Major Lessons for Experts
| Potential danger | Cases | Lesson for expert |
|---|---|---|
| Usurping the role of fact finder | R. v. Mohan4 | Admitted evidence must be relevant and necessary, come from a properly qualified expert, and not be subject to an exclusionary rule. |
| Bringing in nonvalidated novel science | R. v. J.-L.J.5 | Theories that are novel science undergo special scrutiny; they must be tested, subjected to peer review, have known error rates and standards, and have general acceptance. |
| Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals1 | ||
| Hearsay being used by experts | R. v. Abbey6 | Experts can use hearsay and other information not in evidence, but the fact-finder decides the weight of the opinion and whether the information used is valid. |
| R. v. Lavallee7 | ||
| Reviewing reports with lawyers | Moore v. Getahun8 | It is acceptable to review reports with lawyers and make edits, but the expert must still be fair, objective and non-partisan. |
| Reports entered into proceedings as an aide memoire but not as evidence | Moore v. Getahun8 | Information that is not put into evidence cannot be considered. |
| Being in a dual role | Westerhof v. Gee Estate15 | Expert opinions can come from different types of experts: Participant experts are treating physicians. Non-party experts are independent evaluators seeing the evaluee for purposes other than the litigation. Litigant experts are independent evaluators seeing the evaluee for the litigation. |
| Addressing bias | Westerhof v. Gee Estate15 | The courts are very concerned with bias: There is risk of advocating for the party who hired the expert. Special care must be taken to admit only unbiased evidence. Experts must strive to provide evidence that is fair, objective, and nonpartisan, although it need not necessarily be seen to be impartial. Past bias can potentially taint an expert's credibility. |
| White Burgess Langille Inman v. Abbott and Haliburton Co.17 | ||
| Daggitt v. Campbell16 | ||
| Ghost writing | Kushnir v. Macari19 | Experts should strive to write all portions of their reports and not employ ghost writers. |
| Charging of cancellation fees | Kushnir v. Macari19 | Experts should charge reasonable fees for cancelled appointments. |