Premises Liability Expert Witnesses

Leonard J. Backer has over 28 years of extensive and successful Seating, Tables and  Furniture Industry experience in all key areas. Mr. Backer has been directly involved in the design and development of 250+ seating and table collections. He specializes in Private Label Manufacturing, Sourcing, and Product Development expertise. Mr. Backer provides aggressive Expert Witness and Litigation Support services to attorneys, insurers and businesses for Plaintiff or Defense. He performs site inspections, detailed product reviews and incident analyses. He has worked with law firms and insurance companies to develop and coordinate strategies for various types of legal actions and lawsuits. Very strong hospitality background. Mr. Backer has extensive experience with hotel, restaurant, cruise ship, retail store and senior living incidents. Personal Injury and Product Liability Cases. He provides detailed analyses, written opinions, and expert witness reports for clients throughout the U.S. Strong proven deposition and court testimony. Areas of Expertise:

View Leonard Backer's Consulting Profile.

Norman D. Bates, Esq., President and founder of Liability Consultants, Inc., is a nationally-recognized expert in security and the law. For over forty years, he and his team of professionals have been providing security management consulting services to private industry as well as court-certified expert witness services nationwide to both plaintiff and defense firms in civil cases regarding inadequate security, negligent hiring or training, and workplace violence. Mr. Bates has presented seminars on civil liability issues and has authored numerous articles and books on the subject. Mr. Bates co-authored a publication on “The Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse in Youth-Serving Organizations” published by the National Center for Victims of Crime and the National Crime Prevention Council. 

BIOGRAPHY OF NORMAN D. BATES, ESQ. Formerly, Mr. Bates was an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at Northeastern University in Boston and Director of Security and Legal Counsel to the Saunders Hotel Corporation. He received his Juris Doctor degree from Suffolk University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Northeastern University. He is a member of the Massachusetts Bar, the International Association of Professional Security Consultants (President 2009-2011) and the National Crime Victim Bar Association.

Areas of Expertise:

Illumination Engineer, consultant, teacher, inventor, forensics investigator, and expert in lighting.   My 30+ years of experience has immersed me in different facets of the lighting industry.  I have worked for companies that cater to lighting design, lighting equipment manufacturing, 3d modeling lighting software, sales and service including post occupancy evaluation. My design experience includes indoor/outdoor lighting, safety and security, lighting and human health, glare, roadway lighting, sports lighting, and lighting standards.  Since 1999, I have been involved with standard writing committees within the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES).  For the IES, I served on 13 IES committees, of which was the chair of 7 of those committees producing over 11 standards documents.  

Teaching has also been a part of my career, instructing diverse groups from high school students to seasoned lighting professionals allowing these individuals to understand the concepts on their level.  In my practice, I have designed over 8000 designs in addition to teaching over 5000 students in my courses and presentations on lighting design, illumination engineering and the lighting industry.  I am a certified instructor for IES SEM courses, am a Lead instructor for the IES Street and Area Lighting Conference (SALC), as well as the SALC Education Coordinator from 2010 to 2019.  The University of Colorado  guest lecturer for three years.  I have authored several lighting courses and seminars as well as presenting them.  I received the designation of Fellow of the Illuminating Engineering Society in 2025.

View Matthew Hartley's Consulting Profile.

Dennis Gemberling, CHA, CFBE, FMP, FCSI, President and Founder of Perry Group International, has over 35 years of experience in the Hospitality Management industry. His experience includes managing, operating, and consulting on full-service, limited-service, extended-stay, all-suite, condo and timeshare hotels and resorts, casual, fine-dining, and quick-service restaurants, bars and nightclubs, catering and special event facilities, casinos, and mixed-use real estate. 

Mr. Gemberling has held prior positions for different owners, operators, and chains as Senior Vice President, General Manager, Director of Food & Beverage, and Restaurant Unit Manager. He has been retained on over 400 projects with typical values in the $1 million to $75 million range and revenues in the $1 million to $100 million range both nationally and internationally. His many clients have include among others Biscuits & Blues, Cantina’s, Chevy’s, Choice Hotels, Embassy Suites, Hampton Inns, Hilton, Holiday Inns, Hooter’s Casino, Hyatt, Marriott, McDonald’s, Microtel Inn & Suites, Outback Restaurants, Radisson, Residence Inns, Signature Resort, Sizzler, Sonic Drive-Ins, Starbucks, Starwood, Sheraton, Togo’s, Wendy’s, and Willie Mays Skybox Lounge. 

Litigation Support: Dennis Gemberling is a Certified Hotel Administrator, Certified Food and Beverage Executive, Certified Foodservice Management Professional, and Certified Food Safety Manager. He offers expert witness services to attorneys for plaintiff and defendant cases on a variety of Hospitality-related claims. He is a Professional Member of Foodservice Consultants Society International and the Forensic Expert Witness Association. Mr. Gemberling also provides expertise as a Court Appointed Receiver and Interim Property Manager and is currently the Past President and a Board of Director for the California Receivers Forum – Bay Area Chapter. 

Areas of Expertise:

View Dennis Gemberling's Consulting Profile.

Pool Operation Management (POM), founded in 1980, is an Aquatics Safety and Risk Management firm that is nationally recognized for pool consulting services including liability and risk management, compliance with governmental regulations, facility operations, mechanical questions, and personnel requirements. Trevor A. Sherwood II has extensive experience in the swimming pool industry, with 30 years of experience in service, consulting, training and education, code/regulations development, and expert witness. He has contributed to aquatic textbooks and related articles, influenced State Recreational Bathing Codes, and presented at national industry conferences. He has provided leadership to such organizations as National Swimming Pool Foundation (NSPF), Northeast Spa & Pool Association (NESPA), Community Association Institute - New Jersey Chapter (CAI), New Jersey Apartment Association (NJAA), New Jersey Parks and Recreation Society (NJPRS), Pennsylvania Parks and Recreation Society (PRPS) and New Jersey and Massachusetts Health Departments. He has been retained by attorneys for both Plaintiff and Defense. Mr. Sherwood's extensive swimming pool consulting experience qualifies him to appear in court on the following matters:

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

SUMMARY

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

KEY SERVICES

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

POSITIONING STATEMENT

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

Areas of Expertise:

View Rauch Safety and Engineering's Consulting Profile.

Gary R. Coburn is an award-winning restaurant executive, operator, consultant, and expert witness with over 45 years of experience in the restaurant and hospitality industry. His background includes service as an owner, operator, franchisor, consultant, President, Chief Operating Officer, General Manager, Executive Director of Food Services, and VP of National Accounts & Design Build.

Mr. Coburn has helped create, open, operate, reposition, and advise hundreds of restaurant, bar, hospitality, and foodservice concepts throughout the United States. His experience includes restaurant operations, staffing and training systems, operational safety, franchising, commercial kitchen design/build, concept development, business viability, and restaurant-related disputes.

He remains actively involved in restaurant operations and concept development through Restaurant Concept Innovations and current projects including Lily’s Donuts & Pops and Lily’s Donuts & Coffee in Santa Barbara.

Mr. Coburn maintains an active expert witness practice involving restaurant and hospitality operations, premises safety, slip/trip/fall incidents, burns and hot beverage incidents, staffing and training, alcohol awareness, business interruption, restaurant concept viability, and hospitality industry standards. His engagements include over 70 cases across 14 states with matters historically remaining relatively balanced between plaintiff and defense.

Services available to counsel include site inspections, operational analysis, reporting, depositions, mediation support, and trial testimony.

Recent cases retained by Plaintiff:

Mr. Coburn has been retained as an expert in matters involving:

• Restaurant and hospitality operational standards and practices
• Premises safety and slip/trip/fall incidents
• Burns and hot beverage incidents
• Staffing, training, and operational supervision
• Guest incidents involving warnings, procedures, and reasonable safety practices
• Restaurant safety and security practices, including foreseeability, notice, and reasonable intervention
• Alcohol awareness and responsible beverage service
• Restaurant concept viability and operational feasibility
• Business interruption, loss of income, and operational impact analysis
• Lease disputes, lease assignment issues, and restaurant operational viability
• Restaurant development, franchising, concept conversion, and operational systems
• Furniture handling, maintenance practices, and operational safety procedures
• Foodservice operations, protocols, and industry standards

View RCI's Consulting Profile.

Lawrence R. Porte is a nationally and internationally recognized Investigative Analysis Expert and Trial Assist Analyst with more than forty (40) years of experience in federal law enforcement, protective intelligence, targeted violence assessment, aviation security, and criminal investigations.

Mr. Porte's distinguished career spans service with the United States Secret Service, the Department of Homeland Security, the Transportation Security Administration, higher education, and municipal law enforcement, giving him rare depth in both operational and analytical aspects of complex investigations.

 Litigation Support - Mr. Porte is widely respected for his ability to assess investigative integrity, identify behavioral warning signs, and provide clear, well-supported analyses. His current consulting work focuses on investigative case review, litigation assist support, and threat assessment for attorneys and institutions confronting high-risk or procedurally complex matters.

Areas of Expertise:

Background Experience - During his federal career, Mr. Porte held senior leadership positions with the United States Secret Service and later served as Special Agent in Charge for the Transportation Security Administration, where he directed investigative operations across a 14-state region that included approximately 110 federally protected airports. In that capacity, he supervised criminal investigations, cargo security matters, and internal misconduct inquiries, while also helping develop the TSA’s first Workplace Violence Policy and the agency’s Integrity Test Program aimed at combating theft and misconduct in airport environments.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Porte served on the White House Presidential Protective Division and was a member of the first White House Counter Assault Team, experiences that placed him at the center of some of the nation’s most sensitive protective and intelligence operations. He also opened and managed the Saginaw Resident Agent Office and later served as Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Office, with oversight of additional Michigan offices.

Mr. Porte’s national and international recognition is further reflected in his participation in significant protective intelligence and investigative matters, including a threatened assassination plot involving Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and an operation connected to extremist networks and coordinated activity extending into Canada. 

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Operating from more than 110+ offices around the globe, we provide services to corporations, insurance companies, law firms, and government agencies.

Rimkus experts specialize in forensic consulting and construction dispute resolution in the hospitality, retail, and restaurant; industrial; marine; oil and gas; power and renewable energy; transportation; and pharmaceuticals industries.

Rimkus experts solve complex challenges wherever in the world they occur. We are dedicated to serving our clients so they can achieve timely resolution of accidents, claims, and legal disputes.

Our highly diversified, global team of engineers, scientists, architects, and technical specialists systematically evaluates all available evidence, applies scientific principles, specialized knowledge and, when appropriate, utilizes the latest analytical technologies to arrive at scientifically sound opinions and solutions for our clients.

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Alan J.  Robinson brings over 35 years of Security / Law Enforcement experience to the  security, safety, fire safety, emergency management field. Mr. Robinson is a former Supervisor, Protection Services for Disney-ABC, Inc. in New York, where he coordinated the security of millions of dollars in equipment for both Reagan Presidential Inaugurations. While at Disney-ABC, he was credited with creating the first hostage negotiation training class after an incident at ABC News in Washington, D.C.

Background Experience: For  the past 25 years, Mr. Robinson has been the Director of Protection and Security Services/Emergency  Management for Atlantic Health System; a hospital system based in New Jersey where he manages: Public Safety and Security, Fire/Life Safety, Emergency  Management, Investigations, and Special Events for a healthcare system that approximately 10 million square feet of physical plant and campus, spread  throughout New Jersey.

Mr. Robinson directly and indirectly manages over one-hundred (100) security  officers, investigators, fire safety officers, emergency management officers, and contract law  enforcement officers. He has successfully navigated numerous external agency regulatory compliance  surveys including those from the “Joint Commission,” State Department of Health, New Jersey Office of Homeland Security, and New Jersey Office of  Counter-Terrorism.

Litigation Support: Mr. Robinson has been retained to provide consultation, security analysis, and security expert witness testimony by plaintiff and  defendant in a wide variety of civil suits. He is available to consult and testify in matters concerning:

Areas of Expertise

Workplace Violence Prevention and Investigation · Public Safety & Security · Emergency Management · Preventing Infant Abduction · Child Predator Protection · Narcotic Diversion Investigations · Multi-Facility Management · Asset Protection · Hospital Security · Continuous Process Improvement · Crisis Event Management

View Risk and Threat Analysis Management, LLC's Consulting Profile.

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.

Areas of Expertise:

Timothy A. Dimoff, CPP, founder and president of SACS Consulting & Investigative Services, Inc. a leading security consulting firm, has over 40 years of experience in Law Enforcement and Security matters for both the public and private sectors. He is multi-certified in the security field and is considered one of the nation's leading authorities on negligent security procedures; security & vulnerability issues; police procedures and operations including use of force; high-risk workplace and human resource issues; narcotics investigations and enforcement. 

Mr. Dimoff is board certified by ASIS as a Certified Protection Professional (CPP?) which is internationally recognized as the “gold standard” certification for security management professionals, demonstrating their knowledge and competency in seven key domains of security.

Litigation Support - Mr. Dimoff has over 20 years of experience in testifying and consulting as an expert witness in over 500 cases and trials for both the plaintiff and the defense sides. His expert witness experience includes law enforcement procedures, security negligence of business or physical premises, human resources issues, meeting standards of practice in hiring and termination, employment practices, proper documentation, training, supervision, policies and procedures, harassment, discrimination, internal investigations, threats and excessive use of force.

Mr. Dimoff is a renowned speaker, trainer, and author who has offered expert commentary to national media including Dateline, NBC, CNN, The Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, The LA Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal.  He is the author of four books, including How to Recognize Substance Abuse, The YOU in Business, and Life Rage, a chilling examination of societal rage and safeguards against it.

Mr. Dimoff holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Sociology with an emphasis in Criminology from Denison University.

Areas of Expertise: 

View Timoth A. Dimoff's Consulting Profile.

Dr. John F. Doherty is an experienced Public and Private School Educator who has focused his work on improving schools through effective hiring practices, supervision and training of staff, and building a school culture of sustainability. In his current role, he serves as a School Liability Expert Witness.

Dr. Doherty has over 35 years of experience as a superintendent, assistant superintendent, principal, assistant principal, department chair, coach, and teacher. He is the co-chair of the Massachusetts Department of Education Safe and Supportive Schools Commission and chair of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents Professional Development Committee.

Litigation Support - Dr. Doherty provides consultation and expert witness services to plaintiff and defendant attorneys throughout the US and Canada. As a court-qualified education administration and supervision expert, he applies his experience, education, and training to the review and analysis of cases to determine the professional standard of care from case inception to resolution, including expert reports, deposition, and trial testimony.

Ideal Client Engagement - Attorneys litigating matters involving the question of liability for school or youth-serving agencies (daycare, camps, aftercare, church childcare) regarding the standard of care, student-supervision, staff training, in any type of injury or incident involving the school/agency, such as wrongful death, personal injury, sexual harassment/abuse, Title IX, Section 1983, in daycare through college/university and more.

Areas of Expertise:

Dr. James F. Pastor, Ph.D, JD, CPP, is a multifaceted security expert with a rich background that spans security, policing, legal, and academia. His career began as a tactical officer in Gang Crime Enforcement with the Chicago Police Department, where he gained hands-on experience in one of the nation's most dynamic policing environments. This real-world foundation laid the groundwork for his extensive expertise in security, policing, and public safety.
 
 Transitioning from the streets to the courtroom, Dr. Pastor built a distinguished legal career representing police unions, security guard and electronic security firms, corporations, and religious institutions. His comprehensive counsel and advice to litigation attorneys, corporate counsel, and policy makers is grounded on real world experience and practical understanding.
 
With a doctorate in Public Policy Analysis, Dr. Pastor brings vision and understanding of how policies shape incentives and influence human behavior. This academic insight, combined with his extensive experience, gives him a unique perspective on risk and liability, making him a sought-after advisor for corporations and communities aiming to prevent crime or mitigate its impact.
 
Dr. Pastor’s security sense is a blend of street-level policing intuition, academic scholarship, legal expertise, and technical know-how, further enhanced by a deep understanding of geopolitical trends. His decades-long study of terrorism and extremism also informs his work, allowing him to contribute valuable insights and assessments in a variety of settings.

Areas of Expertise:

Litigation Support - Dr. Pastor is a highly regarded expert witness with experience in policing, security, public safety, and legal issues relating to these. His depth and breathe of experience is substantive, yet practical. Bringing a unique background, along with credentials and skills, including participating in over 750 prior depositions, has proven to be very effective in his expert witness role.

Dr. Pastor has over 20 years of university teaching experience in security, public safety, and policing, including Northwestern University- Center for Public Safety and the International Law Enforcement Academy. 

Author of four books on security and public safety, plus chapter on Private Policing in ASIS International's Protection of Assets Manual and created Privatization of Policing Bibliography for Oxford University Press, both being comprehensive, substantive works relating to Private Policing.

View SecureLaw LLC's Consulting Profile.

Lance Foster, CPP, CSC, has over 30 years of experience in Corporate Security Management, Law Enforcement, and Security Consulting. During his law enforcement career, Mr. Foster served as a detective with investigative assignments in burglary, auto theft, and crimes against persons.

Mr. Foster later transitioned to the private sector, where he served as Vice President of Security for a statewide banking institution. In this role, he managed a department of 30 professionals and oversaw enterprise-wide responsibilities including risk assessments, physical security, investigations, data security, executive protection, regulatory compliance, security training, and the procurement and maintenance of security systems and equipment.  He has training and corporate experience in managing security personnel.

Clients Served - As a security consultant, Mr. Foster has developed, evaluated, and audited security programs for a wide range of properties and industries, including financial institutions, multi-unit residential communities, hotels and motels, retail establishments, high-rise office buildings, shopping malls, parking facilities, college campuses, lounges, jewelry stores, truck stops, and other commercial environments. 

Litigation Support - Mr. Foster is frequently retained as an expert witness by law firms representing both plaintiffs and defendants. His work focuses on foreseeability, standard of care, and the defensibility of security programs, central to case evaluation and trial strategy.

Areas of Expertise:

In addition to his professional practice, Mr. Foster has served as an adjunct instructor at two colleges, teaching courses in criminology, criminalistics, criminal justice management, and computer fraud. He has delivered professional presentations to the Community Bankers of America, the International Association of Professional Security Consultants, and the American Society of Industrial Security, Florida West Coast Chapter.