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Suzanne Dupée, MD, is a triple board certified Adult, Child, and Adolescent Forensic Psychiatrist specializing in Independent Medical Examinations (IME), Child Custody Evaluations, Fitness for Duty Evaluations, and expert witness for the California Medical, Veterinary, and Dental Boards.

Litigation Support - Dr. Dupée has an active forensic psychiatric practice specializing in family law, criminal law, dependency law, civil litigation and disability. She has been designated as an expert in Federal Court, Family Court, Criminal Court, Dependency Court, Juvenile Delinquency and Civil Court in California, Arizona, and New York states. She is an expert for several Los Angeles Superior Court panels: Criminal, Child Custody Evaluator, Dependency Court and Juvenile Delinquency.

Dr. Dupée has testified over 150 times in various courtrooms and has been deposed over 80 times. She has worked on high profile cases and death penalty cases. She specializes in forensic evaluations of families in crisis and has completed 100s of Child Custody Evaluations and all forms of psychiatric evaluations for families in crisis.

Dr. Dupee has been retained in 100s of legal cases in civil, family law, criminal, disability and dependency cases. She has completed over 1,000 evaluations in various courts and for insurance companies and government boards. She has been retained by plaintiffs and defense counsel in civil cases.

Areas of Expertise:

Forensic Psychiatry
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Child Custody
Solution-Focused Custody Evaluations
Child Abuse
Work-Related Disability
Independent Medical Examinations
Family Therapy

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Civil Psychiatric Evaluations
Sexual Harassment
Competency to Stand Trial
Insanity Evaluations
Adult Psychiatry
Psychopharmacology
Individual Psychotherapy

View Dr. Dupée's Consulting Profile.

• Dr. Dupée's Curriculum Vitae

• Biography

• Services

• Blog

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Owner and Lead Expert Witness at School Liability Expert Group. Expert witness services for plaintiff and defendant attorneys litigating cases involving the question of liability for wrongful death, personal injury, sexual harassment/abuse, Title IX, Section 1983, in daycare through college/university and other child and youth-serving organizations. Court-qualified with more than 40 years experience in school/agency administration and expert witness work. International practice.

DOCTORATE: Rutgers University - Education Administration.

MASTERS: College of NJ - Special Education. MASTERS: University of New Hampshire, Franklin Pierce Law Center - Education Law.

LAWYERS - Case review and analysis, litigation support. Expert reports, deposition and trial testimony.

SCHOOLS - Liability and management assessments. Policy review and recommendations. Special seminars.

• View Dr. Dragan's Curriculum Vitae

• More Information on Dr. Dragan

• View Dr. Dragan's Testimonials

• Read Dr. Dragan's School Expert Witness Blog

2/21/2019 · Sexual Abuse - Molestation - Harassment

Child-on-Child Sexual Abuse or Normal Sexual Behavior Between Young Children?

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

Sexual behaviors in young children can range from exploratory and normal to abusive and violent. Under federal law, the Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, schools have an obligation to protect children from inappropriate sexual behavior, including child-on-child sexual abuse. This obligation can be complicated when the allegation involves five-and-six-year-old children, for whom touching body parts and viewing private areas may be considered normal sexual behavior. The issue faced by school administrators and attorneys who litigate claims of child-on-child sexual abuse involving young children is whether touching falls under normative or problematic child sexual behavior.

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11/2/2018 · Education & Schools

School Liability Expert: Is It Bullying or Conflict

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

Schools, including public, private, and charter K-12 schools, and colleges and universities, have a responsibility to protect students from physical and emotional harm. Harm that creates a climate of fear can interfere with a student's education, leading to a range of outcomes from failing courses to, in the worst case, suicide. Properly identifying, investigating, and handling school bullying, harassment, and intimidation claims can help school administrators protect children and avoid costly litigation.

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9/19/2018 · Education & Schools

Student Safety and School Liability Involving School Police and Security Guards

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

Parents send their children to school expecting that their kids will be safe. The parents trust that the school's staff will act in their place and look out for their children's welfare in the same way they would. The presence of security guards, school police, or resource officers at the school may even strengthen their trust, but this can be a false sense of safety. Just because guards and school police officers wear a uniform does not always mean additional protection for students. Reviewing and assessing the potential for harm to students and others on school grounds and at school-sponsored events requires careful consideration and proactive initiative to keep students safe, even when the presence of a security guard or school police officer may provide a veneer of safety. Inadequately screening, training, and supervising security guards and school police officers; failing to provide guards and officers with clear instructions for handling special circumstances known to the school; and inappropriately delegating the responsibility for keeping children safe can all be linked to student injury or death.

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6/21/2018 · Employment

Avoiding Liability: Negligent Hiring and Supervision of School Bus Drivers

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

Statistically, it's safer to transport children to and from school by school bus than by car, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association. But accidents and other bus-related incidents that result in student injury and negligence are frequently causes for litigation. Leaving students on the bus when it arrives at school, sexual abuse of students by the bus driver, bus aide, or other students, and injuries caused by student misbehavior are just a few situations that might result in liability for a school district or contracted private bus company.

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5/7/2018 · Education & Schools

School Safety and Security: Protecting Students in the Age of School Shootings

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

A school has a responsibility to protect students from harm. Will arming teachers or placing armed security guards and police in the building make our schools safer and prevent school shootings? There is a great deal of debate as to whether more or different forms of attention to school safety and security will lead to a reduction in school killings, but these ideas don't seem to be showing positive results. Perhaps arming school staff not with guns but with the training needed to relate to students in a positive way will go a long way toward preventing some students from carrying out their deadliest ideas resulting in school shootings.

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1/26/2018 · Accident Prevention & Safety

Managing the Risk to Prevent Injury and Student Death

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

When risk is managed, injury, student death, and resulting litigation are less likely to occur. All too frequently, it is only after a tragedy that officials look back and ask, "How could this have been avoided?" Risk management is a far-reaching topic, but when focused on the professional standard of care in educational and other child and youth-serving organizations, it comes down to protecting the safety of participants in the care and custody of a school or other organization.

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12/20/2017 · Sexual Abuse - Molestation - Harassment

Professional Standard of Care in Past Cases of Child Sexual Abuse in Public and Private Schools

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

Standard of care is a general expression of what constitutes care in professions such as medicine, nursing, education, or child care administration. In schools and other agencies responsible for the care and supervision of children, the professional standard of care is the ethical or legal responsibility of a professional to exercise the level of care, diligence, and skill that other professionals in the same discipline would apply in the same or similar circumstances. This, coupled with statutory requirements and case law, defines the care that an educational professional is responsible for providing to children which includes protection from child sexual abuse.

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10/13/2017 · Sexual Abuse - Molestation - Harassment

Private School Sexual Abuse and Harassment: Professional Standard of Care

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

Title IX, the law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender in public education programs, is also relevant in application of professional standards within the context of private school sexual abuse and harassment and their response to alleged incidents. Every school that accepts federal funding for any program or service it provides must adhere to Title IX. Most public schools, including charter schools and specialized education service commissions, accept federal assistance and, therefore, must comply with Title IX. Compliance requirements include, among other things, the development of policies prohibiting sexual harassment and assault, prompt and thorough investigation of complaints, training of staff, and the assignment of a person who oversees implementation of the law.

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7/26/2017 · Child Welfare

Professional Standard of Care in the Field of School Administration and Student Supervision

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

Parents are responsible for the protection and care of their children, and there may be legal consequences if a parent negligently fails to take reasonable steps to protect his or her child from harm. As with parents, entities and agencies charged with the care and supervision of children are responsible for the protection of their health, safety, and well-being. A partial list of such entities or programs include daycare centers, preschools, summer camps, YMCA centers, K–12 private and public schools, private schools that provide residences for students, and residential centers for adjudicated youth. When a child is placed into the care and custody of such an organization, that entity assumes control and supervision over the child comparable to parental care - and is held to even a higher professional standard of care established within the field of education.

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7/17/2017 · Sexual Abuse - Molestation - Harassment

Title IX: What Constitutes Actual Notice of Sexual Harassment or Sexual Violence in a School Setting?

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

Under Title IX, for a school to be held liable for denying an educational opportunity to a student who was sexually harassed or abused, the court must be convinced that the school had actual notice of prohibited behavior and that it acted deliberately indifferent to it. Often, it is a challenge to define what "actual notice" is and whether the school had such notice. If the school has no information on which to act to end harassment or abuse, it cannot be determined to be indifferent. In some of the cases we have worked on, however, there has been some level of notice that, if investigated, would have confirmed that harassment or abuse was taking place. Such notice could be a teacher hearing a rumor about a sexual relationship between another teacher and a student, a staff member watching a student speak in a sexually inappropriate way to another student, or the school receiving notice that that an off-campus sexual violence event is creating retaliation at school. Examples such as these may constitute actual notice, depending on the circumstances.

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6/1/2017 · Education & Schools

School District Liability: Duty of Care Owed to Students, Visitors, Volunteers, Trespassers and Local Agencies

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

Whenever children are involved in events on school premises, there is always the possibility of school district liability for incidents that happen on school grounds or at school-sponsored events. This foreseeability gives rise to a duty to take reasonable steps to prevent a child from being harmed. Public school districts may find themselves liable for injury - not only for those suffered by their own students, but also for those incurred by children who are invited onto school grounds, who attend separate programs on school grounds, and even those who are considered trespassers.

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4/4/2017 · Education & Schools

Post-Election Hostile School Environment: Protecting Students from Bullying and Harassment

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

Schools, including K-12 schools, colleges, and universities, have a responsibility to protect their students from harm. Harm includes the inability to benefit fully from education as a result of being in a hostile school environment. The politically motivated rhetoric and actions seen in schools during and after the presidential campaign can create a hostile school environment for which schools can be held responsible.

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2/15/2017 · Education & Schools

Student Safety: Screening and Background Checks for School Volunteers

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

Schools, after-school programs, summer camps, sunday schools, daycares and other agencies that supervise children are responsible for student safety of children in their care. Failing to apply the same attention to ensuring that non-licensed individuals, such as volunteers, meet the same standards as teachers and other paid staff can place students - and ultimately a school, district, or other agency - at risk. When the history of a volunteer or chaperone on an overnight school trip includes something that would raise a red flag but the school is unaware of it, school officials are not able to make an informed decision about whether or not that person should be allowed to interact with children.

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12/15/2016 · Education & Schools

Recreational and Summer Camp Activity Injury Liability

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

Protection of the health, safety, and well-being of children who participate in recreational activities at a summer camp, summer school program, or community and private recreation centers should be the standard operating procedure of all those who provide these services. The standard of care owed to children who participate in organized or sponsored recreational activities such as sports, dance, swimming, rock climbing and variety of other activities at a camp or other agency must be consistent with professional standards in the field. Ingraining standardized practices and responsible planning and supervision into the work habits of all employees will help to protect the employees and the agency from activity injury liability and costly litigation.

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7/6/2016 · Sexual Abuse - Molestation - Harassment

Title IX and Sexual Violence at Colleges and Universities

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any education program, including in colleges and universities, if those programs or activities associated with the institution receive federal funding. Under Title IX, sex discrimination includes sexual harassment, sexual battery, sexual assault, rape and other sexual violence at school, college or university campuses. Any behavior that disrupts a student's access to an educational opportunity or benefit constitutes a violation of Title IX. Recent media coverage has brought to light the controversy over the six-month sentence for a former Stanford University student for the rape of a student on campus. There has been outrage over the sentence, and that outrage might be justified, given schools' responsibilities in similar cases.

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5/26/2016 · Education & Schools

In Loco Parentis: Duty of Educators and Professionals in Residential Programs for Children

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

Some of our most vulnerable children are relegated to a life away from parents, family, and their school to live where other adults take the place of their parents and are responsible for their custody or care - legally defined as in loco parentis. This occurs when children are placed in residential centers for the treatment of mental illness, schools for the deaf and blind, or similar facilities for children who require extensive medical care and management.

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3/18/2016 · Education & Schools

Student Sports Injury and School Liability

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

Nationwide, 7.6 million students participate in interscholastic athletics, according to U.S. News and World Report. Keeping them safe is critically important to avoid school liability and sports injury lawsuits. And when sports injury occurs, schools may be found responsible if they failed to take reasonable precautions and supervision of students in order to prevent sports injury. Parents send their children to school with the implicit expectation that schools will do whatever is necessary to keep them safe whether in the classroom or on the football field.

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2/23/2016 · Education & Schools

Title IX and Sexual Abuse in K – 12 Schools

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

As difficult as it might be to accept and understand, abuse of children is occurring at an alarming rate in our nation's schools, daycare centers, camps, and other institutions. Even with state laws that require child abuse reporting and institutional policies that address sexual abuse prevention, identification, and reporting, abuse is not going away. More civil lawsuits are filed with each passing year, and schools and other organizations are not always appropriately responding to this epidemic.

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2/1/2016 · Education & Schools

School Safety and Security: Responding to Terroristic Threats

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

In the wake of recent incidences of gun violence, school safety and security has become an increasingly pressing concern in the United States and Canada. Schools, summer camps, daycare centers, and other agencies charged with the safety of children have a duty to protect them, and their ability to do so depends on solid policies, training, and appropriate response to security threats. Laws, regulations, and internal policies designed to shield children from harm may be developed proactively in response to a risk assessment or reactively in response to an event that caused injury to a child. Both are valid options in today's climate of terroristic threats to school safety and security. Inaction is not. Schools and other child-centered programs must consider and develop appropriate responses to this new dynamic.

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12/4/2015 · Education & Schools

Student Injury and Standard of Professional Care Analysis in Schools

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

Risk of personal injury to children is reduced when activities, facilities, equipment, personnel, and supervision are brought into compliance with "standards." There are several sources of standards. Some standards are mandated by law through statutes. Additional standards are set forth by oversight authorities, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Camping Association, the National Federation of High School Athletic Associations, or the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, to name a few. Other standards involve the customary professional practice of those conducting such activities. Ignorance of such standards is no excuse for failing to comply and schools and agencies with children have a duty to be proactive about implementing standards in order to prevent student injury.

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10/28/2015 · Education & Schools

Injury Liability and Emergency Response in Schools for Children with Medical Conditions

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

Many school-aged children have medical conditions about which teachers, nurses, and others who are responsible for their health, safety, and well-being should know. If not addressed in the right way by administrators, teachers, or other officials, these conditions can result in a catastrophic incident, not to mention costly litigation. A student with a known heart defect, for instance, is vulnerable in a physical education class if the teacher is not informed of the child's condition and does not institute appropriate precautions or prepared to respond in a medical emergency. If cafeteria personnel in a daycare center know that a child has a peanut allergy but fail to supervise the child appropriately, the child can go into shock if she is allowed to sit at a table where another student is eating peanut butter. In situations like these, if a plan for the child's care was either not in place or developed but not communicated to the staff, the child might suffer irreparable harm - or even die.

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9/25/2015 · Education & Schools

Assessment of Liability: Child Abuse and Injury in Residential Care

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

In my profession as an education administration and student supervision expert, I have observed that residential schools and boarding schools present a higher duty than day schools to supervise children and a greater opportunity for the school to be found liable for child abuse and injury. When children are living and learning in a program 24/7, staff must demonstrate not only a professional standard of care, but also a reasonable and prudent parent standard of care. Although related, these standards are distinct and must be appropriately and reasonably applied in a setting where staff serves as surrogate parents and others serve as teachers, counselors, and psychologists. When a child is sexually assaulted, administered unnecessary corporal punishment, or is injured or dies in a residential school, both of these standards need to be addressed.

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8/14/2015 · Education & Schools

Violation of Right to Bodily Security and Student Injury at School Resulting from Seclusion and Restraint

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

The first responsibility of educators and those who supervise children in residential programs, day care centers, before- and after-school programs, and other settings is to make sure that these programs foster learning and care in a safe environment. Asking third graders to move a cart with a heavy TV on top, inadequate staff instruction in safe techniques to quell disruptive students, not carefully checking that the door to the pool closes and locks the way it is supposed to, excessive discipline, playground aides talking among themselves but failing to pay attention to the children, not providing a sufficient number of nighttime supervisors in a dormitory, and a school police officer not trained on how to interact with children with behavioral disorders - any of these circumstances can lead to student injury at school or death of a child and high litigation costs. The overriding professional standard of care is to protect children's health, safety, and well-being. Under this umbrella fall the development and implementation of policies, adequate staff training, and a level of supervision reasonably calculated to keep children safe.

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7/7/2015 · Child Welfare

Liability in Child Injury Cases at Non-School Programs

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

In settings where children are supervised by adults, we often think about traditional settings, such as schools and summer camps. But these are not the only places where children participate in activities that require adult supervision and which can result in child injury cases. Some nontraditional settings include resort and vacation day care programs, community recreation centers, church-sponsored events, and Boy and Girl Scout activities, among others.

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5/15/2015 · Education & Schools

School Liability for Student Field Trip Injuries or Death

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

For schools, summer camps, and day care centers, one of the key functions of student supervision is to identify dangerous conditions and then either stop the activity or warn of the danger. The supervisor must take appropriate action for the protection of the children. Duty to warn contemplates both having knowledge of danger (actual or constructive notice) and having time to communicate it. Field trip injuries are very common and there is an equal duty to protect when children are off campus but still under school supervision, such as when children are on a school-sponsored trip. Excursions off school property present special challenges. Careful planning ahead of the trip, knowing about potential safety hazards, and creating a plan to avoid or mitigate them can help to protect a child from field trip injuries and a school from liability lawsuits.

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4/16/2015 · Education & Schools

School Premises Liability: Maintaining School Grounds to Keep Students Safe

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

Keeping children safe in schools, preschool and daycare programs, summer camps, on playgrounds, and other locations is a primary responsibility of those who administer such programs. When a child becomes injured and the claim is negligent supervision, a school or other agency will have a greater chance of prevailing when it has clear policies and enforces them. In school premises liability lawsuits plaintiffs are more likely to prevail when a facility fails to maintain its campus and equipment, does not have a regular inspection plan, and does not instruct and supervise students in the safe and appropriate use of equipment.

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3/13/2015 · Education & Schools

Public and Private School Employment Discrimination Lawsuits

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

Employment decisions in public and private schools should be based on qualifications, performance, merit, and seniority, rather than race, national origin, gender, religion, age, or disability. Teachers and other school personnel can sue for employment discrimination if they are wrongfully dismissed or demoted, if they were prevented from initially obtaining a job, or not appropriately accommodated for a disability or medical condition. Most employment discrimination violates either state or federal law, and legal protections are found in the 14th Amendment to the Constitution and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Additionally, two primary federal statutes prohibit disability discrimination in employment: the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990.

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2/6/2015 · Child Welfare

Mandatory Child Abuse Reporting and School Liability

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

When child abuse is alleged to have taken place in a school, daycare facility, preschool program, summer camp, or other entity responsible for the supervision and safety of children, there is always the possibility that the entity may be liable if negligence can be established. Schools and other entities with a duty to protect children often become embroiled in lawsuits alleging that breach of this duty was a proximate cause of a child's injuries. Though laws vary, states adopt a broad definition of child abuse, including physical and emotional abuse, neglect and abandonment, incest, sexual molestation, and sexual exploitation. Typically, a child abuse report must be made to a designated state agency responsible for child protective services when a person, in his or her official capacity, suspects or has reason to believe that a child has been abused or neglected, or knows that a child has been subjected to conditions that could reasonably be expected to result in harm.

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12/30/2014 · Education & Schools

School Liability and High School Hazing

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

School coaches have a duty to protect athletes from harm, including emotional or physical harm that may result from locker room hazing. High school hazing in athletics has many beginnings - the most prominent being an attitude of superiority among senior athletes and the belief that a weaker or younger athlete must be subjected to harassment to "make the grade" or to be "good enough" to be on the team. This mentality, if left unchecked and if students are allowed to participate in hazing behaviors, eventually can result in even more serious misconduct, such as sexual harassment and serious personal injury.

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11/25/2014 · Education & Schools

Applying and Piercing Governmental Immunity in School Liability Cases

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

When a student personal injury in a public school triggers litigation, plaintiff and defendant attorneys must address the concept of governmental immunity. In general, governmental immunity shields public schools from tort litigation and liability. Governmental immunity is not universally applicable, however, depending on how the facts of a specific case accord with state or provincial laws. This article is about how governmental immunity in public school cases might be pierced and how schools can determine whether governmental immunity applies in school liability cases.

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10/22/2014 · Education & Schools

Child Injury and Daycare Negligence: Liability Expert's Analysis

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

Millions of children participate in programs operated by daycare centers, nursery schools, and camps across the United States and Canada. The most important aspect of childcare is the safety and supervision of children. When a teacher, recreation leader, camp counselor, or other supervisor is engaged in activities involving young children, there is a duty to protect the child from physical harm, sexual abuse, and other forms of personal injury. A breach of duty to protect the health, safety, and welfare of a child that leads to injury may result in daycare negligence lawsuits.

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9/10/2014 · Sexual Abuse - Molestation - Harassment

Campus Sexual Assault and Harassment Lawsuits: Title IX Standards and Questions of Liability

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

In 2011, the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued a "Dear Colleague" letter to college and university administrators about implementation of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 in regards to campus sexual assault cases. Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs or activities in schools that receive federal funding. The letter explains that schools are required to develop and distribute policies regarding sexual harassment, designate a Title IX coordinator to oversee the school's duties, train staff and students in sexual harassment and violence issues, and establish an investigation procedure and an adjudication process. The letter did not articulate specific procedural safeguards, rules for the examination of evidence, or guidelines for the conduct of adjudication or hearing processes for cases of campus sexual violence.

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8/5/2014 · Education & Schools

Harassment and Hostile School Environment Lawsuits

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

Harassment in schools can occur when a student is discriminated against on the basis of national origin, race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender, or other identifiable class. A school district may be found liable for harassment if there is no strong, widely disseminated, and consistently enforced policy prohibiting it and no effective complaint procedure is in place. Schools can also be held responsible for the consequences stemming from a failure to take immediate, appropriate steps to respond to a complaint about harassment or bullying, terminate it, and discipline the offending party, be it an employee or another student. When a school has knowledge that a hostile environment exists but does not act on this knowledge, it can be viewed as giving tacit approval to this activity. In such cases, school districts have been found liable for enabling hostile school environment that prevents students from learning.

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7/1/2014 · Education & Schools

Private School Lawsuits: Contractual v. Constitutional Standard of Care

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

The relationship between private schools and their students is very different than the one that exists when a student is in a public school. In private schools, the relationship is contractual in nature. The contract is expressed or implied in written documents, such as promotional literature, student applications, and student and staff handbooks. By contrast, the relationship between public schools and students is governed by federal and state statues, such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Title IX. In public schools, students are afforded constitutional, substantive, and procedural protections that are generally not applicable in a private school. In private schools, academic and conduct issues involving students raise contractual, as opposed to constitutional, issues.

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5/29/2014 · Education & Schools

School Sports Injury Lawsuits and Duty of Care

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

Injuries are a part of intramural and extramural sports and recreation programs. According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, high school athletes account for 2 million injuries, 500,000 doctor visits, and 30,000 hospitalizations each year. There's a certain level of risk assumed by a child who participates in any physical activity, but the school or agency has a general duty to protect children from harm to avoid school sports injury lawsuits. Dereliction of that duty may result in any number of situations that a jury may consider negligent, such as failure to develop and implement appropriate policies and procedures for supervision, poor maintenance of equipment, or inadequate instruction of children about the dangers inherent in their activity.

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4/23/2014 · Education & Schools

Contributory Negligence Defense in School Liability Lawsuits

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

Student injury or death often brings negative attention to a school. In fact, the first thing often reported publicly is an injured party's claim that an incident stemmed from the negligence or misconduct of a staff member responsible for a child's safety - a teacher, coach, or bus driver, for instance. But a student injury or death can result from any number of situations. These might range from school-related action or inaction, such as a breach of school security or failure to follow a student's medical orders, to a student's own actions and choices triggering a contributory negligence defense.

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3/14/2014 · Education & Schools

School Liability and Negligent Supervision of Children with Disabilities

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

For schools, daycare centers, after-school programs, and camps, children with disabilities often present significant supervisory challenges. If these children's needs are not adequately addressed and a child is seriously injured or killed, negligent supervision may be viewed as a proximate cause. But what constitutes reasonable supervision of children with behavioral or physical disabilities? It depends on the unique needs of the student and a school's standards for protecting that student from harm.

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2/5/2014 · Education & Schools

Special Education: After a Due Process Hearing, Then What?

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

When empathy is lost, the wall between parents and school personnel grows taller and reinforcements are called in --the lawyers. This article explains how you can stop focusing on the wall. Change the attitude and move forward with the child at the center.

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1/9/2014 · Education & Schools

Assistive Technology: A Guide for School Districts

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

This article reviews recent legislation and how that legislation effects compliance with student IEPs in regards to the equipment that can improve a student's ability to learn and interact with teachers, family, and friends. The article details the recommendation of devices and the school's responsibility in regards to their procurement, usage, and maintenance.

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12/5/2013 · Education & Schools

Disability Harassment

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

Recently, a Seattle student with cerebral palsy was awarded $300,000 in damages from her school after years of harassment by another student was allowed to take place. Her harasser regularly called her names, blocked her wheelchair's path with furniture and manipulated her chair's electronic controls so it rammed into walls. It was not until the harasser caused his target serious physical injury and property damage that school officials responded formatively to his hostility by suspending him for three days.

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10/30/2013 · Education & Schools

Disability Law Briefing

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

Abstract: This special paper introduces the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, describes the school district's obligation to advocate for students with disabilities, reviews student rights created by the law, defines key terms, and takes the reader, step by step, through the procedural protections provided by the regulations.

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10/4/2013 · Education & Schools

Litigation Support: The Educator Expert

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

Abstract: Examples of consultations serve as an illustration of how a consulting education expert can assist lawyers who are working on school and education related cases. One example deals with a special education dispute involving inclusion and the other deals with liability for student injury and a settlement of $850,000.

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9/12/2013 · Education & Schools

Recommendations for Addressing Violence in Schools

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

The tragic realities of the school killings in Littleton, Colorado, and similar instances of violence involving today's youth, have educators, policymakers and communities searching for causes as well as methods of prevention. Hit lists, posted on Internet sites and plans made by high school students to "get even" when they are teased are symptoms of what we already know: Bullying, teasing and discrimination are big problems for American children.

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8/15/2013 · Education & Schools

Regular Assessment of School Procedures Can Reduce Risks

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

Our nation's schools pay millions of dollars annually in damages to school children injured in class, sexually assaulted by teachers, and harassed by fellow students. Unnecessary risks in schools can be controlled to protect the safety of students, faculty and support staffs and to eliminate costly litigation and settlements.

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7/30/2013 · Education & Schools

School Evaluations Help Swing Custody Cases

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

Even the most amicable custody arrangements can sour over school choice. As more people move about, the issue of where their children will attend school, and what that school offers compared to their current situation, is becoming more significant in family law. This article examines ways an education expert can assist with objective evaluations of school programs.

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7/16/2013 · Education & Schools

The Educator as a Consulting and Testifying Expert

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

The educator as a consulting and testifying expert has become one of the most important tools that an lawyer can use in the dispute resolution process involving schools. When the consultant becomes an expert witness the relationship changes. This article explains how the expert educator assesses merits of a case, and provides consultation to lawyers who are working on education and school related cases.

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6/19/2013 · Expert Witnessing

The New Landscape of Bullying: Criminal Prosecution, Civil Lawsuits and the Supreme Court

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

According to a new national survey, there has been a sharp drop in the percentage of America's children being physically bullied or beaten up by their peers.

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5/13/2013 · Expert Witnessing

Litigation in Schools: How an Education Expert Can Benefit Your Case

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

Assigning fault and responsibility in a lawsuit involving a school is rarely clear cut.

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3/25/2013 · Expert Witnessing

Educators as Expert Witnesses and Consultants

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

Eyewitnesses to the event may only tell what they saw, heard, felt or smelled; they are not allowed to tell what others have said (hearsay) or say what they think of the case.

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2/19/2013 · Education & Schools

Creating and Maintaining Effective Schools for All Children

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

The first wave of inclusion has crashed upon the shores of our schools. Now, educators and parents are looking toward the horizon awaiting the next wave to see what it brings.

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12/13/2012 · Education & Schools

After A Due Process Hearing, Then What?

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

Now that the administrative law judge ordered Heather into the regular fourth-grade classroom, none of the teachers want to have her, Maybe we shouldn't have filed for a due process hearing against the school. I think it backfired on us.

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9/7/2012 · Education & Schools

Accountability and Special Education: Planning for Results

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

Schools seem to have little control over the financial and human resources that are dedicated to special education. How can accountability be achieved?

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7/5/2012 · Sexual Abuse - Molestation - Harassment

Setting the Boundaries: Sexual Harassment in Schools

By: Edward Dragan

This article explores common situations regarding sexual harassment in the school setting. It also discusses exploitation of sexual power either by teachers or by students in an inappropriate relationship. Schools and its employees have a duty to train their students on their sexual harassment policies and to report any inappropriate behavior.

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5/14/2012 · Social Issues

Cyberbullying and the Law

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

Cyberbullying is one of the fastest-growing problems facing families and the people responsible for protecting our children: school administrators, lawmakers and law enforcement officials. Cyberbullying is such a new frontier, the laws that define and police it are, in many places, weak to nonexistent. Its "sudden" pervasiveness and severity is now shocking people into action as evidenced by the rash of suicides making national news and the resulting public outcry.

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3/6/2012 · Accident Prevention & Safety

A Worthwhile Investment: A lack of oversight on safety issues can cost you millions in damages if students are hurt

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

The safety of children is of the utmost concern to school board members, administrators, and teachers. Accidents do happen, of course, but you must do everything you can to make sure that the students in your care are not hurt.

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10/7/2011 · Education & Schools

What Can You Do to Recognize the Signs That Could Result in Your Students Being Hurt? The Red Flag

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

People who are passionate about school safety have a vision--a vision we share with concerned parents, educators, and especially with the kids we're obliged to protect.

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8/12/2011 · Education & Schools

Five Tips for Parents When Your Child Is Being Bullied

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

All 15-year-old Phoebe Prince wanted was to be liked. But after moving from Ireland to Massachusetts, it wasn't long before Phoebe endured bullying from the "mean girls" at school.

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6/14/2011 · Education & Schools

Understanding Liability In School Cases

By: Dr. Edward Dragan

It is commonly accepted that school liability has increased over the past several years, especially in the area of tort liability.

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The Bully Action Guide: How to Help Your Child and Get Your School to Listen

Edward F. Dragan EdD

Bullying used to be thought of as an unpleasant rite of passage, but now psychologists are realizing that it inflicts real harm. As many as 40 percent of children report that they’ve experienced episodes of bullying at school or online through their school community. School safety expert Edward Dragan argues that parents need to be proactive in looking out for their children’s social well being at school. From his many decades as a Board of Education insider, he argues that schools are self-protective entities and reluctant to address bullying themselves.

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Mr. Nichols specializes in cases involving sexual abuse in schools, churches, camps, mentoring programs, sports organizations, and after-school programs. From 1994 to 2016 he served as the Vice President over child safety and facilities for Boys & Girls Clubs of America (National Headquarters). In that role he shaped the organizational policies and practices that helped protect over 4 million youth at over 4,000 sites in the U.S. and abroad. In 2016, Mr. Nichols entered private practice in two areas: as an expert witness in sex abuse-related cases involving organizations, and as a safety/security consultant for schools and other organizations.

Mr. Nichols has authored, co-authored, or contributed to over 40 publications addressing various aspects of protecting people from harm. Most recently, he was a reviewer and contributor to the Maryland Guidelines and Best Practices for the Design, Assessment and Modification of Physical Facilities and Spaces to Reduce Opportunities for Child Sexual Abuse (2020) by the MD State Council on Child Abuse & Neglect, and co-author of a graduate-level textbook, Extreme Violence: Understanding & Protecting People from Active Assailants, Hate Crimes & Terrorist Attacks (2021) by Cognella Academic Publishing.

Mr. Nichols is a member and past president of the National Coalition for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation, a board-certified security professional (CPP) through ASIS International and holds a Master of Science in Security Administration.

Mr. Nichols has been retained or served as a fact witness in over 30 cases, involving sexual abuse and other harm within organizations. Examples include:

A contract school bus driver molests a student on the bus
A school music instructor grooms and molests his teen student
A organization’s screening process misses obvious red flags
A college ministry fails to provide oversight to prevent an accidental death
A disabled child is molested by another child while being transported on a bus
A sports organization fails to audit its child protection program
A church volunteer systematically grooms and molests young boys
Two teens rape a female, special needs student between classes
A child is injured on a roof during an afterschool program
An organization fails to provide effective sex abuse prevention resources to its affiliate
A young boy is molested by other boys at a church retreat

View Les Nichols' Consulting Profile.

• Les Nichols' Curriculum Vitae

• Experience

• Consulting and Forensic Work

• Selected Projects

• FAQs

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

Psychiatry
Forensic Psychiatry
Addiction Psychiatry

Addiction Medicine
Internal Medicine
Nutrition Medicine

Dr. Weiss has more than 40 years of experience as a physician. He has been in practice for more than 20 years as a Board-Certified Psychiatrist, Forensic Psychiatrist and Addiction Psychiatry specialist, preceded by more than 2 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 Medical Director of Austin Lakes Hospital and taught residents at several renowned universities.

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 report, 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:

Psychiatric Treatment Standard of Care
Addiction Treatment Standard of Care
Private Practitioner Standard of Care
Detox Facility Standard of Care
Internal Medicine and Psychiatry Overlap
Medication and Drug Interactions
Pain Management Malpractice
DUI / DWI
Physician Competency
Employer Fitness for Duty Assessment

Mental Disability
Competency to Stand Trial
Competency to Waive Rights / Legal Representation
General Competency (Wills, Medical Consent, etc.)
Criminal Responsibility
Confidentiality
Involuntary Treatment
Correctional Psychiatry
Juvenile Justice
Violence and Abuse

• Dr. Leonard J. Weiss' Curriculum Vitae

• Biography

• Forensic Psychiatry

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Glen D. Skoler, PhD is a Clinical and Forensic Psychologist with over 25 years of experience in court evaluations and testimony. Dr. Skoler is licensed to practice in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington D.C. He has been qualified as an expert witness in clinical and forensic psychology in several state courts and in Federal U.S. District, military, and immigration courts. Dr. Skoler's clinical psychology practice also provides psychotherapy and psychological testing in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Dr. Skoler's forensic psychology practice provides court evaluations, testing and expert witness testimony in criminal, civil, juvenile court, military, immigration, employment, and domestic relations cases. State and Federal court cases are accepted from around the nation, particularly in the tri-state area of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York, as well as the tri-state area of Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia. His services are offered equally to defense, prosecuting, county, family law, and civil litigation attorneys.

Dr. Skoler's additional specialized areas of expertise include political and relationship-related threatening and stalking, false confessions, abuse allegations and interstate and international child abduction/retention cases. Dr. Skoler served as a contributing author and expert panel member for the ABA's Benchbook on Psychiatric and Psychological Evidence and Testimony. He has consulted with or presented to the Federal Judicial Center, the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Senate Chaplain, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the American Bar Association and CIA/NSA psychology staff. He has published or been cited in the Washington Post, NPR, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Huffington Post, CBS 48 Hours and on NBC and Fox news affiliates.

Criminal Law & Civil Litigation:

Criminal Insanity
Mental Competency
Personal Injury & Emotional Harm
Risk Assessments
Sentencing Evaluations
Psychological, Neuropsychological & Substance Abuse Evaluations & Testing
Immigration Evaluations
Discrimination & Disability Evaluations
Court-Martials
Domestic Abuse & Stalking
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders

Juvenile & Domestic Relations Evaluations

Custody
Parental Alienation
Parental Fitness
Child Retention/Abduction Evaluations
Juvenile Court Evaluations
Motions to Try Juveniles as Adults
Allegations of Child & Spousal Abuse

Attorney Consultations & Professional Ethics:

Critiques of Psychiatric & Psychological Testimony, Reports & Ethics
Forensic Evaluations & Testimony in Compliance with APA Code of Ethics & Forensic Guidelines

View Dr. Skoler's Consulting Profile.

• Dr. Skoler's Curriculum Vitae

• More About Dr. Skoler

• Court & Custody Evaluation

• Attorney's Blog

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Michael Levittan, Ph.D. is an Expert Witness, Psychotherapist, Media Consultant, and Lecturer at UCLA Extension and California Graduate Institute. Dr. Levittan works as an expert witness on cases involving domestic violence, child abuse, post-traumatic stress, anger issues, child custody, school violence. He is director of a certified Domestic Violence/Anger Management program and has numerous articles published on violence and abuse.

Dr. Levittan presents at UCLA, National Alliance on Mental Illness, L.A. Superior Court, U.S. Marines, Hillsides Children's Home, Loyola Marymount Univ, International Conference on Violence, Abuse, Trauma, California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, Grief & Loss Conference, The Maple Center, Womens Shelters.

Dr. Levittan's website: www.michaellevittan.com.

• View Dr. Levittan's Professional Experience

• View Dr. Levittan's Media Appearances & Consultations

• View Dr. Levittan's Recent Presentations & Appearances

8/14/2012 · Psychiatry

Men's Violence Toward Women: Fear of the Feminine and Ultramasculinity

By: Dr. Michael Levittan

What is the biggest insult, the nastiest put-down that a boy can suffer? What is the most shameful indignity, the most humiliating comment that a man must endure? It is to be referred to as a woman! It is to be called a name that compares one to a woman or to a part of a woman's body.

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6/1/2012 · Psychology

The Meaning and Essence of Anger Management

By: Dr. Michael Levittan

Anger management is one of the "hot" phrases of the 21st century. It is a concept that is often used, often suggested, but little understood. A good working definition of anger management is: "The insertion of rational thought into a mind that is consumed with anger."

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12/12/2011 · Psychology

The Key to Anger Management is Being Assertive

By: Dr. Michael Levittan

In today's world, anger management has become a necessary concept to understand and practice in order to effectively navigate the challenges of family, work, school and social life. It is commonly thought that managing angerinvolves not getting angry anymore.

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Kim A. Hart has over 25 years of experience assisting attorneys in the successful defense of persons accused of Child Abuse and/or Sex Crimes as well as successfully appealing those wrongfully convicted of child abuse and/or sex crimes.

Since 1987, Kim Hart has worked with various attorneys on cases in every state in the United States and has the experience and knowledge to determine what issues must be addressed as well as which strategies have proven successful and which have not. She works with attorneys to plan and develop specialized defense strategies for those needing help defending their innocence including, but not limited to, allegations of:

Sexual Abuse
Physical Abuse

Shaken Baby

Child Neglect

Ms. Hart provides consulting and support services to defense teams during the investigative, pre-trial, trial, and appeals stages of Child Abuse and Sex Crime cases. Many of these child abuse and sex crime cases have been high-profile, and most cases resulted in successful outcomes for the clients. She and her team have been very successful with appellate work for those wrongfully convicted of child abuse. Ms. Hart has also works on civil litigation cases relevant to child abuse and sex crime cases.

Kim Hart is knowledgeable as to the current state of the science in child abuse cases and sex crimes as well as appeals case law, and is skillful at incorporating this information into specific cases. She maintains excellent professional relationships with the leading experts in every field of child abuse and sex crimes and can effectively integrate these experts into specific cases when necessary to a successful defense. Ms. Hart is an associate member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the National Legal Aid and Defender Association.

If overnight delivery of documents is needed, please call for physical address. References available upon request.

View Kim Hart's Consulting Profile.

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• Services

• Blog

3/23/2015 · Child Welfare

Taint: A Question of Reliability, Not Credibility or Competence

By: Kim Hart

Isn't it interesting how the courts recognize taint in so many different contexts?1 We have an illegal search by the police and everything found during the illegal search becomes "fruit of the poisonous tree"-it is said to be tainted. The Houston Police Department's Crime Lab does not observe proper sterile procedures in handling DNA and the specimens are contaminated-they are said to be tainted. We have a lineup where the crime victim sees one White guy, three Hispanics, and two Blacks. The identification of the White guy is said to be tainted, the product of a suggestive or improper lineup.

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Dr. Jane K. McNaught, PhD is a locally and nationally recognized Forensic Psychological Expert specializing in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder with adults and children. Over the course of her more than 35 years of practice, she has worked with both Defense and Plaintiff attorneys and has also been a Court appointed expert. Dr. McNaught has administered more than 1700 psychological test batteries and testified on over 500 occasions as a forensic expert in the areas of: Civil, Criminal, and Family Law. She also provides trial consultation for attorneys. Dr. McNaught has been qualified and testified as an expert in PTSD, for both the U.S. Army as well as the U.S. Navy. In addition she has testified as an expert in both District and Federal court. Dr. McNaught practices in the areas of Civil, Criminal, and Family Law cases involving trauma to both adults and children.

In the Civil area, Dr. McNaught is frequently hired as an expert when there are allegations of Emotional Damages involving Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Dr. McNaught has been hired in cases of alleged sexual misconduct within institutional settings such as: Schools, Churches,, Treatment Centers, Hospitals,Residential Centers for the Handicapped, Jails and other Police alleged violations.The following are cases where Dr. McNaugth has been an expert: Motor Vehicle Injuries/Death; dog bite; amputation; burns; electrocution. Dr. McNaught has also been anexpert in Medical Malpractice Cases ,Wrongful Death, and Infant Death cases. Employment Law Experience in cases involving Age or Sexual Harassmen,t where PTSD is alleged.

In the Criminal area, Dr. McNaught is hired by both the Prosecution as well as Defense in cases involving Sexual Misconduct. She also conducts evaluations of Defendants in criminal cases where Underlying Psychological Conditions may impact sentencing. Dr. McNaught has also been obtained as an expert to evaluate the reliability of statements obtained from alleged victims of sexual assault. When doing so, Dr. McNaught addresses the following: Recantation, Memory Research, and the Standard of Care for Interviewing Victims of Sexual Assault.

In the area of Family Law, Dr. McNaught specializes in High Conflict Dvorce and conducts Custody Evaluations as well as Evaluations regarding: Relocation; Endangerment; Factitious Disorder by Proxy; Parental Capacity; and Parental Alienation.

View Dr. McNaught's Consulting Profile.

• Dr. McNaught's Curriculum Vitae

• More About Dr. McNaught

• Psychological Expert Witnessing

10/23/2017 · Psychology

Evaluating the Psychological Impact of Burns

By: Dr. Jane K. McNaught

Physical traumas such as a serious burn injury can be profoundly traumatic. Serious burns result in sudden unanticipated trauma related to the individual's exposure to a potentially life-threatening experience. One day the burn victim begins their day like any other, and by the end of the day the burn victim's life may be changed forever by the traumatic event experienced. A Forensic Psychological Expert utilizes well respected psychological tests to assess the emotional impact of such injuries. The psychological tests employed are statistically reliable and valid. The choice of valid and reliable psychological tests employed by a Forensic Psychologist are similar to tests used by a physician to diagnose diabetes or other medical disorders. Such tests offer norms that compare the individual in question to a large normative sample, in order to evaluate the burn victim's psychological functioning compared to that of the "normal" person.

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7/12/2017 · Forensic Psychiatry

Diagnosing and Treating Parental Alienation/Child Alienation: How a Forensic Psychologist Can Help

By: Dr. Jane K. McNaught

When divorce occurs in the family, an inevitable loss occurs in the lives of the parents as well as children. Positive adjustment to divorce comes when both of the parents as well as the children develop healthy coping methods to deal with the loss. This enables both parents and children to move forward with their new lives. Unfortunately, many parents who suffer from their own disturbed attachment history or mental health issues, are unable to put aside their anger and constructively cope with the loss. In such cases, parents often undermine the children's relationship with the other parent, in order to express their own unresolved parental anger and sadness about the divorce.

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6/15/2017 · Psychology

Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another

By: Dr. Jane K. McNaught

Formerly this disorder has been referred to as Munchausen by Proxy and later, Factitious Disorder by Proxy. In the current version of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic Criteria, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM-V), the disorder is referred to as Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another, (DSM-V 300.19). The perpetrator and not the victim is given this diagnosis. The victim is given an abuse diagnosis.

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6/6/2014 · Psychology

Forensic Psychology: Emotional Damages and Traumatic Injuries in Children and Teens

By: Dr. Jane K. McNaught

Forensic Psychologists can assist both Plaintiff and Defense lawyers in their assessment of the emotional damages related to traumatic injuries with adults as well as children. PTSD in children and teens is caused by events that have caused them or someone else to be killed or badly injured. Not all children develop PTSD after a traumatic injury. 3-15% of girls and 1-6% of boys develop PTSD in response to a traumatic experience. Rates of PTSD are higher for certain types of trauma survivors. Nearly 100% get PTSD if they see a parent being killed or if they see a sexual assault. 90% of sexually abused children develop PTSD; 77% of children who see a school shooting develop PTSD; and 35% of children who see violence in the area they live, develop PTSD (National Center for PTSD in Children and Teens).

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5/1/2014 · Psychology

Amputation: Evaluating Psychological Injuries in Children and Adults

By: Dr. Jane K. McNaught

Amputation is an injury involving loss of function, loss of sensation, and loss of body image. It is not surprising amputees often suffer psychological difficulties following such an event. Further, these psychological difficulties can also result in long term Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for the amputee. Often these psychological injuries and resultant PTSD can be difficult to explain to a jury. The forensic expert's presentation of psychological testing assessing potential PTSD is one part of proving or disproving damages. However, the forensic expert can better assist either the Defense or Plaintiff's attorney by addressing specific functions in the amputee that have been affected by the injury.

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Charles H. Heller, PhD, is a Forensic Psychology Expert with over 35 years of experience in his field. Dr. Heller is currently on staff at Rutgers University Biomedical Health service, specializing in criminal behavior and risk assessment. He also serves as a forensic psychologist consultant for the Rockland County (NY) court evaluation service, where he has performed hundreds of child custody, as well as criminal competency and child abuse/neglect evaluations.

Litigation Support - Dr. Heller specializes in conducting custody evaluations, providing the review and analysis of potentially mitigating circumstances in connection with criminal behavior, and providing consultation to attorneys regarding civil litigation. He has extensive court experience in Civil, Criminal, and Family Court cases. Dr. Heller is a fully vetted and approved forensic psychologist for the NJ Office of the Public Defender as well as other Public Defender offices. (Federal Public Defender, Legal Aid in Manhattan, Bronx, Kings and the NYC assigned counsel program). He often travels throughout the US as a forensic consultant in important court cases including military Court Martials, death row assessment, sexual abuse, assault and multiple homicides. He is well known and respected among his colleagues as a clinician and as a forensic psychologist/expert witness.

Civil Litigation - (Emotional and Mental Injury) - Dr. Heller is retained by both plaintiff and defense counsel to assess plaintiffs for emotional and mental injury. He takes an unbiased, ethical approach to assessments and is not "a hired gun." He is an expert in objective evaluations that assess the probability the plaintiff is suffering PTSD, other emotional injuries, or if there is exaggeration of symptoms based upon psychological testing and other data. He has expertise in cases that involve group home / residential schools, provider negligence, and assaults.

Criminal Litigation - Dr. Heller is experienced in providing successful rebuttal testimony explaining the scientific issues related to the problems of validity, reliability, and usefulness of "Syndrome evidence" such as "Child Sexual Abuse Accommodation Syndrome" and "Rape Trauma Syndrome." He testifies in child sexual abuse cases and explains research related to false allegations, recantations, memory, suggestibility, child testimony, interview protocols, and "Believed-In Imaginings" in children and adults. He has expertise in domestic violence and has assessed women who have been victims of intimate partner violence and "Battered Women Syndrome" that contributed to homicides, assaults, and other felonies by the victims of abuse.

Manhattan: (Mailing Address)
Two Park Avenue, 20th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Phone: 212-880-3789
Alt. Phone: 845-354-0535
Fax: 845-354-1287

New Jersey: (Alternate Mailing Address
140 East Ridgewood Avenue
South Tower, Suite 415
Paramus, NJ 07652
Phone: 201-262-0331
Fax: 845-354-1287

Westchester County: (Not for Mail Service)
520 White Plains Road, Suite 500
Tarrytown, NY 10591
Phone: 845-354-0535
Fax: 845-354-1287

View Dr. Heller's Consulting Profile.

• Dr. Heller's Curriculum Vitae

• Areas of Expertise

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MAIN OFFICE - NEW JERSEY:
43 Maple Ave.
Morristown, NJ 07960

NEW YORK OFFICE:
155 East 31st Street, Suite 25L
New York, NY 10016

Dr. Alberto M. Goldwaser is a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, in General Psychiatry and in Forensic Psychiatry. He has been named as a "Distinguished Life Fellow" of the American Psychiatric Association - a special distinction "for exceptional contributions to the community and the profession of psychiatry."

Dr. Alberto M. Goldwaser has conducted Civil, Criminal, Military, and Administrative Forensic Psychiatric Examinations in many states. He offers Independent Medical Examinations and Testimony for Plaintiff and Defense.

Areas of Expertise

Pre Deposition /Trial Consultations
Neuropsychiatry
Violence Risk Assessment
Criminal Responsibility
Competency: Civil/Criminal
Divorce
Child Custody and Parental Time Sharing
Child Abuse
Elderly Abuse
Psychiatric Effects of Physical Injuries
Psychic Injury
Post-Traumatic Stress
Mental Disability

Medical Malpractice
Neuropsychiatry
Correctional Psychiatry
Juvenile Justice
Ethics and Human Rights
Sexual Harassment
Boundaries Violation
Wrongful Death
Civil Commitment
Undue Influence
Right to Treatment
Right to Refuse treatment
Sex Offender Risk Eval

• View Dr. Goldwaser's Curriculum Vitae

8/7/2006 · Sexual Abuse - Molestation - Harassment

Sexual Harassment: "Cinderella" Or The "Little Mermaid", Victim Or Tease

By: Alberto M. Goldwaser, MD, DFAPA

Cinderella – the persecuted heroine – was forced to perform with the enticement of an immediate reward (going to the party), and a promotion of sorts (being treated equally). The Little Mermaid picked out (teased) her suitor, pursued him, and after a long, far-reaching, and conflicted relationship, she ended up down and under

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Forensic Psychiatric Associates, LP's (fpamed) mission is to provide the legal profession with the highest quality evidence-based forensic psychiatric and psychological opinion and testimony. To accomplish this, they have built a specialty practice of highly trained forensic psychiatrists and psychologists.

The psychiatrists at fpamed are multiply boarded by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in Psychiatry and Forensic Psychiatry. In addition to multiple board certifications, each has additional subspecialty expertise relevant to forensic psychiatric and psychological practice.

fpamed offers Forensic Psychiatric and Psychological Expert Assessment and Testimony about traumatic and non-traumatic psychological injuries including the following:

Motor Vehicle Accident
Death of Parent
Parental Loss
Loss of Consortium
Burn Injuries
Suicide
Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury
Forensic Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
Child Sexual Abuse
Child Abuse
Child Custody Disputes
Spousal Abuse
Elder Abuse
Employee Harassment
Employee Discrimination
Race Discrimination
Gender Discrimination
Ethnic Discrimination
Accommodation
ADA
FEHA
Wrongful Termination
Effects of Stress
Standard of Care
Psychiatric Malpractice
Boundary Violations
Wrongful Death
Prescribing Psychiatric Medication
Stress

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Class Action
Mass Torts
Toxic Torts
Asbestos
Mold
Damp Buildings
TCE Exposure
Malingering
Factitious Disorder
Somatization Disorders
Subjective Disorders
Stalking
Competency
Testamentary Capacity
Undue Influence
Will Contest
Psychological Testing
Neuropsychological Testing
Psychology
Psychologist
Neuropsychology
Neuropsychologist
Neuropsychiatrist
Head Injury
Traumatic Brain Injury
Cognitive Impairment
Neurocognitive Assessment

Dr. Mark I. Levy, MD, DLFAPA, a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, has been practicing Clinical Psychiatry and Psychoanalysis full time for over 30 years. During the past fifteen years he has devoted a substantial portion of his clinical practice to Forensic Psychiatry, providing independent medical evaluations (IME's) and expert forensic psychiatric opinion and Consultation nationally for plaintiff and defense trial attorneys, major insurance carriers and the courts.

Dr. Levy has lectured on a wide range of forensic topics including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, the role in personal injury litigation of pre-existing Personality Disorders, patient confidentiality, “Eggshell” Plaintiffs, stress management for attorneys and other topics and much more at state and local bar associations and in various other Continuing Legal Education programs for attorneys. He has written and lectured to medical audiences and is a frequent media expert and commentator on psychiatric, forensic, and mental health issues.

Dr. Levy has consulted as a psychiatric medical expert in more than 450 legal cases, have been deposed approximately 400 times and has been qualified as an expert by various State and Federal District Court to testify at trial on 52 occasions. He is currently an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry for the School of Medicine at the University of California at San Francisco, is on the Faculty at San Francisco Psychoanalytic Institute and is Chairman of the San Francisco Foundation for Psychoanalysis.Licenses.

Charles E. Saldanha, MD, FAPA, graduated from Emory University with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and completed his Doctor of Medicine degree at the Duke University School of Medicine. After internship at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, he completed residency in Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and a fellowship in Forensic Psychiatry at Yale University. He is certified in Psychiatry with Added Qualifications in Forensic Psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.

Dr. Saldanha has practiced in the areas of Emergency Psychiatry, Inpatient Psychiatry, and Community Psychiatry with a focus on persons with Serious Mental Illness. Over the course of his career, he served in medical leadership roles for several facilities, hospitals, and programs in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has served on the faculty of the UCSF Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship Program and has delivered educational presentations to a variety of professional and lay audiences.

Dr. Saldanha's areas of interest include administrative psychiatry, violence and suicide risk assessment, substance use disorders, medical malpractice, and civil and criminal competencies. He has performed over 60 forensic psychiatric evaluations and has testified over 25 times in court proceedings and depositions. Dr. Saldanha has been qualified as an expert in the field of psychiatry in courts in Connecticut, California and in the Federal Jurisdiction.

Anlee Kuo, JD, MD, received her B.A. degree from Dartmouth College. She received her J.D. from New York University School of Law and her M.D. from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She completed her residency in Psychiatry and subspecialty fellowship training in both Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Forensic Psychiatry at University of California, San Francisco. She is certified in Adult, Child, Adolescent & Forensic Psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.

Dr. Kuo's areas of interest include child forensic issues such as child custody evaluations, competency to stand trial assessments, diagnostic evaluations and risk assessments for the juvenile courts, parenting assessments in dependency cases, child sexual abuse allegations and child trauma assessments and diagnostic assessments in school consultation and child immigration cases. She currently maintains a clinical faculty appointment at the University of California, San Francisco and a private practice in San Francisco and San Mateo treating children, adolescents and adults. She has also worked in the child psychiatry division of the San Mateo County Mental Health Department.

Dr. Kuo has performed over 250 forensic psychiatric evaluations and qualified as an expert in the field of psychiatry in the San Francisco juvenile and adult courts and in the Federal Jurisdiction. She is a member of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the American Psychiatric Association.

• Dr. Mark I. Levy's Curriculum Vitae

• Download Dr. Mark I. Levy's vCard

• Dr. Charles E. Saldanha's Curriculum Vitae

• Dr. Anlee Kuo's Curriculum Vitae

• Introductory Video

• View the Child Custody & Divorce Power Point Presentation

2/13/2014 · Forensic Psychiatry

The Use of Forensic Psychiatry in Catastrophic Injury and Multi-Party Litigation

By: Dr. Mark Levy

Catastrophic accidents often lead to claims for severe emotional distress including allegations of post-traumatic stress disorder ("PTSD"). Similarly, allegations of acute neuropsychological disorders and fear of cancer can follow environmental releases and toxic exposures. So, too, with product liability claims and even claims from entire "classes" of individual employees. A single incident or condition may produce thousands of claims.

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6/20/2012 · Forensic Psychiatry

Choosing A Forensic Psychiatric Expert- The Difference between Treating Clinicians and Forensic Psychiatric Experts

By: Dr. Mark Levy

Forensic psychiatry is a medical subspecialty of psychiatry. Its focus is the interface between the law and behavioral medicine. Like the law, forensic psychiatry is divided into various sections. According to the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN):

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4/18/2012 · Psychology

When is a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Claim Legitimate...and When Is It Not?

By: Dr. Mark Levy

In prehistoric times, when our earliest ancestors lived in dread of their mortal enemy, the saber-toothed tiger, those cave men (and women) who were fortunate enough to be genetically endowed with the quickest "fight or flight" reactions survived, and became our ancestors. That's where the story begins..

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2/17/2012 · Forensic Psychiatry

ADA: Mental Illness in the Workplace: Legal and Psychiatric Implications of Mentally Disabled Employees

By: Dr. Mark Levy

Although federal and state laws prohibit employment discrimination against individuals with physical and mental disabilities and require an employer to make reasonable accommodations for both kinds of disabilities, interpreting and implementing the law with regard to mental disabilities has proven very difficult.

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8/23/2011 · Psychiatry

Assessing Emotional Damages in Multi-Plaintiff Litigation

By: Dr. Mark Levy

An hour earlier, a commuter train with 180 passengers struck a sport utility vehicle left on the tracks-an aborted suicide attempt. The parking lot adjacent to the tracks is filled with people dazed and confused.

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8/22/2008 · Psychology

Assessing The Truth: How Forensic Psychiatrists and Psychologists Evaluate Litigants

By: Mark I. Levy, MD, DLFAPA, and Ronald Roberts, PhD

The practice of forensic psychiatry and psychology, like the rest of medicine, is as much art as it is science. At the end of the day, the job of the forensic expert is to be able to communicate complex and at times abstract information in plain, non jargonized language

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Dr. Robert Evans, PhD, is a Licensed School Psychologist with over 30 years of experience in the behavioral sciences, including completing over 100 Child Custody Evaluations. Dr. Evans serves as a consultant to the medical, legal, and law enforcement community in Florida on Psychological and Educational matters. He consulted with Orange County Public Defender with cases involving arrest and incarceration of children, including Competency Assessments and Insanity Determinations. He has also provided Critical Incident Stress Debriefings to victims of crime in the Central Florida area.

Litigation Support - Dr. Evans specializes in Parental Alienation cases which are commonly among those classified as High Conflict Divorce cases and he has written a book on Parental Alienation. He provides litigation support to counsel for both Plaintiff and Defense. His services include support with hearing / trial preparations, review of current evaluations, and support during and after the litigation process.

Dr. Evans has given sworn testimony as a Forensic Psychology expert witness in NY, IL, PA, GA, FL, IA, ID, CO, OH, TX, TN, LA, MA, MD, MO, NC, SC, WA, and OR.

Areas of Expertise:

Parental Alienation
Child Custody Evaluations
False Allegations of Abuse
Treatment Considerations for Alienated Children
Workplace Violence

• Dr. Evan's Curriculum Vitae

• More About Dr. Evans

• Parental Alienation Videos

7/11/2021 · Psychology

Parental Alienation: Judge’s Dilemma - A Worldwide Concern

By: Robert A. Evans, PhD

With greater frequency, family law cases are showing up in which children are rejecting a parent. While there may be some situations where a child may be hesitant to be with a parent, these high conflict family law cases typically include outright rejection and severe expressions of hatred for a parent without genuine justifications.

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5/17/2021 · Child Welfare

Parental Alienation: Child Abuse? --- Reportable?

By: Robert A. Evans, PhD

Those of us who have been working within the field of Parental Alienation recognize that Parental Alienation is in fact a form of abuse. So, doesn’t it logically follow if the professional field recognizes Parental Alienation as child abuse then, by definition, it should be reportable to child protection and law enforcement organizations?

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The Essentials of Parental Alienation Syndrome: It's Real, It's Here and It Hurts

Robert A. Evans, PhD, et al

We are seeing an increase in high conflict, adversarial divorce cases in mental health practices and in the courtrooms around the country. These cases present with a significant amount of parental conflict and, as a consequence, represent a threat to the children caught in the middle of these conflicts. Curiously, there is a great commonality among these cases in terms of the tactics alienators use to separate a parent from his or her children. The purpose of this work is to share ideas, thoughts, background, theory and some experiences in working with high conflict families. It is important for professionals to get a sense of both sides of the Parental Alienation Syndrome issue.

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Dr. Ron Martinelli, PhD, CMI-V, is a nationally renowned Forensic Criminologist and a federal/state courts qualified law enforcement and premises liability expert who is also a Certified Medical Investigator (physician's level). He is also a Certified Suicide Investigator.

Dr. Martinelli directs the nation's only Forensic Death Investigations & Independent Review Team of 26 law enforcement, forensic and medical experts and specializes in officer-involved death cases, civilian self-defense shooting cases and premises liability/security cases. He is a forensic/law enforcement expert to the U.S. Department of Justice, several State Attorney Generals' Offices, numerous major municipalities and nationally prominent private law firms specializing in wrongful death, civil rights and premises liability.

Dr. Martinelli is the prevailing expert in over 90% of his retained cases. He has saved defendants over $300M and earned plaintiffs over $160 million in jury verdicts and settlements since 2004. He is the media's go-to forensic expert for FOX News, One America News Network, CNN, HLN, Sky News, BBC, NPR, and the History & Discovery Channels. Dr. Martinelli is skilled in crime scene reconstruction, forensics, applied sciences, human factors, psycho-medical emergencies and premises liability and security cases. His unique and extensive field experience, combined his academic and scientific credentials, excellent written reports and persuasive testimony, make him a very appealing expert to attorneys and juries alike.

Areas of Expertise:

Arrests
Search & Seizure
Use of Force / Excessive Force - All Levels and Weaponry
Officer Involved Shootings(OIS)
In-Custody Deaths
Criminal Investigations
Law Enforcement & Corrections Practices, Training & Supervision
Adult & Juvenile Corrections
Law Enforcement Negligence
Civilian Self-Defense, Premises Liability, Security, Foreseeable Harm
Insurance Cases
COVID Detentions & Arrests

• View Dr. Ron Martinelli's Biography

• Visit Dr. Ron Martinelli's Firearms Training Website

6/26/2017 · Police Practices & Procedures

The "21 Foot Rule" - Forensic Fact or Fantasy?

By: Dr. Ron Martinelli

Officers throughout the United States and perhaps internationally have heard use of force instructors discuss the "21 Foot Rule" during their officer safety, firearms and deadly force training. As both a use of force instructor and practicing forensic police practices expert, I have also trained and testified to this concept myself.

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6/9/2017 · Police Practices & Procedures

Responses to Psycho-Medical Emergencies

By: Dr. Ron Martinelli

On a hot July day, fire and police are called to the home of a 55 year old man suffering from heat stroke. Police arrive first and find the man sitting on a bench in his front yard. When the officers approach the man and ask him to give them his cane, he becomes agitated and non-compliant. One officer suddenly grabs the cane away from the man, who screams and suddenly stands up. The man is tased, taken to the ground, beaten and handcuffed. He is transported to the hospital where ER physicians confirm a diagnosis of heat stroke. The man has no criminal history. He sustains numerous moderate injuries which keep him from returning to work for several weeks. The officers and agency are sued and settle out of court.

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4/25/2012 · Law Enforcement

Law Enforcement: To Chase Or Not To Chase?

By: Dr. Ron Martinelli

An officer detains an active parolee gang member for questioning, and during the detention, the suspect suddenly runs. The officer chases the suspect for two blocks, observes the suspect to be grabbing into his shorts pocket.

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2/15/2012 · Police Practices & Procedures

Murder or Stress-Induced Hypervigilance? Officer Johannes Mehserle and the Infamous "BART Shooting"

By: Dr. Ron Martinelli

On November 5, 2010, Superior Court Judge Hon. Robert Perry sentenced former BART Police Officer Johannes Mehserle to two years in state prison for the January 1,2009, accidental shooting death of 22-year-old Oscar Grant at the Fruitdale BART station.

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11/3/2011 · Law Enforcement

"The Art of Force" - Pre-Contact Threat Assessment

By: Dr. Ron Martinelli

San Francisco Police officers respond to a call of an agitated mentally disturbed and disabled man in a wheelchair wielding a knife and vandalizing parked cars on a downtown city street. A group of at least six uniformed and plain clothes officers locate and surround the man who remains seated in his wheelchair. The officers' initial attempts to communicate with the angry, apparently delusional and armed man prove ineffective.

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9/13/2011 · Law Enforcement

Taser Mentality

By: Dr. Ron Martinelli

An officer responding to a report of a domestic argument between husband and wife observes the husband walking down the street.

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7/15/2011 · Law Enforcement

The Forensic Force Series: Psychophysiological Responses to TASER-ECD Influence

By: Ron Martinelli

One of the most pressing problems within the law enforcement and use-of-force instructor communities is the reconciliation of force deployments with subject noncompliance and resistance.

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The Truth Behind the Black Lives Matter Movement and the War on Police

Dr. Ron Martinelli

A facts-based introduction to the controversial and militant Black Lives Matter political organization and movement written by a nationally renowned forensic criminologist who has been involved in many of the nation's most publicized police-involved death cases. Learn about the movement's founders, ideology, funding sources, surrogates, radical goals and objectives to disenfranchise law enforcement and usurp the rule of democratic law. Several infamous police death cases forensically explained and numerous false narratives of the movement are factually destroyed with explanations of the actual circumstances. This is a powerful, vetted "go to" reference source for researchers, the media, law enforcement and those interested in this radical movement.

Featured resources

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by Edward J. Priz, et al

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by Makarand Hastak, PhD, PE, CCP

expert witnesses

Child / Children Abuse Expert Witnesses: 13

Forensic Psychiatry Expert Witness Suzanne Dupée

Education Management Expert Edward Dragan

Child Protection Program Expert Witness R Leslie Nichols MSSA CPP

Forensic Psychiatry Expert Witness Leonard Weiss

Forensic Psychology Expert Witness Glen Skoler

Psychotherapist Expert Michael Levittan

Child Abuse Trial Consultant Kim Hart

Forensic Psychology Expert Witness Jane McNaught

Clinical Forensic Psychology Expert Witness Charles Heller

Forensic Psychiatry Expert Alberto Goldwaser

Psychiatry Expert Witness Mark Levy

Forensic Psychology Expert Witness Robert Evans

Criminal Justice Expert Ron Martinelli

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