Design error in a lumber mill control system:
A case where an electrician had designed a system to control motors on a lumber mill debarking machine that ultimately resulted in the death of two workers. One evening the debarking drum jammed and the two workers, without locking out the electrical power, entered the drum to clear the problem. While jumping up and down on the stalled drum it, seemingly on its own volition, began rotating killing both workers. I determined that the proximate cause of the accident was that the motor control electronics sensed the drum being jerked, thought the drum was rotating and, as programmed, commanded the drum to continue rotation.
Patent infringement of medical device:
This case involved a patented medical device that an infringer had replicated in such minute and esoteric detail that after illustration it was intuitively obvious to the jury the defendant was infringing.
Eight color printing press installation wiring error:
An eight color electronically controlled printing press primary power was incorrectly wired and the plaintiff claimed it permanently destroyed all the computers and electronics that were controlling the press. As the defendant’s expert I found that this was not the case because all electronics and computers were protected by uninterruptible (UPS) power supplies that electrically isolated the equipment. When I enlightened the plaintiff’s expert with this he agreed with my analysis and the case was settled.
Motorcycle electric shock:
This was a matter where the plaintiff claimed she received a severe electric shock while wearing an electrically heated vest. After I demonstrated and testified that the vest could not have caused the electric shock because the magnitude of the voltage was insufficient to cause the claimed injury the case was dismissed in favor of the defendant.
Fraudulent claim for loss of photographs:
This matter involved a photographer claiming that he lost photographs, worth some $100,000, that were stored in his computer because the defendant had erased them when up-dating his software. After recovering, in the presence of the plaintiff’s attorney, some incriminating files on his computer that the plaintiff though he had erased the plaintiff settled the case for $500.00
Theft of intellectual property:
A plaintiff claimed that he had invented and drafted, without recognition, major assemblies of a patented scanning electron microscope (SEM) that he believed would have $100,000,000 in annual sales. After reviewing the available technical documentation the plaintiff supplied and comparing it to the patents issued to the company it was determined that his work had nothing to do with the development or patents. The plaintiff was negotiating with my client, a law firm, to take the case on a contingency basis and as a result of my investigation, the firm, decided not to take the case.
Software patent infringement:
A well known software development company was suspected of copying computer code from a small desktop publishing company and plaintiff’s counsel retained several computer programmers to investigate, clarify, and explain what was copied. After the programmers had completed their investigation counsel felt their explanation was so technical that a jury would be unable to make an informed judgment. I was retained to translate the jargon into something counsel could present to the jury that was comprehensive, informative, and understandable to someone who didn’t write, or understand, computer code. I had two computer displays put side by side with one display showing the infringers presentation that had errors and the other display showing the plaintiff’s presentation with the same errors. I then had each error highlighted, photographed, and made into posters. It was then easy for counsel, the jury, and the judge to see that it was highly unlikely that the infringer would make identical errors in their presentations and therefore must have copied the plaintiff’s code.
Tampering of transportation system:
This case involved a major metropolitan city’s light rail transportation system that was being converted from a manual operation to a computer controlled system. For some unknown reason the system was constantly failing while under construction so the plaintiff hired a well-known forensic consulting firm to investigate the cause or causes. After the firm’s investigation they concluded, without any scientific evidence, that the root cause of the problem was due to improper electrical grounding. I was retained by the design firm’s counsel for defense to investigate the matter. I performed an analysis and found that the equipment was being destroyed by electrostatic fields that were breaking down the solid state electronics devices. This was collaborated by independent testing organizations as characteristic of this type of failure as it leaves a signature, analogous to fingerprints or DNA. To prove my suspicion that this was caused by tampering I had security camera’s installed to monitor the facilities and equipment. Immediately after installation the failures disappeared and never reoccurred.
