Title

Kumho Tire Co., Ltd. v. Carmichael

UMMS Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry

Publication Date

1999-09-06

Document Type

Article

Subjects

Accidents, Traffic; Equipment Failure; Expert Testimony; Humans; *Liability, Legal; Reproducibility of Results; United States

Disciplines

Health Services Research | Law | Mental and Social Health | Psychiatric and Mental Health | Psychiatry | Psychiatry and Psychology

Abstract

The U.S. Supreme Court considered an appeal by the defendant, Kumho Tire, in a products liability action. The appeal resulted from a ruling by the Court of Appeals in the Eleventh Circuit that overturned the district court's exclusion of expert testimony. The plaintiff's expert had sought to testify regarding the reasons for a tire failure and blowout. The subsequent accident resulted in personal injury and the death of a passenger in the plaintiff's vehicle. The Supreme Court held that expert testimony, whether based on professional studies or on personal experience, is subject to the same standard of scrutiny for relevancy and reliability. This decision resolved a conflict that had arisen among the circuit courts of appeal with respect to this issue. The article first outlines the Court's decision, then considers the implication the decision has for the admissibility of expert opinion testimony in future cases.

Source

J Am Acad Psychiatry Law. 1999;27(3):482-8.

Journal/Book/Conference Title

The journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law

Related Resources

Link to Article in PubMed

Link to Full Text

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