Sports Expert Witnesses

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

I am an expert in child sexual abuse prevention 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 behaviors and boundaries ...

Goleta, California

Biomechanics, Automotive - pregnancy, eye injury, fetus injury, seat belts, slip trip & fall, brain injury, biomechanics, injury, mechanism, airbag, EDR, event data recorder, accident reconstruction, NASS, CDS, CISS, kinesiology, sports

Adam Goodworth, PhD, PE, is a biomechanics specialist providing expert opinions on • Claimed Injuries and injury mechanisms • Vehicle Occupant Kinematics • Event Data Recorder (EDR) • Work and Recreation Accidents (eg, slip, trip, falls) • Seat Belt Function • Fetus injuries Dr. Goodworth is a Professional Engineer in California (# M40242), an ACTAR Accredited Traffic Accident Reconstructionist (# 2225), trained in EDR interpretation (“black box”), and active in research of restraint systems and occupant kinematics. Dr. Goodworth can perform vehicle Inspections and site investigations in California and across the US. Dr. Goodworth has been a Professor for over 13 years. Currently, a full tenured Professor at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA, Dr. Goodworth has over 50 peer-reviewed journal and conference publications. His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and Department of Defense. His teaching includes Biomechanic...

San Ramon, California

Hand Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery - Carpal tunnel, cubital tunnel, Dupuytren’s fasciectomy/apponeurotomy/Xiaflex, DeQuervain’s, trigger finger, masses/cysts, fractures, arthritis, sports, PRP injection, joint replacement, LRTI, arthroscopy, tendon repair, tendonitis, nerve repair, non operative, tennis/golfer's elbow, microscope

Dr. Laura Sonoda is a board-certified Orthopaedic surgeon with subspecialty training in hand and upper extremity surgery. In addition to her practice, Dr. Sonoda has been involved in depositions and IMEs. She also boasts several publications describing novel techniques, clinical review, and cadaver anatomical biomechanical studies. Dr. Sonoda completed her fellowship in Sacramento at UC Davis, her orthopedic surgery residency in Orange, CA at UC Irvine, and her medical school training at USC Keck School of Medicine. She also spent a year in New Orleans obtaining a Masters in Public Health degree with emphasis in epidemiology at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. Dr. Sonoda was raised in the East SF Bay Area, and is happy to return to the area to raise her family. During childhood, she trained as a competitive gymnast and maintains an understanding of the mindset of an athlete. During her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family, working out ...

Atlanta, Georgia

Foot & Ankle Surgery, Podiatry - adult foot and ankle problems including fractures, foot and ankle sprains, foot and ankle trauma, foot and ankle arthritis, sports, foot and ankle congenital deformities, foot and ankle reconstructive surgery, foot and ankle infection, musculoskeletal infections

Dr. Spiegl received his orthopaedic training at Duke. Residency was followed by a fellowship training in foot and ankle at the Mayo Clinic, He was the first foot and ankle fellowship trained orthopaedic surgeon in Georgia when he began his practice in 1983. This gave him the opportunity to evaluate and/or treat a wide range of unusual and complicated foot and ankle conditions. He practiced on the campus of Emory Saint Joseph's Hospital for 41 years, so he has had personal long-term follow-up of the patients for whom he has provided care. Dr. Spiegl obtained his American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery certification in 1986. He re-certified in 1996, 2006 and 2016 and he is on track to recertify in 2025 so that he will be board certified to December 31, 2036. He intends to continue active clinical and surgical practice to 2028. Musculoskeletal infections are a second area of interest. Dr. Spiegl is member of 3 international organizations that are by invitation only. These are the M...

Warsaw, Indiana

Biomechanics, Medical Devices - Occupant Motion, Injury Biomechanics, Orthopedics, Medical Product Liability, Duties of Manufacturer, Design, Testing, Manufacturing, Warnings, Instructions for Use, Injury Event Reconstruction, Failure Analysis, Injury Pattern, Soft Tissue Injury, Low Speed Collisions, Falls, Impacts, Sports

Licensed Professional Engineer Medical Device Design & Development  38+ years orthopaedic device development  12 patents Testified in State and Federal Courts , Injury Biomechanics and Medical Device Litigation  20+ trials  100+ depositions 38 years of experience in the biomechanics and orthopedics fields, 16 years forensic case analyses. I routinely deal with forces that are applied to the human body during many activities, including impact and injury scenarios. To assure the safety and efficacy of new medical devices, we define clinically relevant performance requirements for their installation and use, and then test to define the product specific performance characteristics. The physical principles and methods used in orthopedic biomechanics are the same as those used to reconstruct injury events. I am familiar with forces and loads applied to the hips, knees, wrist, shoulder, head, neck, lower back and skeleton in many typical activities, including sitting, walking, jumpin...

Oxford, Mississippi

School Safety, Premises Liability - 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

Mr. Nichols has over 30 years’ experience at the national and local level involving the protection of children. Since 2016, he has served as an expert witness for plaintiff or defense in cases involving sex abuse and other types of harm to youth in schools, churches, camps, sports, buses, mentoring, scouting and afterschool programs. Examples from past cases include: • Afterschool program director molests teen girl • Scoutmaster molests boy • Adult mentor molests boy • Female school counselor molests boy • School assistant molests special needs girl • Karate club coach molests multiple teen girls • Swimming coach molests teen girl • High school golf instructor molests female student • Volunteer youth baseball coach molests multiple boys • Tennis instructor molests young girls • Male students molest special needs girl during school • Male student molests special needs girl on institutional van • School bus supervisor molests boy on bus • Boy molests girl on church van • Church volun...

Baptistown, New Jersey

Athletics & Recreation, Premises Liability - Sports, Fields, Athletic Fields, Sports Field Injuries, Athletic Field Injuries, Synthetic Turf, Artificial Turf, Natural Turf, Natural Grass, Sports Facilities, Athletic Facilities, Premises

Certified Sports Field Manager Sports field injuries can prove costly for both athletes and field owners. Scott Bills uses his experience and professional expertise to provide expert testimony in cases involving sports field-related injuries. Scott Bills is available to provide professional and expert investigation, site evaluation, safety assessment and testimony for plaintiff and defendant cases. Scott’s experience spans 30 years; he has worked with natural and synthetic athletic fields, park and recreation complexes, golf courses, premises, landscapes, and arboriculture. The scope of Scott’s expertise ranges from field evaluation to preparation of written reports and depositions for plaintiff and defendant sports field injury cases. Scott has opined on cases related to: *contract disputes *head injuries, *broken bones, *dislocations, tears, and sprains (knees, shoulders, ankles, wrists), *rotator cuff injuries, *growth plate injuries, *MRSA infection, and *permanent eye damage. ...

Greensboro, North Carolina

Athletics & Recreation, Risk Management - Health clubs, fitness studios, college athletics, gyms, high school athletics, minor league sports, professional sports, emergency plans, stadiums, sports, gymnastics facilities, AED use and placement

- Founder and President of The Sport Management Group, Inc. (SMG), a national risk management company specializing in the athletic and fitness industries. SMG is currently in its 29th year of service. - Has personally performed over 3,500 safety audits on athletic and fitness facilities for his company, the Sport Management Group. - SMG has performed over 14,000 risk assessments nationwide. - Has been retained as an expert witness in over 30 cases nationwide. - Reviews and develops risk management strategies for the Atlantic Coast Conference and its member institutions. - Wrote “Fitness Center Safety” chapter in Risk Management in Sport, Second Edition, edited by Herb Appenzeller. - Has written a bi-monthly risk management column for Fitness Management Magazine. - Authored various safety manuals and training programs designed for athletic directors, health club owners and managers. - Created and currently maintains a website, www.clubsafety.com, a 24-hour resource for facility ...