Building Design Expert Witnesses

Joseph A. LaRovere, CEM, has over 35 years of experience as a contractor, owner/operator, technician, and consultant to the construction industry with specialties in HVAC, Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, Energy Management and Control Systems. Licensed PE, Project Manager, Design Professional, Construction Manager on staff.

Project Types - Health care facilities, Clean Rooms, Operating Suites, Apartments and Condominiums, Medical Office Buildings, K-12 Schools, Higher Education, Commercial Office Buildings, Highrise Buildings, Casinos, Hospitality, Assisted Living Facilities, Military Facilities, Manufacturing and Semi-Conductor Facilities

Litigation Support - Mr. LaRovere is a Forensic Expert Witness for cases involving HVAC, Mechanical, Plumbing, Construction Defects and Project Management for a variety of clients. He has worked in Arizona, California, Texas, Colorado, and Hawaii as an expert

Areas of Expertise:

HVAC Systems Air Conditioning Heat Pumps Chiller Plants Heating Hot Water Electric and Gas Boilers Air Handlers Water Source Heat Pumps Cooling Towers Dedicated Outside Air, Ventilation, Exhaust Systems Energy Management and Control System Sequence of Operation Energy Management and Building Efficiency Domestic Hot Water Systems Explosion Flooding

Mixing Valves and Hot Water Recirculation Systems System Failures Equipment Failures Maintenance and Preventive Maintenance Issues Water Treatment and Remediation Project Management Program Management Project Accounting, and Scheduling Contractor Evaluation Contract Review Contractor Standard of Care Engineering Evaluation Site Inspections Retro Commissioning Water Leak Personal Injury

Certifications:

• C.E.M. - Certified Energy Manager
• Honeywell Tridium Niagara AX
• Honeywell Tridium Niagara 4
• Johnson Controls Facility Explorer
• LEED AP BD&C (Inactive)

View Joseph LaRovere's Consulting Profile.

As an arbitrator, structural/civil engineer, and expert forensic consultant with nearly four decades of experience, Casey Hemmatyar has provided extensive expert services for defendants’ and plaintiffs’ attorneys on numerous construction litigation matters throughout the United States and Canada.

He has been retained as an expert engineer in over one hundred litigation matters on single and class-action legal cases by the U.S. government, law firms, and insurance carriers at the State and Federal levels, working with both plaintiff and defendant sides.

A partial list of litigation cases is available upon request. His understanding of core engineering and legal concepts has enabled him to assist a wide range of clientele effectively. He brings diversified experience in structural and civil engineering design and forensic engineering, investigation, and evaluation.

He also conducts research, has assisted in the development of building codes and standards, and has supervised the construction of domestic and international projects. His experience includes special structures and new buildings as well as modifications, alterations, seismic/hurricane retrofits, and upgrades to existing structures. He has provided failure analysis, expert consultation, structural forensic investigation, and damage assessment services for numerous litigation and insurance-related matters.

He actively presents continuing education lectures to audiences of licensed engineers, architects, and general contractors on topics of structural and forensic engineering throughout North America. Mr. Hemmatyar has been the principal structural engineer on high-profile projects for prestigious clients, including NASA and other notable organizations.  Currently, he directs PSFEG and has served as Director for SEAOSC from 2011 to 2013.

His work encompasses a diverse range of structures, including hospitals,  educational institutions (including schools and universities), telecommunication centers, aviation facilities, government buildings, laboratories, as well as commercial, industrial, and residential structures.

Early case technical evaluation and expert witness services for counsel in fall protection, facade access (BMU), suspended and permanent access system matters (U.S. and International)

SUMMARY

Uwe M. Janssen, Founder & Principal of Rauch Safety & Engineering (RSE), serves as a consulting and testifying expert in matters involving fall protection, façade access (including Building Maintenance Units, BMUs), suspended access, permanent access, rigging, and rescue systems.

Mr. Janssen brings more than four decades of field and assessment experience with these systems on landmark and high-consequence assets in the United States and internationally. He has been retained by counsel on approximately 30 matters, on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants. He is the author of the Integrated Design Guide for Work-at-Height & Access Systems (Edition 3, 2026).

Most experts enter a matter after counsel has decided it needs one. Mr. Janssen can also be brought in earlier, before designation, to test whether the technical position warrants moving forward. Counsel can then retain him as the testifying expert under a separate engagement, or retain someone else.

Early Case Technical Evaluation (Pre-Designation): Review of the incident record, drawings and submittals, commissioning and inspection history, and the opposing theory. The evaluation assesses whether the claim, the defense, or the opposing position is technically supported by the available record. For plaintiff counsel, it is a technical screen before investing in a case. For defense counsel and carriers, it is an early read on exposure and on which parties' work the record implicates. The evaluation is a complete engagement on its own, with no obligation to retain Mr. Janssen as the testifying expert.

Consulting Support Through Discovery and Settlement: Document-request and inspection planning, site or equipment inspection, review of opposing expert reports, deposition questions for opposing experts, and technical preparation for mediation and settlement.

Designated Expert: Expert and rebuttal reports, deposition, and trial or arbitration testimony.

RSE does not manufacture, sell, install, maintain, or service equipment, and does not act as a contractor or project manager. Its role in a matter is independent technical evaluation only. RSE does not provide opinions that require a licensed professional engineer's seal, and it says so at the outset where a matter needs one.

Plaintiff or defense. U.S. and international matters.

KEY SERVICES

• Early Case Technical Evaluation (Pre-Designation)
• Expert Witness Services: Reports, Rebuttal Reports, Deposition and Trial Testimony
• Review and Rebuttal of Opposing Expert Reports 
• Failure Analysis: Fall Protection and Access Systems
• BMU / Façade Access System Review
• Suspended and Permanent Access System Evaluation
• Construction Defect and System Performance Analysis
• Design vs. Installation Discrepancy Analysis
• Commissioning, Turnover and Acceptance Disputes
• Inspection, Maintenance and Recertification Lapses
• OSHA / ANSI / IWCA Standards Interpretation (as applicable to fall protection and access systems)

POSITIONING STATEMENT

Most fall-protection and access-system matters settle well before trial, and the technical position (whether the system failed, why, and where responsibility lies) drives case valuation and settlement posture. Mr. Janssen can be brought in at intake, when an opposing theory or expert report arrives, or ahead of the designation deadline.

Areas of Expertise:

Fall Protection Systems Failure Façade Access Systems Failure Building Maintenance Units (BMU) Failure Suspended Access Systems Failure Permanent Access Systems Roof Anchor Systems Failure Lifeline Systems Failure Suspended Platform Failure Construction Safety Failure Building Maintenance Accident Construction Defect Analysis Construction Dispute Support Design vs Installation Discrepancies

System Performance Failure Infrastructure Access System Failures Access System Commissioning Issues Installation vs Design Intent Conflict Contractor Responsibility Analysis OEM Responsibility Analysis OSHA Compliance Review ANSI Standards / IWCA Standards Failure Analysis Construction Systems Mechanical Building Systems Lifecycle System Analysis Commissioning Review Maintenance Conditions

View Rauch Safety and Engineering's Consulting Profile.

John D. Shepherd, RRC, RRO, founder of Shepherd Consulting Services has been actively involved in the Roofing, Waterproofing and Construction Industry for over 50 years. He has spent 10 years as an active roofing contractor and the last 30 years as a Construction Forensic Consultant with expertise in Commercial and Residential Roofing (low-sloped and steep sloped), Waterproofing (above and below grade), Sheet Metal, Fenestration, and Exterior Wall Cladding (stucco, siding, EFIS, and masonry).

Over the last 30 years, Mr. Shepherd attended about 1500 hours of continuing education courses related to roofing, waterproofing, sheet metal, exterior walls, windows and other various building envelope components. He is an IIBEC Registered Roof Consultant and Registered Roof Observer, a HAAG Certified Residential and Commercial Roof Inspector, a licensed roofing contractor in California and Arizona, and a Certified Building Science Thermographer. Mr. Shepherd has been retained in over 500 construction defect litigation cases, representing plaintiffs, developers and/or sub-contractors. He has been deposed more than 100 times, testified in over 20 trials and has extensive mediation experience as well. Mr. Shepherd is also an expert in analyzing insurance related property damage claims involving wind, hail, earthquake, fire and water damages.

Areas of Expertise:

• Construction Defect
• Water Intrusion Investigation
• Property Loss Damage Claims
• Personal Injury Claims
• Standard of Care and Building Code Issues Related to Roofing, Sheet Metal, Waterproofing, and Building Envelope

View Consulting Profile.

David J. Brotman, FAIA, is an accomplished Senior Executive with proven career and solid experience in all aspects of Architectural and Engineering Firm Management, including project management, profit and loss, business development, mergers and acquisitions, sales and marketing, and strategic planning. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, with over fifty years of practical experience. 

Principal at Sunset Consultants, Mr. Brotman provides strategic planning and management consulting services for various entities, including those that need help with planning or architectural projects. He has served as Chairman of the City of Malibu Planning Commission where he advised on land use matters including the local coastal program, specific plans, zoning, conditional use permits, and subdivisions. Mr. Brotman spent 25 years with RTKL Associates Inc., one of the World’s largest Architect and Engineering Firms where he eventually served as its Vice-Chairman.

Presentation by: David J. Brotman, FAIA

Litigation Support - David Brotman provides expert witness services to attorneys representing Plaintiff and Defense. His skills include all facets of Architectural practice. His worldwide, multi-million dollar project experience includes retail, office, hotel, institutional, and mixed-use. Mr. Brotman's services include affirmative and rebuttal report preparation, mediation, and trial testimony. 

Areas of Expertise:

Professional Standard of Care Construction Documents Analysis Architectural Design and Coordination Building Code Analysis Scope of Work Definition Errors and Omissions Analysis

Construction Defects & Negligence Change Order Analysis Communication Analysis Construction Administration Slip, Trip & Fall Architectural Detailing

View David Brotman's Consulting Profile.

James D. Wamble, PE, RLS has over 40 years of experience as a Professional Civil Engineer and Registered Land Surveyor. During the course of his career, Mr. Wamble has worked on land planning, land surveying, or civil engineering projects in all counties of the middle and west Tennessee regions, and several counties in east Tennessee. Mr. Wamble has offered litigation support services as an expert witness in cases since 1976. In the last four years, he has testified 10 times in 7 lawsuits. These litigation cases include land planning, land surveying, and civil engineering issues. Mr. Wamble has experience with depositions, trials, hearings, and arbitrations.

Expert Witness Services Include:

Research Site Inspections Engineering Analysis Land Surveys

Survey and Civil Engineering Drawings Investigation Report Writing Exhibit Preparation

Areas of Expertise:

• Civil Engineering: Design of grading, drainage, utilities, roads, lakes, dams, detention basins, parking lots, shopping centers, subdivisions, apartments, condominiums, planned unit developments, specific plans, industrial parks, mobile home parks, mini warehouses, hotels and office building site plans; flood, drainage, and utility studies; low impact design; financial developability and constructability analysis of proposed developments; preparation of cost estimates; assisting clients in setting project budgets; designing projects to contain cost within determined project budget; construction project management, inspection, administration, and processing of contractors’ pay requests
• Land Surveying: Topographic, Route, Land, Boundary, Utilities, Aerial ground control, Engineering design, and Construction Surveys
• Land Planning: Land use/development feasibility analysis, planning and concept design of residential, commercial, industrial and municipal projects; zone change applications; planned unit development and specific plan applications; site selection consultation; and graphic presentations

View James Wamble's Consulting Profile.

Jeffrey Phillip Weinstein, AIA, a California licensed Architect since 1982, with Masters Degree in Real Estate Development from USC, has been involved in the development, design and construction of office buildings, high-rise condominiums, multi-family residential podium-type projects, retail, neighborhood shopping centers and regional malls, hotels and resorts, hospitals, and schools (K-12 and University).

Expert in real estate development, government approvals, entitlements & permits, architect's standard of care, construction management, claims & defects, A/E/C agreements. Expertise includes building envelope & water intrusion, zoning & building codes, errors/omissions, destructive testing & repair, schools (DSA), hospitals (OSHPD), condominiums, commercial/retail/mixed-use projects, high-rise structures, hotels & resorts. Previous employers include Nadel and Callison Architects, Tishman Construction, Trammel Crow Company, Kaiser Permanente, and California State University.

Professional Licenses / Certifications / Affiliations:

• California Registered Architect, License #12822
• Member, American Institute of Architects, Urban Land Institute, Construction Specification Institute, and Society for Marketing Professional Services
• Member, North Santa Barbara County Board of Architectural Review

Litigation Support: Jeffrey Weinstein has been retained as an expert witness as Owner's Representative, Construction Manager, Contract Administrator, Project Manager and Architect by Developers, Builders, Institutional Owners (Hospitals & Schools), Municipalities, and Corporate Clients. Mr. Weinstein provides professional Architectural and Construction Expert Witness opinion, testimony and services on matters, such as:

Architectural Forensic Architectural Construction Management Building Code Requirements Construction Industry Standards Professional Standard of Care Design Defects, Errors & Omissions

Construction Defects & Failures Architectural Practice & Peer Review Construction Claim Evaluation Change Order Analysis & Cost Overruns Zoning Entitlements, Land-Use, and Permitting Project Delivery - Fast-Track, Design-Build, GMP Design & Construction Accident Claims

View Jeffrey P. Weinstein's Consulting Profile.

Jeffrey Grusenmeyer, Architect; 40 years of experience; NCARB National Council of Architectural Registration Boards Certified; Certified as a Building Official by the Council of American Building Officials; Certified as a Building Official, Master Plans Examiner, Building Inspector, Plumbing Inspector and Residential Building Official by the State of Ohio; Numerous Ohio Board of Building Standards Approved Courses and Presenter.; Appearances and testimony before the Ohio Board of Building Appeals.