Wind Engineering Expert Witnesses: 7

Jamie Chapman, PhD, provides more than 35 years of broad technical, engineering, operational and economic expertise in the areas of Renewable Energy and Power Conversion Systems. Service as Expert Witness and Expert Consultant to law firms and agencies.

Dr. Chapman's experience includes research and development focused on the technologies needed to maintain leadership for the next, next generation of multi-megawatt wind turbine power plants, including turbulence detection by lidar and radar. His work in this area generated four patent disclosures.

From 2004-2010, Dr. Chapman served as Associate Director of the Wind Science and Engineering Research Center at Texas Tech University. As part of the Senior Research Faculty, he was a principal in achieving $10 million in external funding to implement a wind energy research and education program. Dr. Chapman delivered a graduate-level course on wind turbine design, control, grid interface and economics and initiated Texas Tech's program on the integration of wind turbines with desalination systems.

Dr. Chapman has provided national and international Expert Witness services in Patent, System Performance, Manufacturing Defects, and other litigation areas. In addition to his very broad technical background, Dr. Chapman is an excellent communicator, orally and in writing, of sophisticated and complex technological concepts.

Currently the principal at Time-Variable Systems LLC, Texas and New York, Dr. Chapman's focus and areas of expertise include:

• Innovative Electric Machines
• Variable Speed Electric Generators
• Marine Hydrokinetic Power Conversion Systems
• Radar Sensing
• Megawatt-scale Power Processing and Control via Power Electronics
• Wind Turbines
• Energy Storage
• Rotary and Linear Electric Machines
• Electronic Power Conversion
• Control and Grid Interface

View Dr. Chapman's Consulting Profile.

Medical Devices, Biotech, Failure Analysis, Mechanical Eng, Materials, Reliability, Expert Witness

T. Kim Parnell, PhD, PE is a Professional Mechanical Engineering consultant and is Principal & Founder of Parnell Engineering & Consulting (PEC). Dr. Parnell holds PhD and MSME degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University, a BES from Georgia Tech, and is a registered Professional Mechanical Engineer (PE) in the State of California.  He is an ASME Fellow, an IEEE Senior Member, and a Member of ASM and SAE.  Dr. Parnell is Past-Chair of the IEEE Santa Clara Valley Section (IEEE-SCV) (over 12,000 members) and Past-Chair/Board Member of the IEEE Consultants' Network of Silicon Valley (IEEE-CNSV). 

Litigation Support - Dr.Parnell is an experienced Expert Witness, has provided testimony in both trial and deposition, and has authored numerous expert reports and IPR declarations.  He has worked extensively as an expert in medical devices, patents, product failure, product liability, and personal injury. 

Dr. Parnell has been retained in medical device litigation cases that are in the news and adjudicated in MDLs.  Products include IVC Filters (Inferior Vena Cava Filters), Pelvic Mesh, Transvaginal Mesh, Intragastric Abdominal Balloon Weight Loss Systems, Back Pain Reduction Systems, and others. Dr.Parnell brings both breadth and depth of experience to clients.  He has over 34 years of professional consulting experience, has taught both graduate and undergraduate University classes (Visiting Professor at Stanford University & Adjunct Professor at Santa Clara University), and has also worked in industry.  

Dr. Parnell's industrial positions include sectors such as software, hardware, medical devices, and telecommunications equipment. He has extensive experience in areas including patents, medical devices, Nitinol shape memory alloy material, mechanical failure of products or equipment, and material failure by fracture or fatigue. Dr.Parnell frequently works with early-stage companies as both a technical consultant and a business advisor in sectors including medical devices and flash memory technology.

Areas of Expertise:

Patents and Intellectual Property Medical Devices; Medical Instrumentation Shape Memory Alloys; Nitinol Composite Materials Finite Element Analysis (FEA) & Simulation Cell Phones, Personal Electronic Devices Laptop Computers, Keyboards, Keypads Gas Leaks, Pipe Failure, Vapor Cloud Explosions

Solar Trackers; Solar Energy; Wind Energy;  Battery Technology; Electric Vehicles Shape Memory Materials; Nitinol Heavy Truck Crashworthiness Consumer Products Product Design Refinement Piping, Pressure Vessels Failure Analysis; Reliability

Selected Professional Memberships:

• Registered Professional Engineer (Mechanical), California
• ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers), Fellow
• SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers), Member
• IEEE (Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers), Senior Member
• ASM International, Member
• SMST (Shape Memory and Superelastic Technologies), Member

View Dr. Parnell's Consulting Profile.

Casey K. Hemmatyar, SE, is a Forensic Structural Engineer with over 30 years of diversified experience in the field of Structural, civil, and forensic engineering in design, investigation, evaluation, research, building code and standards development and construction supervision. His experience includes new buildings, special structures, as well as modifications, alterations, seismic / wind retrofits, and upgrades. Mr. Hemmatyar has provided failure analysis, expert consultation, structural forensic investigation, damage assessment services for many litigation and insurance related matters. He has been principal structural engineer on projects for clients such as NASA and several other high profile agencies.

Litigation Support - Mr. Hemmatyar has provided extensive services for defendants and plaintiff attorneys on construction litigation matters in single and Class-Action both on State and Federal lawsuits. His understanding of core legal concepts and engineering principles has enabled him to assist his attorney clients in the most efficient manner. His services include on-site inspection, written reports, depositions, and trial testimony as needed.

Areas of Expertise:

Construction Defects Failure Analysis Code Compliance / Violation Natural Disaster Damage Assessment Structural Failure Investigation Foundation System Settlements Structural Repair Analysis Corrosion Earthquake Damage Vibration and Frequency Mechanical, Electrical, Medical Equipments

Construction Schedule Delay Property Insurance Claims Standard of Care Construction Accidents Buildings & Public Works Flood & Demolition Damage Errors / Omission Water Intrusion Roof Systems Floor Systems Impact Forces

View Casey Hemmatyar's Consulting Profile.

Dr. James Rice has over 35 years of technical and managerial experience in both industry and academia. He has a strong technical background in broad areas of mechanical engineering ranging from fluid mechanics and heat transfer to basic design. Dr. Rice’s primary expertise is in computational methods and simulation in mechanical engineering. His mechanical engineering practice has focused in particular on the development and application of these methods to a diverse range of applications in industry, and has also used these methods in his litigation support activities.

Dr. Rice has extensive experience as an expert witness in patent litigation involving issues in Mechanical Engineering. Over the last ten years, he has provided litigation support in more than 30 cases including approximately 25 patent cases. This experience has included the preparation of numerous expert reports, depositions, and trial testimony for both plaintiff and defense attorneys. His litigation support activities have also included testing and analysis as required to support his opinions.

Dr. Rice is the author of over 30 technical publications and has consulted for over fifty companies. He has conducted over 200 seminars and short courses in the U.S., Europe, and the Orient, and has been an invited speaker at international engineering conferences.

Expertise:

Computational Methods Heat Transfer / Thermodynamics Turbomachinery Combustion Fluid Mechanics

Finite Element Analysis Mechanical Design Intellectual Property Prior Art Review Infringement & Invalidity

Industries and Applications:
Automotive:
Vehicle Aerodynamics Passenger Compartment Flow Underhood Flow & Heat Transfer Intake & Exhaust Manifolds Intake & Exhaust Valves Engine Cooling Jackets	Power Steering Components Cooling Fans Fuel Delivery Systems Ejectors Control Valves Torque Converters
Power Generation:	Electronics:
Valves Fossil & Nuclear Heat Exchangers Thermal Stratification Separation Systems Combustion Systems	Enclosures Heat Sinks Natural / Forced Convection Hard Drive Flow Motors
HVAC:	Turbomachinery:
Duct Systems and Components Valves, Fittings Flow & Temperature Distribution Particle Dispersion	Pumps Compressors Blowers Fans
Aerospace:
Aerodynamics Wind tunnels Rotor Loads

Carl H. Josephson, PE, SE, and Dan R. Werdowatz PE, SE, have over 39 years and 34 years of Structural Engineering experience respectively. They are active in numerous professional organizations and Mr. Josephson has served as the Structural Engineer member of the California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists. They have testified in cases throughout the Western United States including Texas and Hawaii. 

Mr. Josephson, Mr. Werdowatz and their team provide special studies, investigations, code review and analysis, and have conducted structural investigations on 1,000s of buildings throughout the United States for a diverse group of clients.

Litigation Support - JW&A have been retained as structural engineering experts by plaintiff, defense, and cross-defendant clients on over 1,500 cases, and have testified at deposition, trial and arbitration on over 400 matters across Southern California, Northern California, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, Utah, Texas, Oregon, and Hawaii. Designated as experts for homeowner associations, developers, and subcontractor cross-defendants, they strive to provide balanced, well-reasoned and practical solutions to construction litigation problems. They have also been retained as court-appointed neutral experts on several cases.

SE Licenses: HI, IL
SE/PE Licenses: CA, AZ, ID, LA, NV, OR, UT, WA
PE Licenses: CO, CT, FL, IN, KS, MI, MO, NM, NY, ND, OH, TX, WV

Areas of Expertise:

Wood Structures Masonry Structures Steel Structures Concrete Structures Construction Defects Insurance Litigation Professional Liability Claims

Seismic / Wind Design Code Review Standard of Care Analysis Foundations Underpinning Retaining Walls Tie-backs

Josephson-Werdowatz & Associates, Inc. Office Locations:

San Diego Office 6370 Lusk Blvd., Suite F200 San Diego, CA 92121-2753 Telephone: 858-558-2181 Facsimile: 858-558-2188	Las Vegas Office 3753 Howard Hughes Parkway, Suite 200 Las Vegas, Nevada 89169-0952 Telephone: 702-733-6500 Facsimile: 702-733-6555
Scottsdale Office 14362 N. Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd., Ste 1000 Scottsdale, Arizona 85260-8847 Telephone: 480-945-5337 Facsimile: 480-945-5499	Sacramento Office 770 L Street, Suite 950 Sacramento, California 95814-3361 Telephone: 916-242-833 Facsimile: 916-242-8332

View Josephson Werdowatz & Associates' Consulting Profile.

Expert Consultant/Witness in over 70-cases; Licensed Engineer with 30 years of experience in Civil/Structural Engineering & Construction Forensics Consulting, Construction Project Management and teaching/research. Has been retained by insurance companies, law firms, construction, energy, mining, technology & manufacturing industries, governmental and educational institutions, engineering and architectural firms, and individuals. Consultant in both plaintiff/defendant cases; testimony & trial experience.

• Expert Consulting & Witness; Insurance Claim, Peer Reviews, Legal Support

• Buildings, Structures & Materials: Residential, Commercial, Institutional & Historic; Bridges, Towers, Stacks/Chimneys, Containment Vessels, Tanks, Grain Silos, Conduits & Pipelines, Retaining Walls, Foundations, Slabs & Pavements; Concrete, Steel, Composite, Wood, CMU, Brick Masonry & Adobe

• Design, Construction, Integrity, Repair & Retrofit Issues

• Construction Defects & Accidents; Defective Concrete; OSHA Standards

• Code Compliance; Seismic Resistant Design; Errors & Omissions; Standards of Care

• Damage & Failure Investigation; Due Diligence; Non-Destructive Testing; Analysis/Report

• Vibration, Explosion, Impact, Earthquake, Wind, Fire, Hurricane & Flood Damage Investigations

• Pile Driving & Demolition Damage to Adjacent Facilities; Cracking & Settlement

• Dynamic, Stress & Thermal Analysis; Finite Element Method; Product Design; Failure Simulation/Reconstruction

• Slip, Trip & Fall Accidents

• Intellectual Property & Patent Infringement

John G. Minor, President of Complete General Contractors, is a third-generation Contractor and licensed instructor certified by the North Carolina Department of Insurance. He is a recognized expert on the costs and applications necessary to repair buildings damaged by manufacturer, builder liability, water damage or intrusion, mold, or asbestos.

Mr. Minor has worked in construction and contracting dispute resolution throughout the Southeast for over 17 years. He has been involved in the successful discharge of 150+ million dollars as an expert witness in property claim lawsuits and disputes. He is retained by both the plaintiff and defense for a fair appraisal of the issues at hand.

Mr. Minor works with attorneys to generate a plan based on damages to property and in compliance with the provisions and spirit of the insurance policies in effect at the time of the loss. For personal injury cases, he works to establish the code requirements in place at times of the injury to find how they relate to the cause of action.

Areas of Expertise:

Loss Appraisals Construction Claims Construction Disputes Construction Safety Construction Damages

Fire Damage HVAC Issues Insurance - Property, Casualty Mold Asbestos

View John Minor's Consulting Profile.