In re Manhattan By Sail, Inc.
In damages case involving unique ship for which there was no active market, court says parties’ experts provided some data points relevant to valuing ship but failed to give adequate explanations of rationales and calculations, making testimony unreliable; court performs its own analysis.
Manichaean Capital, LLC v. SourceHOV Holdings, Inc.
In appraisal proceeding, Court of Chancery adopts petitioner expert’s DCF-based model for calculating fair value, making slight adjustment to expert’s size premium; on beta calculation, court finds respondent expert’s novel approach “does not survive judicial scrutiny” and raises Daubert issues.
Novel Beta Method Occasions Rebuke From Court of Chancery in Appraisal Case
In appraisal proceeding, Court of Chancery adopts petitioner expert’s DCF-based model for calculating fair value, making slight adjustment to expert’s size premium; on beta calculation, court finds respondent expert’s novel approach “does not survive judicial scrutiny” and raises Daubert issues.
Court Decides Daubert Exclusion of Expert Testimony for Failure to Apportion Is Premature
In trade secrets dispute, court denies defendant’s Daubert motion, finding exclusion of opposing damages expert testimony for failure to apportion is premature; whether or not entire market value rule applies is determination for jury “after hearing all the documentary and testimonial evidence.”
Pawelko v. Hasbro, Inc.
In trade secrets dispute, court denies defendant’s Daubert motion, finding exclusion of opposing damages expert testimony for failure to apportion is premature; whether or not entire market value rule applies is determination for jury “after hearing all the documentary and testimonial evidence.”
BVU News and Trends November 2019
A monthly roundup of key developments of interest to business valuation experts.
Survey of Daubert Challenges to Experts Suggests Red Flags to Avoid
In 2018, appraisers had the lowest exclusion rate among all types of financial experts facing a Daubert challenge, reveals the current edition of an annual PwC survey. The article also presents some tips on how to avoid a challenge.
Parties fight over notes-containing expert report: draft or final version?
Several sessions at the recent AICPA conference in Las Vegas highlighted the importance of expert discovery in litigation and noted that draft reports continue to be a hot-button issue.
IceMOS Tech. Corp. v. Omron Corp.
In contract dispute, court denies defendant’s Daubert motions, finding plaintiff’s experts are qualified based on extensive experience in relevant industry; experts could provide testimony relevant to surviving lost development support costs claim and their testimony is not unreliable as of now.
Plaintiff’s Projections Fail to Meet New York Test for Lost Profits or Lost Business Value
A breach of contract case in which the plaintiff asked for various types of economic damages is noteworthy for the court s extended discussion of what the plaintiff must show under New York law to make a case for lost profits. The court explained that the hurdle was particularly high for a new business or a business trying to break into a new market considering the company s lack of a financial track record. Damages must be ...
Pointers for expert witnesses from the AICPA FVS conference
BVWire sat through several excellent sessions involving valuations for litigation purposes at the 2019 AICPA Forensic and Valuation Services Conference in Las Vegas.
Some courts prefer back-of-the-envelope calculations, expert says
Although some appraisers are categorically opposed to calculation engagements, it is not unusual for courts to want a back-of-the-envelope calculation, a veteran BV expert says.
Calculation engagements receive mixed reactions from courts
If the appraisal profession is conflicted over the validity of calculation engagements, so are courts, as a brief review of court decisions on the BVLaw platform shows.
County of Maricopa v. Office Depot Inc.
In denying defendant’s pretrial motion to exclude plaintiff’s expert testimony under Daubert and Rule 37, which specifies sanctions for failure to make disclosures or cooperate in discovery, court finds note-containing version of expert report is a draft not subject to discovery under Rule 26.
Expert Report Containing Notes Qualifies as Draft Not Subject to Discovery
In denying defendant’s pretrial motion to exclude plaintiff’s expert testimony under Daubert and Rule 37, which specifies sanctions for failure to make disclosures or cooperate in discovery, court finds note-containing version of expert report is a draft not subject to discovery under Rule 26.
Cline v. Sunoco
In class-certification context, court says plaintiff’s damages expert meets Rule 702/Daubert requirements as they apply in early stage of litigation; expert is qualified, and, damages model, even if not fully developed, provides a sufficiently reliable way to calculate damages on classwide basis.
Expert Testimony Offered at Class-Certification Stage Survives Daubert Challenge
In class-certification context, court says plaintiff’s damages expert meets Rule 702/Daubert requirements as they apply in early stage of litigation; expert is qualified, and, damages model, even if not fully developed, provides a sufficiently reliable way to calculate damages on classwide basis.
The main reason experts get KO’d by Daubert
Lack of reliability continues to be the main reason for financial expert witness exclusions under Daubert, according to the PwC survey, “Daubert Challenges to Financial Experts.”
In court, you must appeal to the jury
Do you think you can win over a jury with just your credentials and technical knowledge?
Appraisers fare best at surviving a Daubert challenge
In 2018, appraisers had the lowest exclusion rate (38%) among all types of financial experts facing a Daubert challenge, reveals the PwC survey, “Daubert Challenges to Financial Experts.”
In about face, Florida Supreme Court abandons Frye for Daubert
Florida has a history of wavering when it comes to the standard for admissibility of expert testimony. Not too long ago, the state Supreme Court frustrated legislative efforts to move the state from the Frye standard to the Daubert standard only to reverse itself recently by announcing the adoption of Daubert.
Flip-flopping, Florida Supreme Court adopts Daubert
In a startling move, the Florida Supreme Court recently ruled that, “effective immediately upon the release of this opinion,” the state would adhere to the Daubert standard when assessing the admissibility of expert testimony.
Daubert Rulings Reflect Courts’ Disparate Views on Gatekeeping Role
As several recent court decisions show, different judges interpret the gatekeeping role, which they assume under Rule 702 and Daubert, very differently. Some courts take a liberal approach while others favor close scrutiny of the expert’s qualifications and proposed opinion.
Alkayali v. Boukhari
Appeals court upholds valuation of plaintiff’s interest in dissolved company and jury award; plaintiff expert’s analysis of sales transactions of comparable companies was admissible; Pratt’s Stats/DealStats database provided a reliable basis for expert to identify relevant sales, court says.
Court Validates Expert’s Reliance on Pratt’s Stats/DealStats for Sales Transaction Analysis
Appeals court upholds valuation of plaintiff’s interest in dissolved company and jury award; plaintiff expert’s analysis of sales transactions of comparable companies was admissible; Pratt’s Stats/DealStats database provided a reliable basis for expert to identify relevant sales, court says.