Grooming Expert Witnesses

Los Angeles, California

Behavioral and Social Sciences, Psychology - coercive control, human trafficking, domestic violence, abuse dynamics, psychological coercion, undue influence, grooming, witness credibility, victim behavior, inconsistent statements, return to abuser, compliance under threat, exploitation, false confession, pressured statements, intimidation, fear-based compliance, manipulation

Dr. Felicia Rosario provides behavioral analysis in trafficking and abuse cases involving coercive control, psychological pressure, fear, dependency, and power imbalance. Attorneys retain her to explain how these dynamics shape disclosure, decision-making, communication, and testimony in legal settings. Her work clarifies behavior that courts and juries often misread—such as inconsistent statements, return to abusers, compliance under threat, and apparent passivity or emotional flatness—by situating it within coercive environments rather than individual pathology. She has been retained in criminal, family law, and domestic violence matters in state and federal proceedings. Dr. Rosario holds an MD from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and completed a psychiatry internship at LAC+USC Medical Center, one of the nation's busiest public psychiatric emergency systems. She is a member of Harvard Medical School's Program in Psychiatry and the Law (PIPATL), an interdis...

Manhattan Beach, California

Psychology, Psychology - coercive control, undue influence, sexual abuse, sexual consent, family abuse, psychological manipulation, grooming, sexual violence, battered women syndrome, financial abuse, coercion, intimate partner violence, parental alienation, stalking, troubled teen industry, false / coerced confession, cult, victim behavior, RICO

Jennifer works on cases of coercive control and identifies patterns of behavior designed to exploit, control, create dependency and dominate another person. This process may initially include tactics of psychological manipulation such as gaslighting and love bombing which are part of a grooming process. These patterns may include coercive control as it relates to child custody, undue influence, sexual abuse, child abuse, domestic abuse, domestic violence, financial abuse, physical abuse, human trafficking, the troubled teen industry, and deprivation of liberties. She is an expert in cults, cultic abuse, and religious and spiritual abuse from the perspective of identifying behavioral patterns and not as a means to diagnose individuals psychologically. Please note: she is not a psychotherapist. She also specializes in sexual consent, date rape, stalking, strangulation, grooming, molestation, reproductive coercion, and the capacity to consent as they relate to tactics and patterns of ...

Laguna Niguel, California

Child Abuse, School Safety - child sexual abuse, sexual assault, molestation, grooming, sexual misconduct, educator misconduct, Title IX sexual harassment, child sexual abuse prevention, best practices, boundary violations, boundary policies, mandated reporter, failure to report, school, after school, sports, reporting, youth-serving organizations, YSOs

I am an expert in child sexual abuse prevention, response, and reporting in youth-serving organizations. While organizations may not be able to stop every case of child sexual abuse within their programs, there are best practices that when followed, significantly lower the risk of abuse occurring and minimize delays in reporting. I can help by: • Identifying and evaluating valuable discovery materials including an organization’s policies, practices, documentation, and training • Assessing the strengths and weaknesses of your case by comparing those organizational materials to best practices to identify the gaps • Differentiating the failure of individual mandated reporters versus organizational failures based on that gap analysis and case materials • Identifying grooming behaviors that are cause for reasonable suspicion and reporting • Supplying best practices and relevant research to substantiate my opinion as it relates to your case • Educating the judge and jurors on grooming ...

Vernon, Connecticut

Psychology, Behavioral and Social Sciences - coercive control, domestic violence, child abuse, workplace bullying, batterers, battered women syndrome, grooming, coercion, psychological manipulation, psychological maltreatment, abuse, alienation, undue influence, consent, cults, workplace violence, hostile workplace, workplace harassment, fraud

Kate Amber MSc is a researcher, speaker, trainer, consultant and turnaround expert in coercive control and domestic abuse/violence in the contexts of family abuse, human trafficking, gangs, extremist groups, religions, workplace abuse, and psychological maltreatment. She holds post graduate certifications in violence and abuse prevention executive leadership, and coercive control, and professional certifications in human rights, ADA advocacy, the Homicide Timeline, and the Danger Assessment. Ms. Amber is trained on the Safe & Together CORE Model at the intersection of domestic violence and child abuse, and assesses cases for different types of abuse and the short and longterm risks involved for adults and children traumatized by it. Ms. Amber's Quicksand Model® of Coercive Control (QSM®) is a synthesis of 70 years of research and theory on coercive and controlling abuse of power and the trauma it causes. Ms. Amber speaks, conducts research, and trains mental health, law enforcement...

Sandpoint, Idaho

Child Abuse - Child Abuse Dynamics, Problematic sexual behaviors, Neuroscience of trauma, Sex trafficking, Disclosure Process, Child trafficking, Trauma & Memory, Counterintuitive behaviors, Grooming, Brain Process of trauma, Child sexual abuse accommodation, Long-term impacts of child, Forensic interview process

I bring 15 years of specialized experience in the child abuse field, serving as a child forensic interviewer, family advocate, consultant, trainer, educator, and conference speaker. In addition to authoring multiple publications, I have designed and managed government programs for child survivors of abuse and have conducted more than 100 direct engagements with child survivors. I provide specialized expertise on child sexual abuse and trafficking dynamics across multidisciplinary systems. With a master’s degree in forensic psychology and completing a MEd certification in the neuroscience of trauma, my expertise is anchored in both hands-on field experience and research-based education. Having delivered more than 200 presentations and trainings, 39 of them specifically on child abuse, I am highly proficient at communicating the complexities of child sexual abuse dynamics in ways that the general population can clearly understand. My areas of expertise include: Child Abuse Dynamics...

Oxford, Mississippi

School Safety, Child Abuse - sex abuse, child sexual abuse, molestation, grooming, harassment, bullying, school, church, camp, bus, afterschool, sports, olympic, mentor, scouting, coach, background check, negligent hiring, negligent supervision, negligent retention

Expert Witness At-a-Glance: • 85+ cases retained (2016–2025) • 23 depositions | 2 trials • Balanced practice: 60% plaintiff / 40% defense • Case focus: Child sexual abuse (95%); injury, death or bullying (5%) • Sectors: Religious (35%), Schools (25%), Sports (20%), Mentoring (10%), Residential care (7%) • Courts: Federal (21%) and State/Local (79%) across 20+ jurisdictions Mr. Nichols has over 30 years' experience at the national and local level involving the protection of children. In 2016 he retired as the National Vice President of Child & Club Safety, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, where he oversaw the creation of the organization's child protection program, which shaped the policies and practices of thousands of local Boys & Girls Club affiliates and helped to protect millions of children across the U.S. and overseas. Mr. Nichols is a national thought leader and has participated in numerous, national-level projects to prevent child injury in organizations, including: • U.S. P...

Greenland, New Hampshire

Education & Schools, Child Abuse - School standard of care, educator misconduct, educator sexual abuse, trusted adult misconduct, molestation, child sexual abuse, boundary violations, school investigations, student misconduct, harassment, negligent supervision, boundary violations, grooming

David Wolowitz, J.D., serves as an expert witness on the current and historical standard of care for schools and other youth-serving organizations to safeguard children from misconduct by trusted adults. He has been retained by plaintiffs and defendants on matters throughout the country in over a dozen states both a consulting and a testifying expert. In addition to being retained for current matters, Mr. Wolowitz can testify on the evolution of the standard of care for child safeguarding over the past decades. He has followed social science research and literature about the prevention of and response to child sexual abuse since the 1970s. He has been retained for multiple matters involving historical abuse claims in the 1970s and 1980s. Mr. Wolowitz has served as an expert in cases around the country involving current and past school standards of care for protecting the health and safety of students, as well as the adequacy of school policies, training, and investigations. He i...

Buffalo, New York

Education & Schools, Child Abuse - school, sexual harassment, sexual abuse, child, student, Title IX, Title 9, mandatory reporting, school liability, student sexual abuse, standard of care, sexual misconduct, grooming, standard of care, duty, sex discrimination, child sexual abuse, defense expert, plaintiff expert, negligant hiring

20+ years as Professor and Director of an Educational Leadership Ph.D./Ed.D. Program. Experienced expert. Multi-award-winning teacher. Expert on state and federal mandates in hiring, supervision, retention, and prevention of educator sexual misconduct directed toward students in schools and other settings. Retained nationwide by plaintiffs and defendants on numerous abuse claims from the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and through the present. For over two decades, taught doctoral and master’s degree students (who were K-12 superintendents, principals, teachers, coaches, counselors, and leaders of youth-serving organizations) to assess their operations, policies, and procedures in relation to mandatory reporting, federal law, other statutes, and best practices in student sexual abuse prevention. Taught Title IX (including statutes, regulations, and administrative guidelines), monitored Title IX program compliance, and was appointed by D'Youville University as a Title IX Task Force Member. W...

West Linn, Oregon

Education & Schools, School Safety - Standard of Care in Schools, Bullying, Educator Misconduct, Title IX, Sexual Abuse, Mandatory Reporting, Grooming, Student Conduct, Special Education, Campus Supervision, Campus Safety, Hazing, Bus safety, School-Based Mental Health Service, Harassment, Educational Records, Abuse & Neglect, Gifted Education, Restraint & Seclusion

Superintendent | School Safety & Policy Expert | Expert Witness Providing expert witness services from case inception through resolution across the United States and Canada. Determining the merit of a case, assisting with deposition focus and questioning, conducting file and deposition review and analysis, providing expert reports, and offering testimony at deposition and trial are some of the services provided. Providing quality comprehensive services for plaintiff and defendant attorneys in high-profile and complicated cases. With 33+ years leading in K-12 education, Dr. Mann has overseen district operations in urban, suburban, and rural communities. Since 2012, he has served as Superintendent of Schools. With expertise in strategic planning, governance, and the development of safe and effective learning environments. Dr. Mann holds a Doctorate in Education (D.Ed.) from the University of Oregon, and has backg...