Jackson v. E-Z-Go Div. of Textron, Inc.

326 F. Supp. 3d 375
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Kentucky
DecidedJuly 23, 2018
DocketCIVIL ACTION NO. 3:12-CV-00154-TBR
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 326 F. Supp. 3d 375 (Jackson v. E-Z-Go Div. of Textron, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jackson v. E-Z-Go Div. of Textron, Inc., 326 F. Supp. 3d 375 (W.D. Ky. 2018).

Opinion

Thomas B. Russell, Senior Judge United States District Court *384Currently pending before the Court are four motions by Plaintiffs and three motions by Defendant to exclude testimony of various witnesses pursuant to Federal Rule of Evidence 702 and Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc. , 509 U.S. 579, 113 S.Ct. 2786, 125 L.Ed.2d 469 (1993). [DN 130; DN 131; DN 132; DN 133; DN 134; DN 135; DN 136.] All motions have been responded to and replied to. Fully briefed, these matters are now ripe for adjudication. For the reasons explained in detail below, Defendant E-Z-GO's Motion to Exclude Opinion Testimony of Andrew Lawyer II is GRANTED IN PART AND DENIED IN PART ; its Motion to Exclude Proposed Opinion Testimony of William Kitzes is GRANTED IN PART AND DENIED IN PART ; and its Motion to Exclude Opinion Testimony of Kristopher Seluga is GRANTED IN PART AND DENIED IN PART .

Plaintiffs' Motion to Exclude Testimony of Richard L. Stern is DENIED ; their Motion to Exclude David J. Bizzak, H. Frank Entwisle, and Graeme F. Fowler is GRANTED IN PART AND DENIED IN PART ; their Motion to Exclude Testimony About the Law by Fact Witnesses & Textron's Expert Witnesses is GRANTED ; and their Motion to Exclude Nathan T. Dorris is GRANTED IN PART AND DENIED IN PART .

BACKGROUND

This lawsuit arises out of a rollover accident involving an electric personnel carrier vehicle that led to the tragic death of one of the passengers, fifteen year-old Jordan Kori Jackson, on July 25, 2010 in Grayson County, Kentucky. [See DN 1-2 (Complaint).] The personnel carrier vehicle (the "Vehicle") was a 1993 E-Z-GO PC-4X manufactured and sold by Defendant E-Z-GO ("Defendant" or "E-Z-GO").1 Jordan Jackson was a passenger in the front right seat of the Vehicle. Three other teenage passengers were also present: Molly Kyle, who was driving, Andrew O'Neill, whose parents owned the Vehicle, and Samantha Compton. Both Andrew O'Neill and Samantha Compton were sitting in the back of the Vehicle at the time of the incident.

Lora Madonna Jackson, Jordan's mother and the administratrix of her estate, and Carmine T. Jackson, administratrix of the estate of Charles T. Jackson Jr., Jordan's father, brought the instant lawsuit against Defendant E-Z-GO Division of Textron, Inc. Herein, Plaintiffs allege that the Vehicle's design was defective, that E-Z-GO failed to provide adequate warnings regarding its safe operation, and that E-Z-GO breached express and implied warranties. [See DN 1-2 at 4-7.] Plaintiffs also bring negligence and gross negligence claims against Keith and Dianna O'Neill, Andrew O'Neill's parents, alleging that the O'Neills wrongly allowed their then-underage son and others to operate the Vehicle on the day of the incident. [DN 1-2 at 7-8.]

*385This matter is scheduled for a jury trial beginning on August 1, 2018. Presently, both parties make motions to exclude the testimony of several witnesses expected to testify at trial.

STANDARD

When a party challenges an opponent's expert witness, this Court must assume "a gatekeeping role" to ensure the relevance and reliability of the expert's testimony. Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharm., Inc. , 509 U.S. 579, 597, 113 S.Ct. 2786, 125 L.Ed.2d 469 (1993) ; see also Kumho Tire Co. v. Carmichael , 526 U.S. 137, 141, 119 S.Ct. 1167, 143 L.Ed.2d 238 (1999) (extending Daubert to nonscientific expert testimony). Federal Rule of Evidence 702 guides the Court through this inquiry. The plain language of Rule 702 says, first, that an expert must be qualified to testify on account of his "knowledge, skill, experience, training, or education." Fed. R. Evid. 702 ; see also Bradley v. Ameristep, Inc. , 800 F.3d 205, 208 (6th Cir. 2015). The Court does "not consider 'the qualifications of a witness in the abstract, but whether those qualifications provide a foundation for a witness to answer a specific question.' " Burgett v. Troy-Bilt LLC , 579 Fed.Appx. 372, 376 (6th Cir. 2014) (quoting Berry v. City of Detroit , 25 F.3d 1342, 1351 (6th Cir. 1994) ). A qualified expert may then testify so long as his opinions will aid the factfinder and are reliable, meaning the opinions are based on sufficient data, reliable methods, and the facts of the case. Fed. R. Evid. 702(a)-(d) ; see also Clark v. W & M Kraft, Inc. , 476 Fed.Appx. 612, 616 (6th Cir. 2012) ; Adler v. Elk Glenn, LLC , 986 F.Supp.2d 851, 854 (E.D. Ky. 2013).

There are a number of factors typically considered to resolve questions concerning the reliability (and admissibility) of expert testimony, but no list is exhaustive. See Daubert , 509 U.S. at 593-94, 113 S.Ct. 2786 ; see also Newell Rubbermaid, Inc. v. Raymond Corp.

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326 F. Supp. 3d 375, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jackson-v-e-z-go-div-of-textron-inc-kywd-2018.