Construction
Expert Witness Report
Washington
Can an expert witness report be used as evidence in a court case?
I am currently involved in a legal dispute where I believe an expert witness report would be crucial in supporting my case. The report, prepared by a qualified professional in the field relevant to the dispute, thoroughly examines the technical aspects and provides an unbiased opinion based on their expertise. I am wondering if this report can be admitted as evidence in court, and if so, what are the requirements and potential challenges associated with its admissibility?
1 Attorney answer
Answer
Construction
Washington
Merry A.
ContractsCounsel verified
Speaking generally, to make the report admissible, you would need to call the expert as a witness and first establish his or her as an expert, and then also argue regarding why the report should be accepted as evidence. Among other things, this means you will be paying the expert to appear in court, and establishing the expert as an expert can take hours and hours if the other side decides to challenge the expert's expertise and challenge the validity of the content of the report. Moreover, the other side will probably call at least one expert of their own to challenge your expert and the expert's report. In most law schools, students must take a year-long class on evidence; this is not a topic easily or quickly learned, but there are some legal encyclopedias, hornbooks, and other guides you may want to consult if you are representing yourself. Please note I am picking a "practice area" at random in answering your question for CC since "trial practice" or "evidence" are not listed choices.