Alcohol, Tobacco & Other Drugs Expert Witnesses: 21

Michael W. Staples is a former Ohio Board of Medicine Investigator and a former Law Enforcement Narcotics Detective. He is the Chief Compliance Officer for several large healthcare practices and conducts back to front door inspections of healthcare providers to ensure compliance, and has taught continuing medical education to healthcare professionals. 

Litigation Support  -Mr. Staples has worked in Law Enforcement on Drug and Healthcare cases. He's testified in federal court as an expert witness on healthcare compliance matters and has worked as a consultant for licensed healthcare professionals and practices.

Ideal Client Engagement - A licensed healthcare professional/practice or their legal counsel in which there was no criminal intent on the part of the client, and they are being administratively or criminally investigated or charged based on misinterpreted or misrepresented administrative guidelines, so-called "red flags", or targeted undercover operations in which the law enforcement officer uses words and tactics that blur the line between their professional duty to treat and an alleged criminal act.

Areas of Expertise:

Jessica Chaudhary, MD, is a Board Certified, Harvard and Yale trained Psychiatrist with specialties in Psychotherapy and Psychopharmacology. Dr. Chaudhary is a clinical instructor at Yale, and a fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. She has over 10 years of experience focusing on her fileds of expertise.

Dr. Chaudhary treats conditions such as anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, attention deficit disorders, women's mental health issues, substance use disorders, psychosis, and dementia with behavioral disturbance.  She has expertise in caring for those with complex medical and co-morbid psychiatric conditions, and she treats individuals across the life span. 

Dr. Chaudhary can provide all services through TELEHEALTH.

Litigation Support - Dr. Chaudhary offers litigation support services in civil and criminal cases to attorneys for Plaintiff and Defense. She is a private consultant and expert witness for attorneys and organizations nationwide. Her services include:

• General Psychiatric Issues
• Women's OB / GYN Issues
• Substance Abuse Issues
• Evaluation and Treatment of Impaired Professionals (and/or consultation with their professional organizations)
• Independent Medical Examination
• Disability Evaluation

Education: Wellesley College, BA; University of Washington School of Medicine, MD; Yale University, Internship and Residency in Psychiatry; Harvard University, Fellowship in Psychosomatic Medicine

Medical Licenses: CT, MA, FL, TX

View Dr. Jessica Chaudhary's Consulting Profile.

Linnda Durre', Ph.D., Licensed Psychotherapist, (FL License #MH6058) is an expert witness, psychotherapist, family counselor, intern supervisor, international speaker, corporate trainer, author, business consultant, adjunct college professor, and a magazine, Internet, and newspaper columnist. Her four areas of court expertise are Family Law, Personal Injury Law, Employment Law, and Criminal Law. 

Litigation Support: With over 48 years of experience, she consults to attorneys and has been qualified as an expert witness in eleven (11) states - Florida, Alabama, California, Arkansas, Georgia, Connecticut, Washington, Tennessee, Ohio, and Iowa - in the areas of Personal Injury, PTSD, Family and Couples Counseling, Divorce, Child Custody, Relocation, Drug and Alcohol Counseling, Sexual Harassment, Sexual Abuse by Psychotherapists, as well as Age, Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation Discrimination. Her 400-page doctoral dissertation and research in the latter area was cited to pass legislation in several states. 

Dr. Durre' has hosted and produced four radio shows, two of which were call-in advice shows - "The Dr. Linnda Durre' Show" on WDBO in Orlando (a Cox station) and "Let's Talk with Dr. Linnda Durre' on an NPR station in New York, and two radio interview shows. Her last show was a daily hour-long podcast, entitled, "Linnda Durre' Interviews" Dr. Linnda Durre' has hosted and produced two call-in advice TV shows, including being selected in a national search of 200 applicants, to host, "Ask The Family Therapist," on America's Health Network (AHN), which was associated with Mayo Clinic and each show aired daily for two hours from Universal Studios Orlando. She was vetted by Mayo Clinic and America's Health Network.

She has appeared on Oprah, 60 Minutes, O'Reilly (twice), Today Show, Good Morning America, Canada AM, Daytime, Donahue (twice), Sally Jessy Raphael, People Are Talking, Home Show, Hour Magazine, Home and Family Show, Disney Channel, and the local and/or national news on NPR, PBS, CBS, ABC, NBC, CW, and Fox.

Dr. Durre' has been interviewed, cited, and/or quoted by the NY Times, LA Times, Forbes, WSJ, IBD, Business Week, SF Chronicle & Examiner, Toronto Globe & Mail, Albany Times Union, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Orlando Business Journal, Orlando Sentinel, Parade Magazine, Alternative Medicine Magazine, CNN Online, Washington Parent Magazine, Screen Actor Magazine, Florida Magazine, Pasadena Star News, Orlando Magazine, Women's Health Magazine, and others.

View Linnda Durre's Consulting Profile.

Dram Shop Expert Preston Rideout is a nightclub and bar consultant with 25 years of experience and 75 alcohol safety certifications. He is the CEO of Rideout Hospitality and Founder of The Dram Shop Experts. Upon graduating from the University of Mississippi, Preston Rideout relocated to Las Vegas to operate Coyote Ugly, Tangerine Nightclub, Pure Nightclub, PCD l Louge, Audigier Nightclub, LAX Nightclub, Noir Bar, EVE Nightclub, Venus, and Rehab Pool Party,

Areas of Expertise: include but are not limited to Alcohol Service, Alcohol Policies, Alcohol Procedures, industry Standard Bar Operations, Casino Bar Operations, Nightclub Operations, Restaurant Operations, Mechanical Bull Operations, Pool Party Operations, Management Oversight, Bartender Training, Intoxication Identification, Liquor Liability, Premise Liability, Wrongful Death, Slip & Fall.

Alcohol Certifications: Preston Rideout has 75 Alcohol Safety Certifications, including Techniques for Alcohol Management  (TAM), Training for Intervention Procedures (TIPS), Responsible Beverage Service (RBS), Responsible Alcohol Server Program (RASP), Alcohol Seller Server Training (ABLE), Alcohol Beverage Commission (ABC) in all 50 states. 

Litigation Support: Preston Rideout provides Dram Shop Expert Witness Testimony for both plaintiffs and defendants.  

• General Psychiatry for Adults
• General Psychiatry for Children
• Addiction Psychiatry
• Forensic Psychiatry
• Organizational Consultation for Schools and Universities

Dr. Christopher A. Lowery, DHSc, CLCP is a Clinical Health & Rehabilitation Consultant with a special interest in helping individuals and organizations with public health impairment issues.

Since 2002, Dr. Lowery passion is to educate, empower and provide hope to individuals that deal with Catastrosphic Health Impairments by educating them on how to live a better quality of life due to poor health care conditions, which will address social, cultural and behavioral barriers across all diverse populations.

He currently hold the following degrees at University of North Texas, Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitation Studies (07); University of Oklahoma, Master of Arts in Human and Health Administration Services (10); Capital University Law School, Post-Speciality Certificate in Life Care Planning (12); University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Post-Master's Certificate in Rehabilitation Counseling (14); and Nova Southeastern University, Doctor of Health Science in Global Health (16).  

Due to the broad knowledge of education, he practice as an expert on the following topics: expert testimony, litigation support, vocational evaluations, employment support/job placement, earnings capacity evaluations, rehabilitation consulting, medical life care planning, formulate reviews/opinions on independent medical examinations, disability case management, and a wide range of public health, medical, psychological and psychosocial aspect of disabilities. 

**If you have a case that needs Dr. Lowery's expertise, please feel free to give his office a call for a free consultation.

Note: Please see below or website for more expertise areas. 

Areas of Expertise:

View Christopher Lowery's Consulting Profile.

Renay Green, PharmD, RPh, is an experienced Pharmacist pursuing her JD and Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) credentials. Fewer than 0.1% of pharmacists possess these qualifications. Coupled with her decades of Retail Pharmacy Management experience, including for the two largest U.S. pharmacy chains, she is uniquely positioned to provide comprehensive guidance on the intersection of Pharmacy and Law.

Litigation Support - Dr. Green serves as an expert witness in pharmacy administration, retail pharmacy, and pharmacist standards of care. Her services typically range from medication-related injury case review to court testimony but can also include literature review,  consultation, or work as a non-testifying expert. Dr. Green's expert witness services are available nationally.

Areas of Expertise:

Dr. Green graduated with her Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D) degree from the University of Tennessee. Her years of experience have exposed her to a range of potentially litigious scenarios, from handling employee drug diversion cases to managing health insurance fraud investigations. She has also seen everything in regard to both employee and customer behavior at the pharmacy. She also understands how pharmacy operations (including corporate expectations) are meant to work and what can go wrong. This broad experience allows Dr. Green to offer insight into any pharmacy-related legal matter. 

Michael Levine is one of the most decorated Supervisory Agents in the history of the Drug Enforcement Administration. A US Law Enforcement Procedure Expert, Mr. Levine has many decades of courtroom experience (civil & criminal) as a Trial consultant and Expert Witness, including 25 years of service with DEA, Customs, BATF, and the IRS Criminal Investigations Division. Mr. Levine's supervisory and other law enforcement experience includes being in command of task force units combining officers of FBI, BATF, IRS, Customs, NYPD and other police agencies, service as an Internal Affairs supervisory investigator, a senior inspector with the Department of Justice OPR, Office of Professional Responsibility, and Director of a sheriffs department drug bureau. 

Mr. Levine, during his decades of trial experience, both as a senior law enforcement officer including the past 30 years as a professional trial consultant, has qualified as an expert witness for both prosecution and plaintiff as well defense, in federal and state courts including 19 states, Puerto Rico and 8 foreign nations. He offers full trial consulting and investigative services in both criminal and civil matters as follows: Expert Witness File Review and Strategy Assessment; Case Particular Design of Cross-Examination "menus"; Investigative, Technical and Research Support; Expert Witness Report and/or Affidavit Preparation. Utilizing his extensive experience as a Supervisory Internal Affairs Investigator, he can also identify the elements of probable cause indicative of false reporting, cover-up, and the concealment of Brady materials. Since the year 2007 he has been retained by the Atlanta and DeKalb County District Attorneys Offices, to conduct police-involved shooting reviews and as such has testified before criminal grand juries leading to the indictment and conviction of law enforcement/violators. 

Mr. Levine specializes in full trial consulting services and expert testimony in criminal and civil matters and has testified as an expert in the following areas of expertise:

A listing of his cases may be found on his website www.policetrialexpert.com.

Michael Levine is the only US law enforcement expert ever admitted to testify before a Japanese court, (Japan v Goldstein) and used the Blind Mule Defense, which resulted in an acquittal. He is a best-selling author, media consultant, lecturer and police instructor with extensive experience as court-qualified expert witness and trial consultant in civil and criminal matters.

Since leaving the Department of Justice, he has been retained in excess of 500 occasions as a trial consultant/expert witness throughout the United States, Canada, England and Japan. Mr. Levine has also remained active as a police instructor in the US, Canada and Australia. In January of 2008, his police instructional manual "Undercover Tactics and Informant Handling" previously written for the Department of Justice, was published by the New York State Department of Justice Services and utilized as an instructional manual for New York State law-enforcement. The manual was subsequently edited and republished by the US State Department for the instruction of Brazilian Federal Police which was conducted by Mr. Levine and his team of US-based experts. The manual was subsequently republished via academia.edu from where it is now among the top .05% of Global downloads by police agencies, attorneys and researchers.

 View Michael Levine's Consulting Profile.

Dr. James C. Norris, Ph.D., DABT, EURT is an Expert Witness in Toxicology and Pharmacology. He has Litigation and Arbitration experience in the United States, United Kingdom and Hong Kong. Dr. Norris has given testimony to government agencies, has acted as a consultant for the media (BBC) and is an Industrial Site Crisis Team Member. He is avaliable for both Plaintiff and Defense.

Areas Of Expertise:

• Carcinogenicity and Chemicals
• Combustion or Fire Toxicolog
• General and Inhalation Toxicology
• Pesticides, and Pharmaceuticals (pharmacology)

Professional Affiliations:

• American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists
• British Toxicology Society
• Society of Toxicology
• Editorial Boards of Inhalation Toxicology and Journal of Fire Sciences

The Pacific Forensic Group is a California firm of nine highly vetted experts in the areas of Forensic Psychology, Neuropsychology, and Neurology.  Dr. Ernst, the forensic director, specializes in PTSD, Mitigation and Resentencing, Testamentary Capacity, and Employment Evaluations. He is one of fewer than 45 Board Certified Forensic Psychologists in California. Dr. Ernst is an Associate Clinical Professor in the UCSF Department of Psychiatry where he provides teaching and supervision on a voluntary basis. As a trauma expert, Dr. Ernst chose to complete an additional year of fellowship training in PTSD at the San Francisco Veterans Hospital.

The Pacific Forensic Group team of experts also include:

-Dr. Peter Brain Andersson, Board Certified Neurologist, Specializing in Traumatic Brain Injury, Neurocognitive Disorders, Multiple Sclerosis

-Dr. Charles Filanosky, Board Certified Rehabilitation Psychologist, Specializing in Traumatic Brain Injury, PTSD

-Dr. David Contreras, Board Certified Forensic Psychologist, Specializing in Juvenile Competency to Stand Trial, Transfer/Waiver to Adult Court, Juvenile Sexual Offenses

-Dr. Lisa Kalich, Board Certified Forensic Psychologist, Specializing in Personal Injury, Parenting Capacity, Sexual Offender and Violence Risk Assessment for Adults and Juveniles, Disability, Child Witness Issues.

-Dr. Jerry Lockhart, Board Certified Forensic Psychologist, Bilingual (Spanish-English Specializing in Juvenile Competency and SVP consultation

-Dr. Laurel Mattos, Forensic Psychologist, Specializing in Trial Competency, NGRI, Mental Health Diversion, Violence Risk Assessment

-Dr. Elise Yenne, Forensic Psychologist, Specializing in Juvenile and Adult Trial Competency, Violence Risk Assessment Transfer Hearings

-Dr. Trayci Dahl, Board Certified Forensic Psychologist, Specializing in Filicide, Capital Sentencing, and Threat Assessment 

-Dr. Mario Souza, Bilingual (Spanish-English) Board CeForensic Psychologist, Specializing in Violence Risk, Sex Offender Risk, Insanity, Mitigation, and Mental Health Diversion

Areas of Expertise:

View Dr. Ernst's Consulting Profile.

Leonard J. Weiss, MD, is a Forensic Psychiatrist with unparalleled qualifications, Board-Certified physician in 5 distinct and complementary disciplines applied to Medical-Legal questions:

Dr. Weiss has more than 40 years of experience as a physician. He has been in practice for over 20 years as a Board-Certified Psychiatrist, Forensic Psychiatrist, and Addiction Psychiatry specialist, preceded by more than two decades in Internal Medicine.

As an Addiction Psychiatry specialist, Dr. Weiss developed and served as Chief of the first Dual Diagnosis (Addiction) program at Michael Reese Hospital of the University of Chicago. He has served as the Medical Director of Austin Lakes Hospital.

Before pursuing his interest in psychiatry, Dr. Weiss practiced Internal Medicine in Michigan, where he maintains a Medical License. He has treated patients in psychiatric practice in Chicago and Atlanta. In 2013 he relocated to Austin, Texas, where he has a private clinical psychiatric practice, Psychiatry Austin.

Dr. Weiss graduated from Wayne State University Medical School and MIT (Mathematics), with residency training in Internal Medicine, Fellowship in Clinical Nutrition, and Psychiatry at, respectively, the University of Michigan Henry Ford Hospital, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York (Fellow) and Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago.

Litigation Support: Dr. Weiss has special training and experience in the application of psychiatric knowledge to legal issues and works in areas where Mental Health and the Legal System overlap, such as Medical Malpractice and Standard of Care. He offers objective evaluations and psychiatric consultation in a wide variety of legal matters, including expert testimony, as well as clinical work with perpetrators and victims.

Dr. Weiss provides IMEs and expert opinions on mental health questions via written reports, deposition, or courtroom testimony. He works with attorneys, courts, and other parties involved in actual or potential litigation. His research and assessment and his clinical practice cover areas such as:

Areas of Expertise:

Ray S. Kim, Ph.D., is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Board Certified Forensic Psychologist. Dr. Kim is also a Board Registered Mental Illness / Substance Abuse Provider, Diplomate of the American Psychotherapy Association, Diplomate of the American Board of Psychological Specialties, Fellow of the American College of Forensic Examiners Institute, and Fellow of the American College of Advanced Practice Psychologists. 

Dr. Kim is currently the Director of Chicago Metropolitan Forensic Services at the Illinois Department of Human Services where he supervises a team of clinical psychologists and social workers who evaluate the placement of individuals into forensic facilities. He also serves as the Director of Clinical Training at Chicago Metropolitan Forensic Services where he developed and supervises a forensic practicum program which provides opportunities for specialized clinical training in the area of forensic psychology. 

Litigation Support - Dr. Kim has testified in over 50 cases in both criminal and civil court proceedings. He is sensitive to the nature of legal matters, and provides comprehensive, timely, and professional services. Dr. Kim's services are available to attorneys or defendants seeking a qualified evaluator to help support a case, or wishing to obtain a second opinion on a legal matter already in progress. He is skilled in utilizing the field of psychology's most up-to-date assessments to provide recommendations for prosecution or defense teams. 

Areas of Expertise:

• Psychological Evaluations
• Pre-Sentence Evaluations
• Sex Offender Evaluations
• Violence Risk Assessments
• Competency to Waive Miranda Rights
• Diminished Capacity
• Fitness for Duty Evaluations
• Substance Abuse Assessments
• Independent Medical Examinations (personal injury, workers' compensation, disability determination, malpractice)
• Detection of Malingering
• Federal Evaluations (competency to stand trial, criminal responsibility)

View Dr. Kim's Consulting Profile.

Gary R. Coburn is an award-winning Restaurant Executive with 40 years of experience creating, opening, running, and advising hundreds of full service restaurants, limited service, quick-service, bars and nightclubs. Additional expertise in restaurant franchising and commercial kitchen design/build from remodels to ground up including conceptual development, viability and business interruption.

With over four decades in the industry, Mr. Coburn has held positions as VP of National Accounts and Design Build for the largest commercial kitchen and distribution company in the country to, Director of Operations, President, COO, Executive Director of Food Services and owner operator. His management experience has included supervising more than 2,000 employees, including 170 managers, along with overseeing consulting assignments for numerous companies.

Clients Include: Joe's Crab Shack, Cask ‘n Cleaver, Lord Charlie’s, El Gato Gordo, Pizza Pronto, Safari Bar Restaurant, Shark Club, Bull Dog Grill, Stronghouse, Pangea, The Ballroom, Juarez Grill, Dickerson’s Club 29, Yucatan Liquor Stand, Zepp’s Atomic Tex Mex, Cabo Grill, Angel Stadium, In Cahoots, The Ball Room, Slick Willie’s, Rodeo, Jake’s, Bobs on the Bay, Crabby Bob’s Seafood, PizzaRev, Honolulu Harry’s, Lahaina Mai Tai Lounge, Canyon Grill, Campagnia, Huey’s Grill & Brewery, Gladstone’s Long Beach, Pro’s Ranch Markets, Lily's Doughnuts & Pops

Litigation Support - Mr. Coburn has served as an expert witness in numerous restaurant-related cases. His services are available to attorneys for plaintiff and defense and include site inspection, thorough reporting, depositions, and trial testimony as needed.

Areas of Expertise:

Recent cases retained by Plaintiff:

• Guest incident regarding standard of care including safety, protocols / procedures, adequate warnings, and related issues
• Safety and security practices for proprietors regarding foreseeability of harm, likelihood of injury, notice and reasonable intervention 
• Loss of income, conceptual and goodwill impact based on providing adequate parking

Recent cases retained by Defendant:

•     Loss of income and the feasibility of the concept and the viability of opening the restaurant
•     Slip and fall and the ensuring safety of its patrons and duty to use reasonable care in keeping premises reasonably safe
•     Maintenance, industry standards of furniture handling and procurement, foreseeability of harm, and   likelihood of injury from lack of procedures

View RCI's Consulting Profile.

David Rutecki's career spans 39 years of Restaurant and Hospitality related experience. Working in more than 20 restaurants and involved in the opening of more than a dozen, he has worked every position possible within this industry. Mr. Rutecki currently owns and operates Mountain Deli in Hendersonville, garnering the 2016, 2017 & 2018 Blue Ridge Growth Award. He is a Member of the North Carolina and National Restaurant Associations. Mr. Rutecki has been invloved in the following selected restaurants:

• Fancy’s Food and Wine, Gourmet Shop, Coral Gables, South Miami & Grove Isle, Fl.
• Susie’s Bagels, Breakfast Restaurant, South Miami, Fl.
• Pizzaria Uno, Full Service Restaurant, Miami, Fl.
• Baystreet, Full Service Seafood Restaurant, Miami, Fl.
• Rusty Pelican, Upscale Seafood, Key Biscayne, Miami, Fl.
• Rudolph's BBQ, Upscale BBQ, Miami, Fl.
• Signature Gardens, Upscale Catering Hall, Miami, Fl.
• Chart House, Upscale Seafood, Coconut grove, Fl.
• Cafe Tu Tu Tango, Coconut Grove, Fl.
• Gatsby’s, Upscale Billiards and Cigar Bar, Boca Raton, Fl.
• Prezzo, Casual Italian, Boca Raton, Fl.
• Maxwell’s Chophouse, Upscale Steakhouse, Boca Raton, Fl.
• Mountain Deli, Delicatessen, Downtown Hendersonville, NC
• Tabica Grill, Upscale American, Jupiter, Fl.
• Jonathon's Landing Marina Club, Upscale Boating Club, Jupiter, Fl
• Jetty's, Upscale Seafood, Jupiter, Fl.
• Austin Grill, Casual, Washington, DC.

Litigation Support - David Rutecki offers expert witness and litigation support for restaurant related issues in the United States. His services are available to counsel representing both Plaintiff and Defendant. Areas of Expertise:

• Restaurant and Kitchen Design, Menu Development
• Food Safety and Sanitation
• Bar Operations & Liquor Liability... Dram Shop
• Safety & Security - Slips, Trips and Falls
• Daily Operations & Management, Employee & Staffing Issues
• Retail Operations
• Staff & Mgmt Training Programs & Handbooks
• Business Plan Development

Myron K. Smith is a Narcotics Expert with over 30 years of experience in his field of expertise. He provides Consultation and Expert Testimony in cases involving Narcotics offenses. Mr. Smith is a panelist and instructor to law enforcement officers, government officials, and grand juries on Police Procedures and Drug Identification. He has been accepted in several states (Local and Federal Courts) in all facets of narcotic criminal investigations.

Areas of Expertise:

Background Experience - Prior to founding S.E.C. Group, Inc., Mr. Smith worked with the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia for 30 years, the last 13 years in the Narcotics and Special Investigations Unit. He has been recognized as the Resident Narcotic Expert by the DC Superior Court and the US District Court of Washington, DC. Mr. Smith has been awarded over 20 citations and commendations for achievements in law enforcement as a Grade 2 Detective.

Selected Career Highlight:

• Selected as the Lead Investigator on several narcotic cases-supervising the coordinating of all appropriate personnel and required organizational efforts
• Participated in over 1,000 narcotic related investigations with the MPD and other agencies such as the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), Military Services, and Local Police Department
• Worked extensively in an “undercover” capacity on over 100 assignments to combat illegal narcotic activities
• Provided courtroom “expert testimony” in over 1,000 cases involving the prosecution of narcotic offenses