County of Los Angeles v. Superior Court
California Court of Appeal
271 Cal. Rptr. 698 (1990)
Relevant factsFree
The County (defendant) withdrew Dr. Verity as its designated expert witness but continued using him as a litigation consultant; opposing counsel for Hernandez (plaintiff) nonetheless contacted Dr. Verity, discussed his prior report prepared for the County, and designated him as Hernandez's own expert, prompting the County to seek a protective order and disqualification of Hernandez's counsel, which the trial court denied.
IssueFree
Whether a party can communicate with or retain an expert witness who was previously designated as an expert witness for the opposing party and who continues to serve as a consultant for the opposing party.