Expert Witness
As Expert Witnesses we have been honored to represent clients involving cases filed in Federal Court, Superior Courts, State Courts, Magistrate Courts and Binding Arbitration.
Before engaging the services of an Expert Witness always compare credentials to other experts in the same field. Some people enter courts of law prepared to lose, including many Experts, while others enter prepared to win. We enter the courtroom prepared to take advantage of every situation and do whatever is necessary to help our clients win.
What law firms and other professionals look for in a wood flooring inspector and Expert Witness
- International Code Council credentials.
- Inspector's with a Structural Evaluation or Engineering background plus ICC credentials.
- NWFA Professional Certifications, plus ICC and/or Structural Evaluation/Engineering credentials.
- NWFA "Expert Installer School" credentials, plus ICC Structural Evaluator or Engineering credentials.
- Expert Witness with a proven record to withstand intense scrutiny under oath in courts of law.
- Years of experience analyzing floor structural diaphragms, foundations, stress on buildings and how they alter or affect the performance of wood floors.
- The ability to understand structural complexities, axial stress, moisture movement, bending moment: restrained swelling and unrestrained shrinkage and their affect on structures and floors.
- The ability to perform inspections and write a professional Technical Report easy to follow when read by the judiciary, trial lawyers and a sitting jury.
Professional wood flooring inspectors and Expert Witnesses with ICC Structural Certifications, and many years of experience inspecting wood floors and structures, know and understand prevalent building codes adopted by various states. They also know and understand moisture movement through buildings, the affects of axial stress, lateral-torsional buckling in structural walls and building components, and how these components fit together to shape a structure that gives it distinctive character and composition. All of which have a direct bearing on flooring in a home and how well they perform. This knowledge and training is imperative and is of the highest importance for reaching the right conclusion by your wood floor inspector and Expert Witness.
Understanding a building's structure and the mechanics of how wood floors behave gives the wood floor inspector with ICC credential resources, authority, and opportunity to correctly identify causes of moment, cracks, gaps, squeaks, cupping, buckling and many other reasons for objectionable wood floors. Many times gaps, squeaks and movement in wood floors are not installation or product related. Failure can be in the soil, foundation and framing structure, and more particularly in a poor floor structural diaphragm.
A floor structural diaphragm is a system made up of diverse parts that includes floor joists, sub-floor underlayment and girders supported with piers and foundation walls, any of which can cause floors to become loose, move, panelize, gap, squeak, pop and ultimately fail. A fatal mistake diagnosing problems by a wood flooring inspector can lead to unnecessary repairs, expense, personal injury and liability.