Professional Malpractice (General) Expert Witnesses

Paul M. Adler, DO, FACEP, MBA, Medical Director for the Ventura County, California, Department of Corrections, has worked in Correctional / Jail / Prison Medicine & COVID-19 Preparation & Response. He has overseen the care of inmates in Jails in California and New York, as well as Prison inmates who have been transferred to county facilities to serve their terms for years in county jails in California. He has also overseen Correctional health car in locked units in Hospitals . Dr. Adler is the President-Elect of The American Correctional Health Services Association of California / Nevada, which represents all clinicians and administrators in Jails/Prisons in California and Nevada. He previously oversaw a County Hospital, County Nursing Home and ran a County Health Department and oversaw Correctional healthcare for the Westchester, New York Jail.

Litigation Support - Dr. Adler has defended Jails and Prisons in Southern California, Idaho, Texas, North Carolina, New York, Pennsylvania, etc. He has been involved in Plaintiff litigation in many states including against Rikers Island, NY and Cook County Jail. Dr. Adler still works as a full-time practicing physician and has helped attorneys and insurance companies in Emergency Medicine, Nursing Home Medicine, Public Health and Hospital Administration since 1985. Dr. Adler is available to review and consult on clinical Correctional/Jail/Prison cases for attorneys for both Plaintiff and Defense.

Services:

• COVID-19 Preparation & Response
• Screen Cases for Merit
• Review, Analyze and interpret Medical Records
• Provide Basic or Comprehensive Written Reports
• Interpret Standards of Care, Deviation and Adherences as they Relate to Correctional Health Care
• Develop Chronological Time Lines
• Policy and Procedure Development

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

Andrew J. Manganaro, MD has been a board certified Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeon for more than 25 years. He has experience in all areas of adult cardiac, vascular, and thoracic surgery, and has cared for more than 10,000 patients in his practice.

Litigation Support - Dr. Manganaro has more than 15 years of experience in medical expert opinions for both plaintiffs and defendants. His services include medical record review, written reports, depositions, and trial testimony as needed. He is licensed to practice in Ohio, Michigan, Delaware, New Mexico, Illinois, New York, Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa, and North Dakota.

Areas of Expertise:

Cardiac Surgery Pulmonary Surgery Esophageal Surgery

Trauma Surgery Vascular Surgery Endovascular Surgery

Monica M. Argumedo, MD, is a Board-Certified Forensic and Clinical Psychiatrist (ABPN). Dr. Argumedo has testified about her forensic opinions in more than 40 cases in open court. In psychiatric practice for more than 15 years, Dr. Argumedo teaches at Rush University Medical School/Rush University Medical Center as Assistant Professor in Psychiatry. She teaches psychiatry residents in topics related to psychiatry and the law, and psychiatry in medicine. She also interviews prospective medical students through her role on the Medical Admissions Committee.

Dr. Argumedo works with Employers in cases where mental health/psychiatric concerns about an employee require an objective and unbiased Fitness for Duty Evaluation and report. She also consults in employment matters and litigation and serves as a disclosed expert witness. Her work addresses fitness for duty (FFD) in a litigated environment, Wrongful Termination, and Psychiatric Disability. Additional experience includes FFD of peace officers and first responders.

Services - Forensic Psychiatry, Medico-Legal evaluations, medical complications, review of records, written reports, deposition testimony, trial testimony, consultation to attorneys addressing psychiatric issues relevant in a case, opposing counsel expert reports or expert qualifications, assisting with cross-examination questions, and lines of inquiry.

Areas of Expertise:

Fitness for Duty Wrongful Termination Psychiatric Disability Depression Anxiety PTSD Competency Dementia Cognitive Behavior Emotional Distress

Pain and Suffering Standard of Care Institutional Care Medical Malpractice Discrimination Harassment Hostile Workplace Pre-employment Evaluation Security-sensitive Security Clearance

Avrum R. Goldstein, DMD, FRCD(c) is Board Certified in Periodontics, both in Canada, as a Fellow of the Royal College of Dentists, as well as in the United States, as a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontics. Dr. Goldstein has over 40 years of experience in his field.

Dr. Goldstein has excellent academic credentials, including 15 years as an Assistant Clinical Professor at Yale University School of Medicine. He is currently an Adjunct Faculty member at Nova Southeastern University. He has placed thousands of dental implants during his career and is currently licensed in New York.

Dr. Goldstein has been offering litigation support services to attorneys for over 25 years. He is an excellent writer, an articulate speaker and an experienced teacher. He understands both patients and dentists.

Areas of Expertise:

Dental Implants Dental Implant Surgery Dental Surgery Oral Surgery Gum Disease Periodontics Infection in the Mouth Loss of Teeth Failure to Diagnose

Problems with Crowns Poor Dental Esthetics Extractions Bone Loss Decay Sinus Perforation Loss of Teeth Loose Teeth Dental Malpractice

View Dr. Goldstein's Consulting Profile.

Bank Resources and Solutions, a division of FIRSINC, is an executive management consulting group that has provided Financial, Operations, and Regulatory / Compliance consulting services nationwide to financial institutions, attorneys and regulatory authorities since 2008. Litigation Consulting, Forensic Research and Expert Witness work are an important focus of our services. We have worked with attorneys and regulators on suits throughout the United States. Their work has included both plaintiff and defendant financial institutions, borrowers, depositors, vendors and regulators.

Areas of Litigation Support Expertise: Board of Direcotrs and Executive Management Administration, , Commercial, Residential and Consumer Lending, Bankruptcy Suits, Employee Criminal Actions / Bribery, Branch Operations, Bank Secrecy Act Policies / Procedures, Wire Transfers, New Account Fraud, Trust Account Fraud, Bank Negligence and Foreign Checks.

 Mark C. Riley is an experienced and successful former Bank Chief Executive Officer whose background includes leading the turnaround of two banks that had been operating under regulatory agreements upon arrival. Mr. Riley’s relevant experience was overseeing all areas of his banks including the development, approval, and implementation of effective risk management programs. For example, as CEO, Mr. Riley was involved in all phases of lending from business development to credit analysis and underwriting to overseeing loan approval and review process, providing due diligence of client bank loan portfolios, developing and overseeing workouts of nonperforming loans. This is particularly important in Expert Witness support as Mr. Riley’s background will carry more weight than technical specialists such as Loan Officers. Using loan officers, analysts and even lending group managers can provide the technical side of lending (underwriting, documentation, recordation and related nuts and bolts). As a Bank CEO & Director with lending expertise, Mr. Riley can provide all of that, but more importantly to a lawsuit, is knowledge of Director Loan Committees and their response to weaknesses that occurred in the technical side and what actions did they take to ameliorate or exacerbate the problem. Mr. Riley has provided Expert Witness services, including consulting, reports, depositions and testimony, to attorneys representing the FDIC, banks, bank clients, and related companies. 

Susan E. C. Riley is an experienced Senior Officer whose background includes the total responsibility for creating and managing the enterprise-wide systems of two denovo banks. Her relevant experience also includes creating and managing the Human Resources Department, Compliance, IT and IT Security, BSA/AML, ACH, Vendor Management, and related contract negotiations and Retail Bank Management. As co-founder of Bank Resources and Solutions, Mrs. Riley has analyzed, recommended, and implemented complex banking software within tight guidelines. She has established a solid reputation as a “no nonsense, identify the challenges, develop effective strategies and get the solutions in place” administrator. Mrs. Riley has provided Expert Witness research and consultation in client v. bank and bank v. client related matters.

View Bank Resources and Solutions' Consulting Profile.

Reproductive Endocrinology - Infertility - Gynecology
A top doctor in his field, Barry S. Verkauf, MD, MBA, CPE, has more than 40 years of practice expertise in Gynecology and Reproductive Endocrinology/ Infertility, as well as medical management having earned an MBA from USF College of Business in 1997.He has served in leadership positions in both hospital and medical organizations.

A respected and long-standing figure in his field, Dr. Verkauf currently serves as an Affiliate Professor in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Morsani College of Medicine at the University of South Florida where he was on the founding faculty and initiated the Division of Reproduction Endocrinology and Infertility in 1974. In 1981, he was the founding Partner of The Reproductive Medicine Group which continues as one of the largest and most successful private practices in his specialty in the State of Florida.

Dr. Verkauf has been a reviewer for high impact journals, KePro Peer Review Organization and has published 25 papers, 8 abstracts, 3 book chapters, and 3 books. He has been active in the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, serving on several committees and as their Delegate to the American Medical Association for 15 years.

Over the last 20 years, Dr. Verkauf has been awarded many honors recognizing his clinical and leadership expertise, and most recently was recognized by Marquis Who's Who with their Lifetime Achievement Award in Reproductive Medicine.

Litigation Support - Dr. Verkauf offers expert witness services in cases involving Reproductive Endocrinology, Infertility, and other Obstetric and Gynecological matters. His services are available to insurance companies with questions and attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant and include peer review, medical record review, written reports, deposition, and trial testimony.

Janet L.Taylor,  BSN, CEN, CFRN, NREMT-B, is a Nurse with over 20 years of experience, the majority of which has been spent in Emergency Medical Service / Emergency Room and Critical Care Transport. Ms. Taylor has experience in all levels of EMS and Critical Care transport, from types of scenes to inter-facility transports. She has worked in various areas including ER, Medical / Surgical, Labor and Delivery, Intensive Care Unit, and Outpatient.

A Certified Flight Nurse, Ms. Taylor works with Life Flight Eagle, a non-profit organization that provides life-saving helicopter transport for critically ill and injured patients in Kansas and Missouri communities surrounding Kansas City.  

Consulting Services - Ms. Taylor also works as a consultant, researching current evidence-based practices to update current policies for patient care. She writes modules for online education and her employer's education department. She consults independently with a small rural hospital in creating customized education modules to improve their staff education offerings.

Ms Taylor has been chosen to speak at various EMS conferences all over the nation, offering up to date content for continuing education and improving patient care. She is also employed by University of Maryland Baltimore County as an adjunct instructor.

Litigation Support - Ms. Taylor is an EMS / ER, Critical Care Transport Subject Matter Expert providing chart review, standard of care, and deposition services. She is available to attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant.

Areas of Expertise:  

Emergency Medical Services Critical Care Transportation Standards Ambulance / Emergency Transport Clinical standards Inter-facility Transport Standards

Flight Nurse Standards Paramedic Standards Emergency Room Nurse Standards

Jake E. Carroll, ThD, is an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) / Paramedic Subject Matter Expert with over 29 years of experience. He also has specialized training and experience in Critical Incident Stress Management. He is nationally credentialed as a Defensive Driving Instructor Trainer. Dr. Carroll's current role includes supporting EMS instructional development, training program delivery, and emergency response consultation for Benchmark Medical Services, LLC, Tennessee Valley Authority, Johnson Service Group, and Tennessee Safety and Health Council, Inc.

Dr. Carroll is the past Board Chair for the Tennessee Chapter of International Trauma Life Support, and currently serves as Regional Faculty with the American Heart Association for the Basic Life Support and Advanced Cardiac Life Support programs, and Chaplain for Hamilton County Emergency Services. He is also Captain of the Hamilton County Command Post, and holds memberships in the Tennessee Emergency Medical Services Educators Association, the International Association of Fire Fighters Chaplains, and the Tennessee Fire Chaplains Association.

Litigation Support - Dr. Carroll provides expert witness and consultation services for defense and plaintiff attorneys, risk management professionals, the general public, and governments involved in civil and criminal litigation.

Areas of Expertise:

Basic Life Support (BLS) Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Advanced Life Support (ALS) Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS Emergency Vehicle Operations

Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) Bloodborne Pathogens DOT First Responders Paramedic / EMT Negligence Defensive Driving

View Dr. Carroll's Consulting Profile.

Steven A. Bernstein, DPM, FACFAS, FASPS, is a doctor of Podiatric Medicine who specializes in Foot and Ankle Reconstructive Surgery. Dr. Bernstein is served on the Surgical Review Committee at Meadowlands Hospital Medical Center in Secaucus, New Jersey, and Chief of Foot and Ankle Services at Citimed, Complete Medical Care Injury Doctors serving Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, and New York, New York. He also served as an Expert Medical Advisor (EMA) in the Division of Workman Compensation for the State of Florida for a period of seven years. Litigation Support - Dr. Bernstein has over 28 years of experience performing Independent Medical Examinations (IMEs) and 2nd Opinions for cases involving Trauma and Reconstructive Foot and Ankle Surgery. He has provided over 1,000 IMEs and been deposed and/or testified approximately 500 times for attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant. Dr. Bernstein offers litigation support services in New Jersey, New York, and Florida. Areas of Expertise:

Podiatric Surgery Foot Trauma Surgery Foot Reconstructive Surgery Complex Revision Surgery (CRS) Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) Failed Foot and Ankle Surgery

Charcot / Residual Clubfoot Deformities Limb Salvage and Preservation External and Internal Fixation Techniques Ankle and Small Joint Arthroscopy Ankle, Heel, Foot Pain Management Sports Injuries

Fort Lee Office 1608 Lemoine Ave, Suite 205 Fort Lee, NJ 07024 Telephone: 201-482-8236

Jersey City Office 377 Jersey Ave, Suite 590 Jersey City, NJ 07302 Telephone: 201-482-8236

Gerald W. Smetana, MD, Board Certified in Internal Medicine, is a General Internist with over 31 years of experience in an academic primary care practice at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. He is also a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School where he teaches internal medicine to medical house staff and also extensively to practicing clinicians in continuing medical education settings. Practicing in an outpatient setting, Dr. Smetana cares for a panel of patients that is weighted towards those with multiple chronic illnesses and high disease complexity. In addition to all aspects of office based general internal medicine, his areas of interest include Preoperative Medical Evaluation, Hypertension, and Headache. Dr. Smetana has been repeatedly selected as a Best Doctor in a national survey and has received a national award for scholarship in medical education. He publishes in the peer reviewed medical literature and medical texts, has edited textbooks, and has helped to develop national guidelines on topics in internal medicine. He has been invited to deliver seminars and presentations on various topics within his area of expertise nationally and internationally. Litigation Support - Dr. Smetana reviews cases for both plaintiffs and defendants, and has testified at deposition and trial as an expert more than 45 times. He has reviewed several hundred medical malpractice cases over the past 10 years both for plaintiffs and doctors. Dr. Smetana also consults for risk management insurers. His primary care, record review, and medicolegal consultation services are available throughout the United States.

Brian H. Kelley is a seasoned Banking Executive, Lender, and Attorney with over 30 years of experience in lending, top management, and legal positions for both regional and larger commercial banks in California, Arizona, Washington, and Oregon. He has served as the CEO of three successful community banks and the head of a Multi-Billion Dollar lending group with a large international bank.

Litigation Support - Mr. Kelley provides expert testimony and litigation support to attorneys representing financial institutions, businesses, and individuals. His expert witness services include analysis of key issues, case strategy, depositions, opinions, and court testimony.

Mr. Kelley's expertise has been called upon in State, Federal, Bankruptcy, and Arbitration Courts, having testified on behalf of FDIC, major banks, and financial institutions. He is a qualified expert in eights states and the District of Columbia.

Areas of Expertise:

Consumer and Commercial Lending Loan Underwriting Bank Operations Bank Compliance Federal and State Regulation Credit and Collection Practices

Bank Governance Lender Liability Loan Policy and Guidelines Loan and Credit Review Loan Workout Loan Modification and HAMP Programs

Education / Training: BA and JD from Brigham Young University. Extensive professional course experience in loan underwriting, credit analysis, corporate finance, lending practices, etc.

Degrees / Certifications: Admitted to the California, Utah and Hawaii Bar Associations. Past Director of Western Independent Bankers, California Bankers, American Bankers Association and Mortgage Bankers of America.

View Brian Kelley's Consulting Profile.

Elbridge F. Bills, MD, FACOG, is a board certified OB/GYN with over 20 years of clinical experience in Obstetrics & Gynecology. Dr. Bills is a graduate of Emory Medical School and received a Master's degree in Metabolic & Nutritional Medicine from the University of South Florida.

With a full-time practice caring for and managing low and high risk pregnancies and deliveries, Dr. Bills also has an active gynecological practice including hysteroscopic, laparoscopic, and robotic procedures. He is licensed in both Georgia and Florida.

Dr. Bills is Board Certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, a member of the American Association of Gynecological Laparoscopists, the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, and the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Litigation Support - Dr. Bills offers expert witness services to attorneys representing plaintiff and defense. He is available for cases involving medical malpractice and other OB-GYN related injuries. His services include medical record review, thorough reporting, depositions, and trial testimony as needed.

Areas of Expertise:

Normal & High Risk Pregnancies Hysteroscopic Gynecology Laparoscopic Gynecology Reconstructive and Robotic Surgery

Gynecological Ultrasound Integrative Medicine Hormone Therapy Testosterone Therapy

Marguerita M. Cheng, CFP®, CRPC®, RICP®, CDFA™, Chief Executive Officer at Blue Ocean Global Wealth, is a Certified Financial Planning Expert with 18 years of experience. Prior to co-founding Blue Ocean Global Wealth, she was a Financial Advisor at Ameriprise Financial and an Analyst and Editor at Towa Securities in Tokyo, Japan. Ms. Cheng is a past spokesperson for the AARP Financial Freedom Campaign and a regular columnist for Investopedia & Kiplinger. She is a CFP® professional, a Chartered Retirement Planning CounselorSM, a Retirement Income Certified Professional® and a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst. As a Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards (CFP Board) Ambassador, Ms. Cheng helps educate the public, policy makers, and media about the benefits of competent, ethical financial planning. She served on the Financial Planning Association (FPA) National Board of Directors from 2013 – 2015 and is a past president of the Financial Planning Association of the National Capital Area (FPA NCA). 

Marguerita Cheng CNBC Interview on Social Security 

Awards and Honors - Ms. Cheng is a recipient of the Ameriprise Financial Presidential Award for Quality of Advice and the prestigious Japanese Monbukagakusho Scholarship. In 2017, she was named the #3 Most Influential Financial Advisor in the Investopedia Top 100, a Woman to Watch by InvestmentNews, and a Top 100 Minority Business Enterprise (MBE®) by the Capital Region Minority Supplier Development Council (CRMSDC).

Litigation Support - Ms. Cheng serves as a Women’s Initiative (WIN) Advocate and subject matter expert for CFP Board, contributing to the development of examination questions for the CFP® Certification Examination. She also volunteers for CFP Board Disciplinary and Ethics Commission (DEC) hearings. Services to attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant include financial due diligence, thorough reporting, depositions, and trial testimony as needed.

Areas of Litigation Expertise:

Financial Planning Issues Social Security Elder Financial Abuse

Financial Planner Standard of Care Financial Planner Code of Ethics Investor Rights

Michael Blumenkrantz, MD, FACP, FACN, CNSP, dFASN has over 40 years of experience specializing in Internal Medicine and Nephrology. Dr. Blumenkrantz is an internationally recognized expert in Internal Medicine, Dialysis, Kidney Disease, Total Parenteral Nutrition, and Nutrition. Achieving the rank of Associate Professor of Medicine (in residence) at UCLA, he has been in private practice for the past 30 years. Dr. Blumenkrantz is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Society of Nephrology.

Litigation Support - Dr. Blumenkrantz has been offering litigation support services to counsel representing both Plaintiff and Defense for 15 years. Approximately 40% of his cases involve renal issues and the remainder are in the field of internal medicine. Dr. Blumenkrantz has been involved in 350 cases in the past 15 years and has been deposed approximately 120 times. He has testified at 30 trials and arbitrations.

Areas of Expertise:

Internal Medicine Dialysis Hemodialysis Peritoneal CAPD Kidney Disease Obesity Nutrition Support

Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) Critical Care Hypertension Long Term Geriatric Care Medical / Legal Quality Assurance Personal Injury Medical Malpractice

View Dr. Blumenkrantz's Consulting Profile.