

Surgeons

•American Academy of Pain Medicine

•American Board of Internal Medicine

•American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology

you may not know...

radiologists

should not wear white coats

when reading films

Doctor, I notice..

white coat

Do you ALWAYS

white coat

Websites•American Academy of Orthopaedic

Surgeons

•American Academy of Pain Medicine

•American Board of Internal Medicine

•American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology

Websites

•Trialsmith

Websites

•Trialsmith

Websites

“Herniations are Degenerative”

Websites

http://delicious.com/txworkerscomp

If you want to practice here

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EXPERT WITNESS

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Contacting John

jgibson@gibsoncarver.com