John D. North, Chair of the firm’s Litigation Department, will be on the faculty for the seminar “Current Developments on the Admissibility of Expert Testimony in New Jersey: Daubert, In Re Accutane, Townsend v. Pierre and Beyond,” on Thursday, February 21, 2019. The program will be held at the Wilshire Grand in West Orange from 4:30pm – 8:05pm (ET), and will be presented by the New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education (NJICLE).
The New Jersey Supreme Court’s recent opinion in In Re Accutane is one of the most important evidence opinions by New Jersey Court in years. The case reviewed the standards for admissibility of expert testimony under New Jersey Law, and held that the US Supreme Court opinion in Daubert v Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is to guide the determination as to the reliability and admissibility of expert scientific testimony.
At this program, David R. Kott, Esq., will introduce a discussion of In Re Accutane, and its implications for New Jersey practitioners. In addition to Mr. North, the program panel features Justice Jaynee LaVecchia, who delivered the opinion in the case and Edward J. Fanning, Jr., Esq., and Bruce Greenberg, Esq., who sat on opposite sides of the case.
A review of the latest developments on the admissibility of expert testimony in New Jersey will include:
- A review of case law leading up to In Re Accutane - Daubert, Kumho, Tire, Hisenaj
- In Re Accutane - What did the Court hold? How does the holding change New Jersey law?
- What are the practical implications of the decision?
- Point-counter-point: what the decision means for defendants and what it means for plaintiffs
- Does the holding apply to all cases, or only cases with complex scientific or medical issues?
- Ethical implications when dealing with experts
Mr. North is Chair of the firm’s Litigation Department, where his practice emphasizes trial practice. He has tried jury and non-jury cases in state and federal courts, including over 75 jury cases to verdict. He is certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Civil Trial Attorney and is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. Mr. North’s practice concentrates in commercial and banking litigation, particularly in matters involving negotiable instruments and financial fraud. He is the author of the evidence treatise A Trial Lawyer’s Strategic Guide to the New Jersey Rules of Evidence, and is the only New Jersey lawyer selected as a principal author of Business and Commercial Litigation in Federal Courts, contributing the chapter in the treatise devoted to Medical Malpractice.
Additional program information and registration details at: Current Developments on the Admissibility of Expert Testimony in New Jersey