Pesticides - Insecticides Expert Witnesses: 5

Douglas L. Seemann, BCE,  is a Board Certified Entomologist (BCE) with expertise in Applied Forensic Urban Entomology and Pest Control Practices, and holds several Pest Control Licenses in California and Arizona. Mr. Seemann recently held the Qualifying licenses for 2 southern California pest control companies and currently, an Arizona School District. He previously held licenses in Connecticut, New York and New Jersey and additionally managed pest control branches in New Mexico, Texas, Nevada, and Sonora Mexico.  

A graduate of the University of Connecticut where he focused on medical entomology and parasitology, Mr. Seemann has served as Technical Director, Manager, VP and Owner of Pest Control companies across the country since 1983, and is currently the Technical Director of a pest control company in Arizona.

Mr. Seemann has been a consultant since 2000 and served as the Arizona Governor's appointed State Entomologist Advisor to the Arizona Office of Pest Management, and is on the BCE Continuing Education Committee for the Entomological Society of America. He was one of the authors of the Arizona State Pest Control Certification Manual, has written numerous articles in the trade publications, and taught Pest Management as Associate Professor at the State University of New York. 

Litigation Support - Douglas Seemann has served as an expert witness in numerous cases and have found that these cases rarely go to trial and typically result in a settlement once the conclusions and the supporting data are presented. If it does become necessary to appear in court or deposition, he is well prepared and qualified to do so with extensive public speaking, educational, and instructive experience. 

Mr. Seemann has represented both Plaintiffs and Defendants in numerous civil cases. To date, in cases where he was allowed to testify, none of his clients, plaintiffs or defendants, have lost a case.

Areas of Expertise:

Urban Entomology Urban Pest Control Wrongful Death Non-disclosure Personal Injury Pesticide / Insecticide Application Product Failure and Fraud Bedbugs Habitability Mosquitos

Termites / Wood Destroying Organism Damage  Cockroaches Rodents Spiders Scorpions Birds / Bats Fleas / Ticks Pest Control Practices Arthropod Vectored Disease

Joel Coats, PhD, is Distinguished Professor of Entomology and Toxicology in the Department of Entomology at Iowa State University. Specializing in Insecticide Toxicology and Environmental Toxicology, he has been on the faculty at Iowa State University since 1978 and served as Department Chairman for seven years.

Dr. Coats’ research program includes two main areas: (1) insect toxicology and (2) environmental toxicology and environmental chemistry of Agrochemicals. His research in the insect toxicology area is focused primarily on natural products as insecticides and insect repellents, including investigations of their spectrum of activity, mechanisms of action, metabolism, synthesis of biorational derivatives and analogs, quantitative structure-activity relationships.

Dr. Coats is familiar with all types of pesticides and insect repellents, including synthetic and botanical insecticides, acaricides, fumigants, and repellents; toxicity, mechanisms of action, environmental and comparative toxicology, ecological risk assessment, persistence of pesticides, movement in the environment, and residue analysis.

Litigation Support - Dr. Coats provides expert witness services to counsel representing both Plaintiff and Defense. He has been deposed and testified on numerous occasions. Dr. Coats offers opinions regarding pesticide cases of many types, including:

Non-target / Off-target Effects Residues Toxic Tort

Environmental Contamination Efficacy of Products Patent Infringement

Dr. Coats has received the International Award for Research in Agrochemicals from the American Chemical Society Agrochemical Division, and he is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a Fellow of the Entomological Society of America. In October he received the Alumni Achievement Award from the University of Illinois College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

View Dr. Coats' Consulting Profile.

The four PhD and registered PEs at Miller Engineering are celebrating 40 years of Professorships at three universities along with providing services to Government, Insurance, and Industry—through research, publications, presentations, and expert testimony. We have a dedicated office with a full time staff of engineers, researchers, and technical writers. The span of our collective academic and experiential expertise covers well the Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, Agricultural, Industrial, Human Factors, Ergonomic and Safety fields of engineering. The areas listed below are from actual projects completed in our 40 years of history. 

Vehicles Car/Truck Accident Reconstruction Crash Data Retrieval (CDR) Visibility & Reaction Time Analysis Tires, Trailers, Brakes & Accelerators Truck/Off Road Vehicle Egress/Ingress Traffic Signing and Construction Zones Electronic Vehicles Mechanical & Electrical Safety Product Safety & Analysis Machinery - Metal, Wood, Plastic Molding Machine Guarding & Safety, Robots, Automation Hazard and Risk Analysis Employee Safety Procedures – OSHA Electrical Distribution & Transmission Hazards

Warnings & Instructions Warning Labels & User Manual Design Hazard Analysis & Product Label Designs Medical Device & Drug Warnings & Instructions Inadequate Warnings Analysis Standard Compliance (ANSI Z535) Product Recall Information & Strategies Consumers/Household Safety Appliances & Tools Child Furniture, Choking, Playgrounds Swimming Pools & Exercise Equipment Recreation - ATV, Boats, Bicycles, Boards Ladder, Stair, Step and Railing Accidents Slip, Trip, & Fall Accidents CPSC Recall Information & Strategies

Chemicals Safety & Labeling NEW OSHA HAZCOM (2012) & GHS Review MSDS, SDS and Product Label Compliance Toxic Torts - Diacetyl, Asbestos, Benzene, Lead, Carbon Monoxide Vaping & E-Cigarette Health Effects Chemical Exposures & Workplace Safety Chemical Inhalation, Ingestion, Dermal Contact Contamination - Water & Environmental Manufacturing & Process Line Accidents Slips, Trips, Falls, & Entanglements Fires & Explosions Cause & Origin Investigations Gas, Vapor, & Electrical Spontaneous Combustion Vaping & E-cigarette Battery Failures Fire Control & Explosion Issues

Agriculture Tractor & Equipment Accidents Chemical Applications & Exposures Crop Storage & Harvesting Accidents Pesticides Construction Vehicle Visibility Accidents Slip, Trip, & Fall Accidents Power Tool Repetitive & Immediate Injuries Scaffolding - Cranes - Hoisting - Fork Lifts Insurance Subrogation & Forensics Accident Investigations Electrical & Fire Causation Chemical Leakage Damage Defective Equipment Injuries Premise and Process Damages

James M. Miller, PE, PhD – Founder  Dr. Miller is an Emeritus Engineering Professor at the University of Michigan. He has directly served in Washington originating several Federal OSHA safety regulations, and interacts regularly with CPSC regarding safety and product recalls. Dr. Miller often works on projects relating to compliance with occupational safety standards, provides upper management guidance on product design, recall and liability issues, and serves as an expert witness.

Mark R. Lehto, PhD – Co-Founder Dr. Lehto is a Professor of Engineering at Purdue University. He completed his Ph.D. in engineering at the University of Michigan, where he specialized in Human Factors Engineering, in particular Warnings and Labeling. Dr. Lehto specializes in knowledge engineering, warnings and instructions, structuring expert systems, accident modeling, accident statistical analysis, consumer product safety, boating safety, in-field national surveys of product usage, and product information effectiveness.

David R. Clark, PE, PhD – Co-Founder Dr. Clark is an Emeritus Engineering Professor at Kettering University. He was an engineering PhD graduate from the University of Michigan, where he specialized in human factors engineering and system safety analyses. He has a special expertise in electrical fire- and explosion-related accidents, and has extensive experience working for loss control companies, performing over 150 fire origin and cause investigations in the past few years.

Adam M. Olshove, PE, MSE – Engineering Manager Mr. Olshove has over 10 years of experience providing consulting services to industry and the legal profession. He holds an MS in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on control systems and battery modeling (2019), and a BS in Mechanical Engineering (2012), both from the University of Michigan. He has performed dozens of on-site investigations nationwide in relation to consumer product design and industrial accidents, including failure analysis and testing.

Jeffrey D. Rupp, MSE – Engineering Associate Mr. Rupp has a BS in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan and a MS in systems engineering and engineering management from Wayne State University. Among his company affiliates is 26 years with Ford Motor Company and Volvo Car Corporation, where he was involved in crash development and crash sensing calibrations.

I bring diverse, combined education, licensing, and credentialing in geology, biology, and hazardous materials management. Indoor air quality as related to asbestos, mold, lead, building hazards, vapor intrusion, OSHA worker and occupant complaints.

I manage a firm of environmental and industrial hygiene professionals while serving as an expert in my diverse field; I have over 60 retained cases complete. I can cost effectively support engagements that may require extensive data gathering across an expanded time frame. I apply my capabilities and credentials across commercial, industrial, and oil & gas settings, with a technical focus on highly regulated industry and real estate.

I have been steadily retained for expert witness services since 1995.

I specialize in structural fire forensic investigation and testing, routinely leverage post-flood emergency response expertise in buildings, specific to microbial disinfection, mold mitigation, and source mold under forensic methods of investigation that may exist under alleged building construction defects. I possess expertise in building systems and mitigating hazards from structures in advance of demolition for asbestos, lead, and other regulated materials.  I prepare, implement (and/or critically review) asbestos specifications, mold remediation protocols, OSHA-driven lead specifications, and remediation soil management plans.

I have evaluated diverse workplaces following loss reports due to alleged safety and public health concerns and offered mitigation strategies for worker safety under OSHA complaints, especially regarding respiratory protection. I have served as an expert for multiple worker injury and wrongful death allegations within the context of environmental exposure.  

View Dr. Franks' Consulting Profile.

Dr. William R. Sawyer  is a Professional Toxicologist with a doctorate in toxicology from Indiana University School of Medicine. He has over 34 years of extensive experience in Public Health and Forensic Toxicology with specialized expertise in causation analyses (plaintiff and defendant) including Alcohol toxicology, Drugs-of-Abuse, Pharmaceuticals, Herbal Products, Dioxins, Solvents, Heavy Metals, Crude Oil and other Chemicals. Dr. Sawyer has testified in trial or deposition in over 30 states including NY, MA, CT, PA, RI, NH, DE, NJ, WV, VA, NC, SC, GA, FL, AL, MS, LA, AR, MO, KY, IN, IL, WI, MI, OH, MN, MT, WA, CA, TX, OK. 

As a skilled scientist and communicator in the area of toxic tort, Dr. Sawyer provides services to governmental agencies, corporations, select plaintiffs or defendants. Dr. Sawyer currently serves as Chief Toxicologist for TCAS, LLC, and served for 23 years as an Assistant Professor (adjunct) with the Department of Medicine, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York. Dr. Sawyer also has approximately 14 years experience as a licensed clinical and environmental laboratory director in several states. 

 

Lisa Myers interviews Dr. Sawyer on NBC Nightly News

TCAS Services and Expertise:

Alcohol Toxicology Analytical Testing Asbestos Toxicology Birth Defects Carcinogenesis Causation Assessments Chemical Toxicology Carbon Monoxide

Dioxin Toxicology Forensic Chemistry Forensic Toxicology Laboratory Services Mass Toxic Tort Medical Malpractice - Pharmaceuticals Petroleum Toxicology Forensic Source ID

Qualifications & Experience

• Academic Affiliations- Medical School Faculty (adjunct)
• Government Experience - Public Health Toxicologist
• Toxic Tort Causation / Determination - Defense, Plaintiff
• Experienced Clinical and Environmental Laboratory Director
• Considerable Experience with Mass Toxic Torts

View Dr. William Sawyer's Consulting Profile.