Life Insurance (Annuity) Expert Witnesses: 12

Prof. William J. Warfel, PhD, CPCU, CLU, specializes in Insurance Breach of Contract, Bad faith, and Agent / Broker Liability issues. He has been retained in 90 cases by attorneys who represent policyholders, insurance agents, insurers, and third parties.

Dr. Warfel is widely published in applied, professional journals. His experience includes actual courtroom testimony, as well as deposition testimony in numerous cases. He has been retained in cases involving: 

Commercial General Liability Personal Auto Commercial Auto Homeowners Commercial Property Business Income Individual Life Medical Expense Additional Insured Endorsement

Builders Risk Insurance Long-Term Care Insurance Disability Professional Liability Employee Dishonesty Worker Compensation Inland Marine Insurance Policies Indemnification Agreement / Additional Insured Endorsement Financial Institution / Public Official / Bid Guaranty / Contract Bonds

View Dr. William Warfel's Consulting Profile.

Steven A. Eisenberg, FSA, MAAA has 50 years of Actuarial experience. He offers litigation support nationwide with regard to personal injury and wrongful death economic damages, appropriate mortality, life expectancy (note: population tables, that have not been modified by an actuary for lifestyle, chronic illnesses, family history, result in unreasonably long life expectancies), interest (discount) rates, future increases in income (note: historical experience indicates that wage inflation rates are lower than discount rates). His litigation support also includes life insurance product design and pricing, COI development and management, compensation, illustrations, administration and management services, policyholder tax issues, and product appropriateness. 

Background Experience - Throughout his career, Mr. Eisenberg worked extensively in litigation support as an expert witness including actuarial design, administration and illustration of various life insurance and annuity products, both traditional and non-traditional, universal life (or excess interest products), and both general account and separate account variable insurance products. His expert work includes pricing these products and developing appropriate actuarial assumptions (e.g. mortality and life expectancy, interest and discount rates, agent or broker compensation and expense assumptions). He is also a co-inventor of several patents dealing with financial derivatives(swaps) relating to longevity and mortality mitigation.

In 1986, Mr. Eisenberg pioneered the development of large case COLI and BOLI and unwind strategies that are still used today. He is a renown expert in designing, developing, and evaluating BOLI and COLI programs for insurance companies, banks, other financial institutions, brokers and litigation clients. This includes developing appropriate actuarial assumptions (mortality and longevity, COI management, lapses and surrenders, expenses, taxes, interest and discount rates, compensation, policy dividends and life insurance company profitability and investment exposure (disintermediation)). He also developed administrative procedures, sophisticated illustration systems (for example, utilization of policy loans and partial surrenders) and insurable interest issues. His expertise includes policy owner tax issues (e.g. Section 264, 7702, 7702A, 1035) and legislative changes. He has evaluated the appropriateness of these products (general or separate account including stable value) for corporate and bank policy owners, including the accounting and financial impact to the policy owners. 

Mr. Eisenberg is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (1973) and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries (1975). He has served as an Instructor of Actuarial Science at Georgia State University and delivers lectures and seminars to associations throughout the United States. His services are offered to clients nationwide.

Litigation Support - Mr. Eisenberg currently provides expert litigation support for all aspects of life insurance and personal injury. He is a renowned expert in:

COLI / BOLI Product Design Assumptions & Contracts Tax History Broker Consultant Third Party Administrator

Marketing and Administration Compensation and Standards of Practice Benefit Funding and Financial Analysis life settlement Loss Determination Personal Injury economic Damages Life Expectancy and Mortality

View Steven Eisenberg's Consulting Profile.

François Sestier, MD, PhD, FRCPC, FACC, DBIM, CIME, is a Cardiologist and Life Expectancy Calculation expert. He has over 40 years of experience in the field of medicine, 29 years as an Adult Cardiologist in the cath lab and 30 years as an Insurance Medical Officer.

Education - Dr. Sestier graduated from medical school in Nancy, France, 1967, where he obtained certification in Cardiology, Pneumology, Occupational Medicine, and Aeronautical Medicine. In Canada, since 1973, he obtained a Quebec certification in cardiology (CSPQ), and a fellowship in cardiology of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (FRCPc). Dr. Sestier also obtained a PhD in Experimental Medicine (McGill, 1977).

Experience - Dr. Sestier has been a staff cardiologist at CHUM, Montreal, medical director of Quebec Blue Cross since 1985 and medical director of PartnerRe since 20219. He received certifications from the American Board of Insurance Medicine (1995) and the American Board of Independent Medical Examiners (2011). As a medical officer for various insurance companies, he has reviewed thousands of applications for life Insurance, giving advice on the Mortality and Life Expectancy associated with the applicant's medical conditions.

Dr. Sestier - Life Expectancy Calculation

Litigation Support - Dr. Sestier's medico-legal advice is available to counsel representing both Plaintiff and Defense. He has performed life expectancy calculations for litigation purposes on topics as diverse as traumatology, traumatic brain injury, cognitive impairment, spinal cord injury, morbid obesity, diabetes, many different cardio-vascular pathologies, sudden death, stroke, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, asthma, chronic obstructive lung disease, sleep apnea, liver cirrhosis, hepatitis B and C, and all kinds of cancers. He follows the actuarial methodology proposed by the American Academy of Insurance Medicine for his LE calculations. 

Areas of Litigation Expertise:

Disability Assessment Permanent Disability Eligibility Medical Liability Insurance Médicine Life Insurance

Health Insurance Travel Insurance Critical Illness Insurance Life Expectancy Calculations Work-Life Expectancy calculation

Book chapter: Vachon P and Sestier F: Life expectancy calculation. In Life Care Planning, PMR clinics of North America, M. Lacerte and C. Johnson, ed., Elsevier publ. New York, August 2013, pp 539-551.

Recent Publication: https://www.canadianlawyermag.com/news/opinion/ethical-issues-are-too-often-ignored-by-medical-experts/275898

View Dr. Sestier's Consulting Profile.

Maurice Lieberman, CLU, ChFC, RHU, LUTCF, has over 40 years of experience specializing in Insurance and Financial Planning.

Mr. Lieberman holds three professional designations from the American College, Chartered Life Underwriter, Chartered Financial Consultant, and Registered Health Underwriter. He is a Life Insurance Training Council Fellow, and a member of the American College of Financial Services Professionals, Forensic Expert Witness Association, and the American College of Forensic Examiners International.

Background Experience - Mr. Lieberman started as an insurance agent for Metropolitan Life and then advanced in his career to manage brokers. He successfully built agencies for Aetna, and Principal Financial Group. He was later promoted to Regional Director for New England Financial, and CSAA Life. Over the years he mentored hundreds of insurance agents, brokers, financial planners and agency managers to build their own successful careers and agencies. He was also a member of the Million Dollar Round Table and utilized his selling and management experience to train insurance agents, brokers and financial planners in advanced areas of estate, business insurance, and financial planning.

Litigation Support - . Mr. Lieberman has utilized his financial planning and insurance industry knowledge to consult with attorneys for over the past 12 years. He consults with attorneys and assists council in trial preparation regarding issues of life insurance and annuity coverage analysis, coverage disputes, and company practices. He has been called upon to be an expert witness in insurance litigation cases for both plaintiff and defendant.

Areas of Expertise:

Life Insurance Coverage Analysis Annuity Coverage Analysis Coverage Disputes Company Practices Life Insurance Products and Services

Contract Analysis Regulations Compliance Best Practice Principles Life Insurance Underwriting Procedures

View Maurice Lieberman's Consulting Profile.

Mitchell L. Lathrop, has over 50 years of experience in the practice of law, and specialized knowledge in Insurance, Reinsurance, and Lawyers' Professional Responsibility. For the past 30 years, Mr. Lathrop has served as a Mediator, Arbitrator and Expert Witness in his fields of expertise. A seasoned trial lawyer, he brings his many years of practice to alternative dispute resolution. Mr. Lathrop is admitted to practice in California, New York and the District of Columbia, as well as before the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Second, Fifth, Ninth, Tenth, District of Columbia and Federal Circuits. Mr. Lathrop is a former Presiding Referee of the California State Bar Court. He serves on the National Panel of the American Arbitration Association and is a Distinguished Neutral of the International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution (CPR), as well as a member of the London Court of International Arbitration. He is the author of "Insurance Coverage for Environmental Claims," published by Lexis-Nexis Matthew Bender. He has qualified as an expert in insurance and legal malpractice in both state and federal courts. Areas of Expertise:

• Insurance bad faith and standard of care and conduct
• Reinsurance Law - Property and Casualty insurance
• Treaty and Facultative Reinsurance
• Environmental Insurance
• Complex insurance coverage Issues
• Lawyers' Professional Responsibility

For 34 years, Steven Plitt has represented policyholders / insureds in litigation and trial as well as representing insurance companies in Insurance Coverage and Bad Faith matters. During his career, he has reviewed thousands of claim files from more than 100 insurance companies. He has regularly consulted with all levels of claim department management from claim adjusters, supervisors, branch claim managers, claim-legal personnel and executive level insurance company management.

Mr. Plitt has also consulted with underwriting departments and participated with insurance company product development units and claims-legal to draft insurance policy language. He has reviewed and analyzed a broad spectrum of testimony from claims adjusters, claims management, claims attorneys, underwriters and other insurance company management as well as other insurance experts. He has reviewed an extensive variety of claims manuals, claims guidelines and other claims directives and practices.

Mr. Plitt is a nationally recognized expert witness in insurance claim handling and bad faith cases and has been retained as an expert in hundreds of cases nationally. He has qualified in both state and Federal Courts as a claims handling and insurance expert. He is currently an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Arizona where he teaches insurance law.

Areas of Expertise:

Insurance Extra-contractual Bad Faith Claims / Breach of Contract Claims Claims Handling Practices Unfair Claims Practices Policy Interpretation Coverage Denials

Property & Casualty Insurance Personal & Commercial Lines Surplus Lines Excess & Umbrella Insurance Insurance Agent / Broker Errors & Omissions Miscellaneous Coverage

Mr. Plitt has an LL.M. in Insurance from the University of Connecticut. He is the current successor author to COUCH ON INSURANCE 3D where he and his team are rewriting and revising the entire treatise. He has written other books on insurance law. He has published in excess of 320 law reviews and other professional publications on insurance law in addition to his books. Mr. Plitt has been cited by the Supreme Courts in 32 states, the Intermediate Appellate Courts in 23 states, 10 of the Federal Circuit Courts of Appeal, 54 Federal District Courts, the Federal Court of Claims and Federal Bankruptcy Court. Mr. Plitt has been cited in the Code of Federal Regulations. Mr. Plitt has also been cited in 91 scholarly articles.

Steven Plitt has been continuously listed as a top 50 lawyer in Arizona (2007-2014) by SOUTHWEST SUPER LAWYERS®, has been listed in BEST LAWYERS® since 2007 (insurance), and was named the Insurance Lawyer of the Year by BEST LAWYERS® in 2012 for Phoenix. He is a Fellow in the American College of Coverage and Extracontractual Counsel and a Member of the American Law Institute where he is a consultive member on the development of the RESTATEMENT OF LIABILITY INSURANCE.

Errold Moody, PhD, MSFP, LLB, has over 50 years of experience analyzing Personal Financial issues including real estate, stocks, bonds, limited partnerships, divorce, taxes, estate planning, retirement planning, ethics, social security, medicare, behavioral economics- literally all elements impacting an individual. 

Dr. Moody's current website, Financial and Economic Daily Commentary 2021, has been hailed by USA Today as, "...a high-powered personal bookmark list that spans the spectrum of the truly useful," and Forbes as a site, "...to find some great information." Dr. Moody's vast knowledge base comes from years of practice in the aforementioned fields and from having served for decades in the Instruction of:

• Licensing for Securities Licenses, (4, 7, 8, 24, 27, 52, 63, etc.);
• Real Estate courses for University of California Irvine, plus continuing education;
• Financial Planning courses for University of California at Irvine and Berkeley as well as others;
• Courses accepted by the California Bar for continuing legal education in Investing and Insurance- the first ever by a State Bar. 

Litigation Support - Dr. Moody has acted as a Securities Arbitrator for the NASD and as an Expert Witness numerous times over his career. He serves as a consultant researching and preparing reports for CPAs, attorneys, and individuals for real estate and investing and insurance issues, and has acted as a Financial Planner for individuals and businesses. 

Dr. Moody is an expert in Breach of Fiduciary Duty. His background experience allows for unparalleled skill at distinguishing the duty of a fiduciary - identifying potential Risk of Loss before purchase and then establishing how much risk the client would truly accept.

Dr. Moody cautions that the fundamentals of investing have never been taught to brokers or RIAs. He addresses this nebulous, confrontational, and error riddled element of investment and insurance risk in his three books, No Nonsense Finance, Financial Planning Fiduciary Standards under Dodd Frank, and The Failure of Securities Arbitration. 

Areas of Expertise:

Risk of Loss Investment Analysis and Monitoring National/International Economic Analysis Impacting Investing Estate and Pension Planning Stock Bond Diversification/ Allocation Client Questionnaires / Suitability Life Settlements Reverse Mortgages 401k education Speculative Inputs: Irrational / Unjustified Statistics

Real Estate Analysis Behavioral Characteristics Mutual Funds / ETFs Retirement Planning Life Insurance/Taxation Securities Arbitration Breach of Fiduciary Duty / Prudent Man Government and State Regulations Planning Software: Artificial Intelligence Impact Budgeting

"In my 30 years in the business, I have never seen an authoritative, objective, prudent expert speak so clearly on the use of insurance. What Errold can do is unique in the industry."  Steven Winks

View Dr. Errold Moody's Consulting Profile.

Vera Dolan is an epidemiologist with over 30 years of experience in the life and health insurance industries. She is one of the leading mortality experts in the life insurance industry. She writes underwriting manuals and policy and procedure manuals for life and health insurance companies.

Vera has testified in both state and federal court, and has been retained in over 150 cases since 2006 for plaintiffs and defense on an equal basis. She is very credible testifying in deposition and on the stand.

* Life expectancies that are personalized and accurate to the standards of the life insurance and life settlement industries. Addresses the cases when life expectancies that are simply taken from a life table or estimated by a doctor, actuary or biostatistician are too long, too short, insufficient or not credible. Addresses the cases when a complete insight into the individual's medical conditions and/or personal history of high-risk behaviors is needed to assist the judge or jury in their decision. This information often decides the case, see article for details.

* Expert in bad faith/wrongful denial of life/health insurance claims.

* Expert in life/health insurance underwriting material misrepresentation.

* Expert in medical risk assessment and underwriting issues.

* Expert in life insurance underwriting policies and procedures.

* Expert in epidemiology. Previous cases include infectious diseases, occupational and environmental exposures, pesticides and tobacco.

* Approved life expectancy expert with the U.S. Department of Justice.

* Active consultant to the life insurance industry conducting cohort mortality studies, and writing underwriting and policy and procedure manuals.

* Over 100 articles published on mortality research and underwriting.

* Friendly, clear, concise, objective and quantitative.

* There is no charge for the initial phone consultation.

* There is no charge for travel time.

Wayne Citron has 45 years of experience as an expert in Forensic Reconstruction of Insurance Transactions. He is an insurance expert and consultant.

Litigation Support - Wayne Citron specializes in policy interpretation of the rules, laws, and regulations governing insurance and financial matters. His services are available to attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant and include effective reports, affidavits, depositions, and testimony as needed.

Areas of Expertise:

Insurance Bad Faith Insurance Customs and Practices Insurance Health / HMO / Disability

Insurance - Life & Annuities Property / Casualty Insurance Insurance Agents & Brokers - Standard of Care

Mr. Citron established the Citron Agency and CMC Advisors Inc. in 1972, where his duties included executive and managerial responsibilities, sales, service, compliance with all insurance matters as well as securities laws and regulations. Both firms are leaders in life, health, disability and property and casualty insurance.

Mr. Citron is an expert in all forms of insurance, including:

Life Insurance Health Insurance Property and casualty Insurance Disability Insurance Annuities Retirement, IRAs & Pensions

Flood Insurance Broker Malpractice / Bad Faith Profit Sharing Group Coverage Self-insurance Insurance Laws / Regulations

Mr. Citron has served as an instructor for Prudential Insurance Company Brooklyn Agency (1973) educating personnel in general insurance matters, underwriting, and insurance law. He has worked with companies including Prudential Insurance Company, United States Life Insurance Company, North American Company for Life and Health Insurance, American General Life Insurance Company, William Penn Life Insurance Company, American Life Insurance Company, Chubb Insurance Company, Travelers Insurance Company, Mass Mutual Insurance Company, John Hancock Insurance Company, and American International Group (AIG), among other.

View CMC Advisors' Consulting Profile.

Jane Marie Downey, M.Ed, ARM, has 35 years of experience in Risk Management and Property, Casualty, and Professional Liability Insurance. A well-known risk management consultant, leadership trainer, and frequent public speaker, she provides risk consulting, insurance broker management, outsourced risk management, insurance arbitration, as well as leadership and team training.  Background - Ms. Downey’s corporate experience includes risk management positions with IU International, PaineWebber Group, Inc., and The West Company. She also worked as an Account Executive in insurance brokerage with the Hobbs Group. She taught Risk Management at Temple University's Fox School and Crisis Management at Penn State's Graduate Program. She currently teaches Continuing Educations courses for agents and attorneys for the Institute of Strategic Educational Partners.

Litigation Support - Ms. Downey has provided expert opinions on policy language, coverage disputes, brokerage E&O and standard of care, risk control and risk management standard. She has successfully provided litigation support, testimony, depositions, certifcates of merit and expert opinions in over 60 legal actions. Ms. Downey Jane has represented both insureds and insurers and clients and brokers. 

Areas of Expertise:

Property Insurance Insurance Arbitration (ARIAS Trained) Insurance Carrier Bad Faith Broker / Agent Liability

Financial Institutions Coverage Directors and Officers Liability Insurance Pollution and Asbestos Liability Coverage Workers Compensation / Employers Liability Insurance

View Jane Downey's Consulting Profile.

Bob Lawson,  AIF®, CFE®, MRFC®, LUTCF®, is a Securities & FINRA Expert Witness retained for FINRA arbitration, mediation, and federal/civil court litigation. Mr. Lawson possesses over 35 years of experience within the securities and insurance industries. In 1988, Mr. Lawson founded Barrington Capital Management, Inc., a Registered Investment Advisory firm and Insurance Agency, and currently serves as the Managing Principal of Barrington Financial Consulting Group, Inc, a 12-person Securities Litigation and Consulting Expert firm.

In addition, Mr. Lawson serves as a FINRA Mediator and presides as a FINRA & NFA Dispute Resolution Chairman for disputes concerning investors, financial services professionals, broker-dealers, and dually-registered investment advisers. Claims often arise regarding breach of fiduciary duties, securities fraud, employment disputes, conflicts of interest, churning, unsuitable investments, and failure to supervise, among others. Mr. Lawson also serves as a public mediator and is a Qualified Neutral under Minnesota Rule 114 of Standard Practice in Mediation and Arbitration. His breadth of experience includes managing and supervising FINRA broker-dealer branch offices as a Registered Securities Principal, Options Principal, and Chief Compliance Officer.

Mr. Lawson also has considerable experience with insurance products including variable annuities, fixed and indexed annuities, long term care, and life insurance. Mr. Lawson possesses numerous accolades and is an Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®), Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE®), Master Registered Financial Consultant (MRFC), and a Life Underwriter Training Council Fellow (LUTCF®).

Retaining Mr. Lawson as an Expert Witness and Litigation Consultant will clarify and address relevant issues pertaining to your case from an insider's point of view. Upon a thorough examination and analysis of the case material, Mr. Lawson’s conclusions and opinions are impartial, objective, and predicated upon years of industry expertise and experience. Expert testimony and reports are supported by thorough and detailed research through case-specific analysis.

Bob is active in the following organizations:  Vice-Chairman - Master Registered Financial Consultants |  Mentorship and Practice Management Chair - Securities Experts Roundtable | Twin Cities Certified Fraud Examiners Association, Membership Chair - Minnesota State Bar Association ADR Section

Areas of Expertise:

• FINRA Expert Witness
• Securities Expert Witness
• FINRA Arbitration
• Breach of Fiduciary Duty
• Liability Expert
• Promissory Notes
• Securities Fraud Investigations
• Ponzi Schemes
• Options, Stocks & Bonds
• Due Diligence
• Professional Malpractice
• Economic Damages & Losses
• Employment Discrimination & Termination

Services:

• Litigation Consulting
• Unbiased Case Analysis
• Discovery Review & Recommendations
• Portfolio Risk Reports
• Securities Fraud Investigation
• Damage Calculations
• Expert Testimony

View Bob Lawson's Consulting Profile.

  

Arthur B. Kagan, FSA, EA, is one of the most qualified Actuaries and Pension Plan consultants in the country. In his over 40 year career, he has helped thousands of plan sponsors with the management of their company’s retirement plans, as well as hundreds of thousands of plan participants with their pension benefits. 

Mr. Kagan served as the President and sole owner of a third party administration (TPA) and actuarial consulting firm for 26 years serving 650 plans;  Previously, he was president and partner of aTPA and actuarial firm serving 1400 plans. He is fully credentialed in actuarial valuations, plan funding, and present value calculations:

Mr. Kagan serves large, mid-size, and small plans covering all industries and all employer types.  He specialize in all aspects of:

Retirement Plans Actuarial Compliance Audits

Employee Disputes Valuations Contributions Contracts

 Mr. Kagan has presented many seminars on recent developments in pension plan industry and creative plan design to the Desert Estate Planning Council, California CPA Society, AXA Advisors, and various financial advisory and CPA firms.  He has also presented seminars on Life Insurance in Qualified Retirement Plans to Financial Planning Association of Los Angeles.