United States v. Powers
United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
59 F.3d 1460 (4th Cir. 1995)
Grady Powers (defendant) was charged with aggravated sexual abuse of his daughter and sought to introduce expert testimony from Dr. Sciara, who had created a psychological profile showing that 40 percent of incest abusers exhibit characteristics of a fixated pedophile, and who would have testified Powers didn't match that profile. The district court excluded the testimony under Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, finding it irrelevant to whether Powers actually abused his daughter, and Powers was convicted and appealed.
Whether, to be admissible under the Daubert standard, expert testimony must consist of scientific knowledge and assist the trier of fact in understanding the evidence or determining a fact at issue.