Construction Law

When Would I Need an Expert Witness in a Construction Law Case?

A lot of construction cases go through the court system without needing any additional expert witnesses to help. However, there are some instances where having access to an expert witness can provide the judge and jury with a clearer understanding of something. This can also help to clear your company’s name and to end the case in your favor. Below, we’ve provided a comprehensive list of some instances where it would be beneficial to have an expert witness in a construction law case. Should you have any further questions regarding when it may be beneficial to have an expert witness in your case, contact one of the Chattanooga construction attorneys from Cotney Attorneys & Consultants.

Architectural Expertise

Having an architect serve as an expert witness can help to lend testimony to the design and architecture in the event that you have a workmanship dispute case. This can either clarify that it wasn’t the construction itself that was a problem or that it was the designs created by the architect on the project that caused the problem. As a construction company, you are not expected to also offer architecture and interior design services unless this is a service that you advertise.

Workmanship Expertise

Having another construction expert provide feedback on the quality of your construction company’s workmanship can help to establish that the workmanship is not to blame for the defect or issue. This can serve as an independent review of your work. Most judges and juries don’t have a thorough understanding of what constitutes good workmanship and what doesn’t, and an expert witness can help to clarify this.

Earth Movement Expertise

Sometimes, changes in the earth’s composition or movement can cause cracks in walls or the foundation to appear that are not the result of your construction work or workmanship but rather something that happened naturally as a result of either earth movement or changes that impacted the work. Thus, an expert witness in this subject area can prove beneficial in the case of alleged construction defects.

Product Liability Expertise

An expert witness in product liability can provide testimony about poorly made or construction products that you used in a construction project that was not the fault of the construction team. For example, if you used a reputable brand of anchors or screws in your construction project and they failed, it might have been faulty anchors or screws and not the skills that were applied. A product liability expert can lend their expertise to what happened. Depending on your specific construction law case, you may or may not need expert witnesses to help with your case. If you have questions about expert witnesses in construction law cases, contact our team of Chattanooga construction lawyers from Cotney Attorneys & Consultants.

If you would like to speak with one of our Chattanooga construction attorneys, please contact us today.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for general educational information only. This information does not constitute legal advice, is not intended to constitute legal advice, nor should it be relied upon as legal advice for your specific factual pattern or situation.