Bar Exam Toolbox Podcast Episode 182: Listen and Learn -- Policy Exclusions (Evidence)
Law School Toolbox Podcast Episode 281: Listen and Learn -- Character Evidence
Bar Exam Toolbox Podcast Episode 121: Listen and Learn -- Character Evidence
Law School Toolbox Podcast Episode 259: Listen and Learn -- Relevance in Evidence
Identifying junk science is merely the first step of the battle when considering argument approach and courtroom strategy. With this in mind, the main goals are to keep junk science out of the courtroom and, of course, win...more
In Wings Platinum, LLC v. Westchester Surplus Lines Ins. Co., No. 3:23-CV-2145-D, 2025 WL 391388 (N.D. Tex. Feb. 4, 2025), a federal district court recently held that an engineer with one year and one month of experience...more
The plaintiff, Whitney Rich, on behalf of C.W., brought this action after her young infant, C.W., suffered severe burns from a bathtub in their rental property. The plaintiff alleged that the landlord, Marilyn L. Dennison...more
Expert witnesses can be critical to defending a tax position—but what happens when an expert must maintain confidentiality over information that is important to their analysis? Preserving this confidentiality while ensuring a...more
New Amendment Reiterates and Reinforces the Existing Standard for Admissibility of Expert Testimony - On December 1, 2023, the United States Supreme Court adopted the Rules Committee’s proposed Amendment to the Federal...more
As patent practitioners know, Daubert motions can be some of the most hotly contested and pivotal motions in the life of a patent case. These motions are used to exclude testimony from an opponent's expert witness, usually on...more
It has now been over six months since the amendment to Federal Rule of Evidence 702 regarding the admissibility of expert testimony went into effect on Dec. 1, 2023....more
When tasked with assessing the admissibility of expert testimony under Federal Rule of Evidence 702, courts often cite the so-called Daubert factors as criteria that guide the inquiry. Among those factors is “whether the...more
If you know, you know. The government’s less familiar version — if most know, the defendant knows — just got a boost from the Supreme Court of the United States, which recently held that Federal Rule of Evidence 704(b) did...more
In criminal cases, oftentimes the most significant element in dispute is whether the defendant harbored the intent to “knowingly” or “willfully” violate the criminal law at issue. If the defendant denies that he knew what he...more
Federal Rule of Evidence 704(b) provides that experts in criminal cases cannot state an opinion about the defendant’s mens rea. That is, the expert must not state an opinion about “whether the defendant did or did not have a...more
With a significant mass of cases left to decide and only a few weeks to issue the opinions, the U.S. Supreme Court has reduced the backlog by four yesterday. None of them, however, resolves the future of Chevron deference or...more
On June 20, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Diaz v. United States, No. 23-14, holding an expert’s opinion that “most people” in the defendant’s situation have a particular mental state is not an inadmissible opinion...more
In December of 2023, Federal Rule of Evidence 702 was amended. This provision is commonly known as the Daubert standard. The Advisory Comments state the amendment is only intended to clarify the standard and promote...more
The federal rule of evidence governing expert testimony — Rule 702 — just saw its most significant change in almost 25 years. The new Rule 702, which went into effect Dec. 1, 2023, gives litigants important new tools for...more
Sixth Circuit Rejects Overly Ambitious PFAS Class Action - Hardwick v. 3M Co. (In re E.I. du Pont de Nemours), No. 22-3765, 87 F.4th 315 (6th Cir. Nov. 27, 2023) - The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit...more
On December 1, 2023, Federal Rule of Evidence 702 was amended to “clarify and emphasize” that, before expert witness testimony can be admitted, the proponent must satisfy all the rule’s requirements by a preponderance of the...more
There is an adage that lawyers learn the version of the rules of evidence and procedure that are current when they are in law school and then do not look at them again. While that is (hopefully) an exaggeration, it is always...more
Recent Amendments to the Rules Governing Admissibility of Expert Testimony in Federal Rule of Evidence 702 - In litigation, everything ultimately boils down to proof; that is, how the parties prove their claims and defenses....more
Last year, we previewed impending changes to the federal rule that governs the admissibility of expert testimony: Federal Rule of Evidence (FRE) 702. Since our last blog post on this topic, Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court...more
Rule 702 of the Federal Rules of Evidence governs expert witness testimony in federal courts. On April 24, 2023, the United States Supreme Court approved an amendment to Rule 702 (the “Amendment”), which will go into effect...more
On June 7, 2022, the Judicial Conference Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure approved amendments to several of the Federal Rules of Evidence—including Rule 702, which governs the admissibility of expert witness...more
On December 1, 2023, Federal Rule of Evidence (“FRE”) 702 will be amended, following the Supreme Court’s adoption of the amendment earlier this year. FRE 702 governs the admission of expert testimony in the federal courts,...more
Federal Rule of Evidence (FRE) 702, which governs expert testimony in federal court, is getting a facelift. The amended FRE 702 goes into effect later this year. In this Update, we review what has changed, as well as...more
Though the pending amendments to Federal Rule of Evidence 702 have not taken effect officially yet, courts already have begun to cite them. Early signs indicate the potential that, consistent with the comments by the Advisory...more