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Battle of the Experts: Second DCA Affirms Defense Verdict & Exclusion of Plaintiff’s Expert’s Testimony

Sharon Degnan, of our Orlando office, obtained an affirmance in Branch v. Rodrigues, 336 So. 3d 722 (Fla. 2d DCA 2022).  The case involved a relatively minor accident where the plaintiff, a garage door installer who frequently had to strain his arms and neck in his job, reported that he injured his arms and neck in the accident. Stefanie D. Capps, of our Ft. Myers office, tried the case originally, obtaining a total defense verdict and was also successful in securing orders to exclude the plaintiff’s biomechanical/accident reconstruction expert from testifying at trial and permitting the defendant’s biomechanical/accident reconstruction experts to testify. The plaintiff appealed, arguing that the trial court erred in striking his expert and in allowing ours to testify and further argued that our experts’ testimony improperly pyramided inferences.  Sharon highlighted the fact that the plaintiff’s biomechanical expert used an unreliable methodology and lacked familiarity with the simulation software discussed in his report.  She also laid out the incredibly detailed, step-by-step analysis used by the defense experts and explained that not only were they qualified to testify, their methodology was reliable and did not improperly stack inferences.  The Second District Court agreed.

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