Real Estate: Lease Audits Expert Witnesses

MCS Associates is a nationally recognized consulting group that has provided financial, operations and regulatory/compliance consulting services nationwide to financial institutions, insurance companies and regulatory agencies as well as real estate and financial services organizations for over 40 years. Expert Witness and Litigation Consulting are a primary focus of our services. We undertake expert witness assignments throughout the United States and our clients include several hundred leading law firms around the country, working on behalf of both plaintiff and defendant financial institutions, borrowers, depositors, investors, developers, insurance companies and their insured, securities/insurance/real estate brokers/agents, regulators and government agencies, and individuals. 

Together with MCS Associates’ specialized resources in banking, financial services and real estate, we also draw on key strategic alliances in insurance, economics, academia and the securities industry to meet a wide range of expert witness needs. Our litigation experts include experienced bankers, lenders, consultants, regulators, managers, brokers & agents in insurance, real estate, and securities; insurance claims and underwriting managers; economists, accountants, appraisers, real estate analysts, and academics. 

Areas of Expertise Include:

• Banking Operations/Administration
• Check Fraud
• Lending Policies, Custom and Practice
• Loan Underwriting & Credit Administration
• Loan Securitizations & Servicing
• Bankruptcy, Foreclosures and Workouts
• Trust & Fiduciary Issues / Operations
• Securities Brokerage & Investments
• Valuations & Damages Analysis
• Forensic Accounting
• Employment / Compensation
• Real Estate Brokerage & Management
• Title Insurance & Escrow
• Real Estate Appraisal & Transactions
• Insurance Industry Custom & Practice
• Insurance Coverages / Claims Handling
• Insurance Bad Faith

Judge Cohen is a qualified Expert and Consultant with over 30 years experience in Construction Defects and Real Estate Standards of Care and Duty, Property Management, Property Inspection, Agents disclosure, Broker's disclosure, and Negligent and Intentional Conduct. Extensive experience in habitability, Civil Code 1941, Health and Safety Code §17920.3, transfer disclosure and all transactional requirements in the sale of property. Expert in construction arena in water penetration, roof defects, home inspection, structural defects, framing defects, electrical & mechanical problems, stucco, foundation and structural slabs, construction schedules and all mold related problems. Litigation consulting includes Case Risk Analysis and Assessment (is a case ripe for litigation?), Research and Litigation Support, Homeowner Associations HOA, Building Codes, Department of Real Estate Rules, Codes and Laws, Contractor's State Licensing Board Rules and Regulations, Uniform Building Code (UBC) compliance, Building and Safety. Expert in Mechanical, Electrical, Water Entry, Toxic Mold, Mildew and Sick Building Syndrome. American Arbitration Association (AAA) Arbitrator. Arbitrator and Mediator for State and Federal Cases. Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Practitioner. Graduate Level Certificate in Dispute Resolution (Mediation, Arbitration and Negotiation) from Pepperdine University School of Law. Licensed to practice law in California and Federal Court-Central District. Retired Administrative Law Judge, Inglewood Office of Appeals.

Education/Licenses: Administrative Law Judge (Ret.), Attorney, M.B.A., Certified Property Mold Specialist (C.M.I. & C.M.R. Designation), RE Broker (Realtor), General Contractor (B1), Electrical Contractor (C10), Certified Mediator, AAA Arbitrator and Mediator, FINRA Arbitrator, Western Case District.

Primary Area of Expertise: Real Estate, Construction Defects, Case Risk Assessment.

Jack G. Cohen has been involved in the Private Money Lending and  Real Estate Industry for over 30 years. He is currently the managing member and director of a private money real estate lending, real estate development, and investment property management company. He is also the San Fernando Realty Real Estate Investment director of the California Bureau of Real Estate. 

Mr. Cohen has experience with commercial, residential, and retail real estate, and construction lending.

Litigation Support: Mr. Cohen has been retained as an expert witness in Real Estate related cases over 50 times since 1990. He represents both Plaintiff and Defense and is experienced with complex cases. His services include thorough reporting, depositions, and trial testimony as needed.

Areas of Expertise:

Private Money Lending Credit File and Qualifications  Appraisals Evictions Foreclosures Industry Standards Title Reports Property Management

Tenant and Landlord Issues Brokers and Investor Relation Finance and Documentation Sales and Leasing Insurance Claims Loan Servicing Escrow

E. Robert Miller has over 40 years of service to the real estate profession and has unrivaled expertise in Property Management Techniques. As President of E. Robert Miller & Associates, he provides Expert Witness Consulting and trial work, educational services and business development services. Mr. Miller has served on over 1,300 cases as an Expert Witness or Consultant in the property management field since 1996. He was the 2004 Northern California Expert Witness Association President. Mr. Miller's experience and thoroughness in research, depositions and trial situations makes him your best choice for an expert witness in property management litigation. Areas of Expertise

• Accident or Assault - Safety/Security Conditions
• Improper Eviction
• Unpaid Rent - Habitability Standards
• Contractor Dispute
• Partnership Dispute
• Bankruptcy
• Animal Control
• Security Deposits
• Association Board Responsibilities/Management Duties

Robert S. Griswold, CRE, CPM, CCIM, PCAM, CCAM, GRI, ARM, has over 30 years of specialized experience in the field of Real Estate Management. He is currently active as a day-to-day hands-on, licensed practitioner, consultant, and expert witness in all aspects of real estate (except valuation). A 3-time graduate of the distinguished Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California with a BS ('81), MBA ('86) and MSBA (2nd Masters) ('88) in real estate and related disciplines, Mr. Griswold is a recognized expert on management of all types of residential real estate. He has actively managed over 60,000 residential units and several million square feet of commercial, industrial, self-storage and retail properties nationally. He has extensive experience as a court-appointed receiver (over 160 times) for private lenders and major financial institutions. Litigation Support - In the last 25+ years, Mr. Griswold has consulted on over 2,000 litigation matters, has been deposed over 600 times, and provided sworn testimony in trial or arbitration on over 150 occasions in both state and federal litigation matters throughout the United States. Also serving as a court-appointed bankruptcy Custodian and Referee, his case work is very evenly divided between plaintiff and defense work. Mr. Griswold is uniquely qualified to opine on real estate related litigation matters having authored or co-authored the 9 best selling real estate books: Real Estate Investing For Dummies; Property Management Kit For Dummies; Mortgage Management for Dummies and Landlord's Legal Kit For Dummies. His 15+ years as an On-Air NBC-TV Real Estate Expert and a similar tenure as a major radio station weekly talk show host have prepared him to present opinions to juries. Areas of Expertise:

Property Manager or Broker Fiduciary Duty Transactions Lease / CAM Disputes Lease Mitigation Premises Liability - Trip & Fall Maintenance or Failure to Maintain "Slumlord" Allegations Health & Safety or Personal Injury Wrongful Death

Property Inspections Water Intrusion, Mold Bed Bugs Fair Housing, Discrimination HUD Management Issues, Criminal Acts Management / Receiver Fees Transfer Disclosures, Misrepresentation, Negligence Negligent Hiring, Supervision, Termination Association Board Duties and Negligence

View Robert Griswold's Consulting Profile.

Robert Kehiayan, CPM, has over 35 years of experience in Asset and Property Management and Investment Brokerage. He specializes in commercial property including office and medical buildings, industrial parks, retail centers, and over 20,000 residential units. Background Experience - Mr. Kehiayan's experience with commercial properties is nationwide and involves leasing, sales, and management. He has substantial experience with commercial tenant leases, representing both landlords and tenants in leasing and property management. He has been intimately involved in countless lease transactions and lease administration. At a senior level, Mr. Kehiayan also supervises and trains agents in this regard. He is a California Bureau of Real Estate (CalBRE) certified instructor and teaches an advanced continuing education CalBRE credit course on the topic of leasing, management, acquisition, and sale of commercial real estate. He is credentialed as a Certified Property Manager (CPM) by the Institute of Real Estate Management (the most respected organization in this sector or real estate). Litigation Support - Robert Kehiayan is a qualified expert witness, asset manager, property manager, leasing agent, and licensed Real Estate Broker & Realtor® in CA and TX. experience includes deposition and testimony in court. He has also completed declarations including a rule 26 federal court report. Expert Witness Services:

• Courtroom testimony concerning industry standards, customs and practices in order to evaluate the legal liability of all parties
• Supply analysis in order to ascertain the facts and determine the historic context of the disputed issue
• Evaluate the arguments of opposing experts and assisting with the development of lines of questioning or specific questions for use in expert witness depositions

Areas of Expertise:

• All Commercial Real Estate including Retail, Office Spaces, Industrial, Apartment Properties, Shopping Centers, Storage Facilities, and Undeveloped Land
• Property Management
• Asset Management Leasing Representation for both Landlords and Tenants
• Investment Property Analysis, Due Diligence, and Acquisition for Buyer
• Broker Standard of Care
• Buyer and Seller Representation
• Due Diligence
• Guidance through 1031 Exchange Process
• Landlord and Tenant Issues
• Industrial Real Estate
• HOA Standard of Care

View Robert Kehiayan Consulting Profile.

Petru Corporation is a full service land consulting company offering a full line of Title, Natural Resources, and Land services.

Incorporated in 1986, Petru serves the needs of the title, title insurance, oil, gas, mineral, geothermal, wind, solar, mining, environmental, and right-of-way industries; legal, engineering, subdivision, developers, and land planning professions; government; lending and trust institutions; water purveyors; utilities; real estate companies; and the individual and business communities.

Petru Corporation and Tim Truwe were featured on Enterprises TV, aired on Fox Business Network and were published in Black Gold in California, the story of the California Petroleum Industry and also in The Business Elite, Corporate America.

Consulting Services:

Title Consulting Title Searching Title Examining Title Reports Title Engineering Title Insurance Plot Descriptions and Easements Map Drafting and Map Review Property Inspections Right of Way/Easements Water Rights

Leasehold Estates Oil, Gas, Mineral and Mining Consulting Subdivision Map Act Negotiate Oil and Gas Leases Regulatory Consulting Permitting/Regulatory Title Insurance Underwriting Support Title Insurance Claims Due Diligence Acquisitions and Divestitures Mining Claims

Timothy B. Truwe, President and Chief Financial Officer of Petru Corporation, is a Registered Professional Landman (#23542) and a Registered Environmental Property Assessor (#569045). He specializes in Title, Natural Resources and Land Matters issues and offers a full line of title, and land services.

Background - Mr. Truwe started his career in 1973 in the title, resource, and regulatory industries. His career includes employment and training at Ticor Title Insurance Company (now Chicago Title Co.) as Title Searcher, Title Officer, and Title Engineer. He also worked at Ogle Petroleum Inc., as Assistant Land Manager in the Land/Legal Department. His responsibilities at Ogle included both onshore and offshore assets and the technical and administrative oversight of several thousand parcels of land and leases in excess of one million acres.

Steven D. Epcar, CPM an Expert in Real Estate and Property Management Issues with 35+ years of experience;including residential, commercial, retail, hotel, condominium and mixed-use properties. Experienced in litigation support including standard of care, partnership conflicts, brokerage issues,landlord/tenant, valuation, personal injury, habitability, environmental, life safety cases. 

Steven is a member of the Forensic Expert Witness Association (FEWA).  He serves as a real estate consultant for institutional and private investors, providing an array of services: asset/property management related assignments, organizational assessments, financial feasibility, due diligence,and new development services. 

Previously, Mr. Epcar served as President, Residential Services for Carmel Partners a R/E investment/management firm in San Francisco, Principal/Founding Partner of Ventana Property Services, a West Coast third party management and consulting firm and President,Prometheus Management Group,a development/investment/management firm.

Shuster & Company, PC is a full-service Forensic & Business Valuation Accounting Firm serving clients throughout the United States and occasionally throughout the world. They are dedicated to providing our clients with professional, personalized services and guidance in a wide range of financial, business, and forensic needs. Their professional services include:Forensic Accounting - Business Valuation - Divorce Matters- Accounting & Tax Issues
Principal, Steven J. Shuster, CPA/ABV/CFF/CGMA, CVA, FCPA and his team provide litigation support services for a number of forensic accounting issues. They are experienced in identifying, collecting, analyzing, and interpreting financial and accounting data and information; applying the relevant data and information to a legal dispute or issue, and rendering an opinion as to their analysis. They have been accepted as experts by the Courts on numerous occasions and have served as consultants for plaintiffs and defendants in a wide variety of civil and criminal legal matters.

With a track record of helping counsel unravel challenging financial and economic issues in disputes, they provide valuable insight and clarity, helping their clients during every stage of a contested matter, from early case assessment and discovery to case strategy, damages analysis and settlement services.

Areas of Expertise:

• Damage Analysis - Assist attorneys and clients in calculating damages in litigation cases or rebutting claims by opposing counsel.
• Family Law and Divorce Support - Business Valuations, spousal and child support matters, asset tracing, income characterization and calculation and division of assets.
• Fraud Investigation Consulting - Investigate alleged misconduct, and measure the financial implications of disputes.
• Lease Review Services - Analysis of commercial real estate leases and conducting lease reviews of rent, operating expenses, common area maintenance (CAM) expenses and real estate taxes to identify potential financial savings on behalf of tenant.
• Assisting Claims Adjusters - Business interruption, inventory loss, extra expense, lost earnings / profits, subrogation, product liability, general liability.
• Malpractice - Compare activities performed by the professionals to applicable professional standards and practices.

CV Available Upon Request.