Structural Engineering Expert Witnesses: 14

As an arbitrator, structural/civil engineer, and expert forensic consultant with nearly four decades of experience, Casey Hemmatyar has provided extensive expert services for defendants’ and plaintiffs’ attorneys on numerous construction litigation matters throughout the United States and Canada.

He has been retained as an expert engineer in over one hundred litigation matters on single and class-action legal cases by the U.S. government, law firms, and insurance carriers at the State and Federal levels, working with both plaintiff and defendant sides.

A partial list of litigation cases is available upon request. His understanding of core engineering and legal concepts has enabled him to assist a wide range of clientele effectively. He brings diversified experience in structural and civil engineering design and forensic engineering, investigation, and evaluation.

He also conducts research, has assisted in the development of building codes and standards, and has supervised the construction of domestic and international projects. His experience includes special structures and new buildings as well as modifications, alterations, seismic/hurricane retrofits, and upgrades to existing structures. He has provided failure analysis, expert consultation, structural forensic investigation, and damage assessment services for numerous litigation and insurance-related matters.

He actively presents continuing education lectures to audiences of licensed engineers, architects, and general contractors on topics of structural and forensic engineering throughout North America. Mr. Hemmatyar has been the principal structural engineer on high-profile projects for prestigious clients, including NASA and other notable organizations.  Currently, he directs PSFEG and has served as Director for SEAOSC from 2011 to 2013.

His work encompasses a diverse range of structures, including hospitals,  educational institutions (including schools and universities), telecommunication centers, aviation facilities, government buildings, laboratories, as well as commercial, industrial, and residential structures.

Michael C. Wright, PE, CSP, CPE is a Professional Engineer with over 35 years of academic, practical, and specialized knowledge of Engineering, Construction, Safety, Maintenance, Demolition and Training in general industry and construction activities. Mr. Wright's expertise is a definite plus in providing clients with leading edge information and insight. A licensed and practicing engineer, he rounds out his knowledge as a Certified Safety Professional (CSP) and Certified Plant Engineer to provide an insightful and accurate understanding of the issues involved in a case. 

Mr. Wright has completed over 600 hours of specialized safety training, serves on ANSI and ASTM Standards committees and provides a thorough knowledge of OSHA Regulations, Directives and Letters of Interpretation. A recognized author, presenter, and trainer, Mr. Wright communicates the issues clearly for all to understand. His expert witness experience is a balanced blend of defense, plaintiff and OSHA Solicitor cases. He is licensed in 46 states. 

Areas of Expertise:

View Mr. Wright's Curriculum Vitae

Mark E. Rieser, II, MS, PE, AIA, GBC, GEC has over 30 years of experience in the Engineering, Architectural, Construction, and Building Design industry. He provides his clients with a comprehensive knowledge of Engineering, Construction Technology and Construction Standards of Professional Practice. 

Background Experience - President of an “active” Design and Building company with a professional staff and Headquarter offices in San Jose and Los Angeles, and offices in Sacramento and San Francisco. Mr. Rieser has managed, designed, and constructed over 4,000 units to include high-rise, single family homes, condominiums, townhomes, podiums, apartments, and commercial buildings, His experience includes building and roadway design, construction, management, with designs of over 500 miles of asphalt and roadway improvements, tunnels, San Francisco Airport, Santa Clara Light Rail, Southern Pacific Railroad, Caltrans, and BART. 

Mr. Rieser has an insightful understanding of Civil / Structural Engineering, Soil Engineering, Transportation, Traffic Engineering, Hydraulic Engineering, Safety Expert, OSHA Standards, Architectural Design, Asphalt Design, Cost Estimation, Public Works Design Bidding and Estimation, General Engineering, General Building, and an Accident Reconstruction expert. “Our bids are not just a tool but are numbers that we be use to finish the work, accurately, on-time, and safely.” 

Forensic Construction and Engineering - Mark Rieser is a renowned forensic expert with the knowledge to safeguard clients from unwanted litigation as well as support both plaintiffs and defendants. He works closely with insurance companies and attorneys on various public, city, and state cases throughout the western United States. To date, he has been designated as an expert in over 550 Forensic Construction and Engineering cases throughout the United States. Mr. Rieser has been designated and testified Court as an expert in the following categories:

View Mark Rieser's Consulting Profile.

Joseph A. Quilici, CE, SE, CFLC, is a Registered Structural and Civil Engineer in the state of California and is a Certified Forensic Litigation Consultant. Mr. Quilici has over 40 years of experience in the construction industry. He has extensive knowledge of building codes and familiarity with innovative building systems.

Mr. Quilici's range of expertise includes luxury & merchant built residences, apartments and hotels, recreational centers, commercial, retail, and office facilities, religious and educational facilities, and industrial / warehouse facilities. He is also experienced with a diverse range of building materials, including tilt-up concrete, structural steel, post-tensioned concrete, concrete masonry units, foam block, light gauge steel, and timber. 

Qualifications: 

• Licensed Structural Engineer, over 35 years, 1986
• Licensed Civil Engineer, over 40 years, 1982
• University of California, Berkeley, MS Civil Engineering - Structures, 1980
• US Green Building Counsel LEED, Accredited Professional, May 2009
• US Build it Green, Certified Green Building Professional, September 2009
•  Forensic Expert Witness Association Board of Directors - Past President
• Board Certified Forensic Litigation Consultant
• Western Construction Consultants Association Westcon Board of Directors - Past President

2 Minute Informational Video

Litigation Support - Mr. Quilici is a Certified Forensic Litigation Consultant experienced in Destructive Testing, Forensic Investigation, Post-Disaster Investigation, and Remedial Design. His services include site inspection, thorough reporting, repair designs & exhibits suitable for estimating damages, depositions, and trial testimony for both Plaintiff and Defense.

Areas of Expertise:

• Rainfall Calculations, Earth Retention Structures, Grading, Roadwork, Drainage Plans, Flooding
• Structural Framing and Decay, Concrete Foundations, Swimming Pools, Water Feature
• Architectural Moisture Proofing Repair, Seismic Retrofit, Failure Investigation
• Pools, Fountains, Water Features
• Landscape and Recreation Structures & Bridges; Grading, Drainage, Flatwork
• Shells & Vessels, Structural Steel, Gunite, Tilt-Up Concrete, Post-Tensioned Concrete, Precast Concrete, Light Gage Metal, Engineered Lumber, Masonry and Foam Block
• Multifamily, Condominium, Hotel & Resort Facilities; Historic Restoration; Planning & Architectural Design; Merchant Built & Custom Residential, Commercial, Retail, Offices; Medical, Industrial, Historic Restoration, Religious

View Quilici Engineers, Inc.'s Business Consulting Profile.

John L. Ryan, BSME, P.E. is a Mechanical Engineer who provides general Mechanical and Structural Engineering expertise. Mechanical and Safety Engineering (MASE) provides full service analysis and accident reconstruction of products involved in accidents. 

Mr. Ryan's services have been requested for attorneys and insurance companies needing forensic engineering expert witness testimony to determine whether machinery and products involved in injury cases were adequately designed or whether they have a Design, Manufacturing, or Material Defect. All products are lab-tested on site to determine adherence to industry standards and engineering design protocol. Alternate preventative designs are developed when none exist commercially. 

Mr. Ryan is available for both Plaintiff and Defense, depending on the individual case. His services include producing high quality reports and visual aids in the courtroom such as scale models to help explain accident scenarios and alternate designs to judges and juries. 

Areas of Expertise:

• Accident Investigation and Reconstruction
• Machine Guarding Accident Investigation
• Climbing Gym Accidents
• Belay Device Failure
• Rock Climbing Accidents
• Fall Protection Failures
• Ladder Failure Investigation
• Tree Stand Failures
• Industrial Accidents
• Power Press Accidents
• Connection Failures
• Bolt Failures
• Weld Failures
• Testing Products to Industry Standards to Determine Compliance
• Design Defect Analysis
• Structural Analysis of Buildings
• Product Liability Investigations
• General Engineering Injuries and Issues
• Industrial safety
• Engineering Continuing Education
• Product Certification

View John Ryan's Consulting Profile.

Florida Office:
Andrew Avalon, PE, PSP
Chairman & CEO
8633 Willow Kane Court
Orlando, FL 32835
aavalon@long-intl.com
T: (407) 445-0825     F: (407) 650-3399

Long International provides expert engineering and construction claims analysis, expert testimony, project management consulting, and insurance claims analysis services. We focus on projects in the following industries: building and construction; gas, gasification, GTL, LNG, and NGL; industrial and manufacturing; mineral and mineral processing; offshore oil and gas; oil sands; pipelines and utilities; power; refineries, petrochemical, and chemical; transportation; and water, wastewater, dams, and marine. We analyze claims, not limited to, disputed change orders, schedule delay, acceleration, time extensions, liquidated damages, loss of productivity, defective specifications, and deficient project management performance.

Richard J. Long, P.E., P.Eng., Founder of Long International, has over 50 years of U.S. and international consulting experience involving construction contract disputes analysis and resolution, arbitration/litigation support and expert testimony, project management, engineering/construction management, cost and schedule control, and process engineering. As an internationally recognized expert in the analysis and resolution of complex construction disputes for over 35 years, Mr. Long has served as the lead expert on over 300 projects having claims ranging in size from US$100,000 to over US$2 billion. He has presented and published numerous articles on claims analysis, entitlement issues, CPM schedule and damages analyses, cumulative impact claims, and claims prevention.

Rod C. Carter, CCP, PSP is President of Long International and has over 20 years of experience in construction project controls, contract disputes and resolution, negotiations, mediation, arbitration support, and expert testimony on scheduling, loss of productivity, and quantum issues.  He has experience in entitlement, schedule, and damages analyses on over 30 construction disputes ranging in value from US$100,000 to US$7 billion, related to oil and gas, oil refinery, LNG, heavy civil, nuclear, environmental, chemical, power, industrial, commercial, and residential construction projects. Mr. Carter specializes in loss of productivity, cumulative impact, and quantum calculations, and had a lead role in assessing damages on more than a dozen major disputes.  In addition, Mr. Carter has developed cost and schedule risk analysis models using Monte Carlo simulations to address the uncertainty of estimates and claims.

Scott M. Francis, P.E., PSP is a Vice President of Long International and has over 20 years of experience in project management, contract disputes analysis and resolution, CPM schedule preparation, execution, and analysis, productivity analysis, contract administration, design engineering, construction management, and government contracting.  He provides schedule development and assurance services, cost estimating, and claims analysis services on projects for both owners and contractors.  Specific responsibilities include CPM development and reviews, CPM schedule delay and acceleration analyses, change order impact analysis, issue identification, correlation of impacts to schedule activities, and productivity evaluations.

Carl H. Josephson, PE, SE and Dan R. Werdowatz PE, SE are licensed in 30 states and have over 44 years and 39 years of Structural Engineering experience respectively. They are active and have served in leadership roles in numerous local, state, and national professional structural engineering societies.  They have testified in deposition, trial, and arbitration in over 500 matters throughout the United States and abroad. 

Messrs. Josephson and Werdowatz and their team provide structural assessment and evaluation on a wide variety of matters including construction defects, insurance claims, professional liability claims, standard of care analyses, among others.  Work involves a wide variety of materials and may include vertical, seismic, and wind design and analysis; code review; and construction evaluation.  JW&A is highly experienced in foundations, underpinning, tie-backs, retaining walls, and various geotechnical structures.  JW&A has extensive graphics and animation capabilities in order to make difficult engineering concepts understandable to lay people.  

Litigation Support - JW&A has been retained as structural engineering experts by plaintiff, defense, and cross-defendant clients on over 1,500 matters across the United States and abroad. 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: CA, AZ, HI, NV, UT, WA, IL, MA, LA, OR
PE Licenses: CO, CT, FL, ID, IN, KS, KY, MD, MI, MO, MS, NM, NY, NJ, ND, OH, SC, TX, WV, WI

Areas of Expertise:

Josephson-Werdowatz & Associates, Inc. Office Locations:

View Josephson Werdowatz & Associates' Consulting Profile.

Andrew Allocco, PE, is a leading Construction Consultant, Florida Certified Contractor, Florida Licensed Public Insurance Adjuster and Real Estate Broker. With over 45 years of experience in his fields of expertise, Mr. Allocco's services are sought by individuals, corporations, developers, and law firms to oversee and advise on construction projects. He is the current owner of construction, real estate, and engineering consulting firms.

Background Experience - Mr. Allocco is the President of Indian River Construction Services, Inc. Prior to his current role, he served as the President of Better Homes Construction Services, Inc. of Miami, Florida, which performed in excess of 40,000 Building Inspections. As a Forensic Consulting Engineer, he inspects Commercial, Residential, and Industrial Facilities before, during, and after construction. He assists property owners with complex insurance claims, some of which involve significant and lengthy litigation

Mr. Allocco is not only licensed in the State of Florida as a Professional Engineer and Licensed Public Insurance Adjuster, he holds more Florida certified contractor licenses both presently active and past than any other individual in the State

Litigation Support - Since the early 1970s, Andrew Allocco has been an Expert Witness in many court and arbitration cases involving disputes between owners, builders, contractors, and architects. He has extensive knowledge of the court litigation process and has assisted law firms in providing facts and questions to be used during depositions and discovery motions. Mr. Allocco's services include inspection reports on the status of the property, depositions, trial testimony, arbitration, and mediation hearings.

Areas of Expertise:

Insurance Litigation and Structural Consulting - Mr. Allocco is also called upon by insurance companies and attorneys representing property owners to help adjusters evaluate loss. He has been retained to investigate the cause of structural failures, determine the extent of the structural damage, develop subrogation information, prepare the scope of repair, develop a repair design, draft specifications, and more. Mr. Allocco also has experience with code upgrades and notice of dangerous conditions, including hurricanes such as Hurricane Andrew.

View Andrew Allocco's Consulting Profile.

Dr. Fari Barzegar is a Licensed Engineer with 37 years of experience in Civil and Structural Engineering & Construction Forensics, Construction Project Management, university teaching/research. He has been an Expert Consultant / Witness in over 100-cases.

Litigation Consulting Expert Witness with testimony and trial experience. Has been retained by insurance companies, law firms, construction, energy, mining, technology & manufacturing industries, governmental & educational institutions, engineering and architectural firms, property owners and individuals. Consultant in both plaintiff and defendant cases.

• Insurance Claims, Peer Reviews
• Buildings, Structures & Materials: Residential, Commercial, Institutional, Historic Structures; Bridges, Towers, Stacks/Chimneys, Containment Vessels, Tanks, Grain Silos, Conduits & Pipelines, Retaining Walls, Foundations, Slabs & Pavements; Concrete, Steel, FRP Composites, Wood, CMU, Brick Masonry & Adobe
• Design / Construction / Integrity issues, Seismic Resistant Design; Errors & Omissions;Standards of Care; Repair & Retrofit Design Documents
• Construction Defects & Accidents; Defective Concrete; OSHA Standards, Excavations / Trenching / Scaffolds
• Slip/Trip/Fall, Code Compliance
• Damage & Failure Investigation; Due Diligence; Non-Destructive Testing 
• Explosion, Impact, Earthquake, Wind, Fire, Hurricane & Flood Damage Inspections / Analysis/Report
• Pile Driving & Demolition Damage to Adjacent Facilities: Vibrations, Cracking / Settlement
• Dynamic, Fracture, Thermal & Finite Element Stress Analysis; Product Design; Failure Simulation / Reconstruction
• Intellectual Property & Patent Infringement

Envista Forensics is a global leader in Forensic Engineering & Recovery Solutions. They provide Cause & Origin, Failure Analysis, Fire and Explosion Investigations, Accident Reconstruction, Damage Evaluations and Equipment Restoration Services following disasters of all kinds. Envista has offered Consulting Services to the insurance, legal and risk management industries, as well as businesses, public entities, and universities for over 25 years.

Their Experts travel globally from 30 offices located across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the U.K., Australia and Singapore. Envista's experience counts when equipment, systems, structures, or data have been threatened by catastrophe or litigation. Their experts and advisors determine cause and responsibility, and identify the nature and extent of damage or loss and provide a full range of solutions to protect their assets.

Envista's technical professionals are trusted advisors and industry leaders. Their expertise is broad and deep, capable of withstanding all forms of scrutiny. Envista's services are available globally so that certainty is assured no matter where in the world it is needed. As the recovery from disasters has grown more complex, Envista has developed a comprehensive array of services to help their clients and has associates located around the globe to provide assurance no matter the type of loss or location of the disaster. Envista helps attorneys quickly get to meaningful answers on the many technical issues at the center of a dispute. Their engineers have decades of experience working with both defendants and plaintiffs.

They offer effective Expert Witness Testimony, with the ability to communicate effectively, build rapport with juries and judges, and maintain adherence to structured, methodical approaches in drawing conclusions are all extremely critical. Envista Forensics understands how critical the selection of an expert can be, and we understand what makes experts effective. Their court qualified experts have extensive experience providing expert testimony on a wide variety of engineering and technical matters.

Areas of Expertise:

View Envista's Consulting Profile.

• Over 35 years of experience in Mechanical / Structural Engineering & Design, Failure Analysis, Product Liability, Industural Asbestos,Pressure Vessel & Boiler analysis and evaluation of mechanical and structural components.
• Extensive trial experience. Has been involved in multi-million dollar cases. Areas involved included:

  
  

  - Piping & pipe supports - Structural failure of products - Failure analysis - Industrial asbestos - Seismic analysis - Fire protection - Pressure vessels

  - Tanks - Construction - Heat transfer analysis - Environmental qualification of equipment - Welding - Product design - Patent information

• Expertise in developing litigation rate-case exhibits and detailed supporting testimony, and in organizing case documentation into easy-to-use computer databases for trial use.

Since 2010, Craig Moskowitz, MBA, MS, PE, the President and Managing Member of CLM Engineering Associates, LLC (CLM), has been concentrating the comapny's focus on forensic engineering/expert witness work for the insurance industry and legal community. In addition, they offer construction management, civil engineering and building inspection services. 

CLM has extensive construction management experience on both commercial and residential projects. Projects have included:

•  Safety inspections on both civilian and military projects through application of OSHA regulations. Designed drainage systems for the government while an officer with the United States military. Cost estimating for various projects exceeding $500 million<li>
• Designed document creation and management of high-rise construction in Manhattan
• Management of telecommunications projects for Verizon in Manhattan including CPM schedule creation and updating
• Directed and managed all water distribution system and sewer system work while working as a contractor to the New York City Department of Design and Construction. 
• Marketplace Services

Litigation Support - Forensic work related to evaluation of structural steel systems with commercial building construction and insurance-related claims due to storm damage on commercial and residential structures. Craig Moskowitz has been deposed several times in litigation matters. Mr. Moskowitz has testified 17 times in the past four years. 

View Craig Moskowitz's Consulting Profile.

Thomas J. Young, PE, has over 39 years of experience in national and international Transportation Construction, the Civil Engineering specialty regarding highways, bridges, rail, airports, harbors, and associated infrastructure.

Mr. Young is a skilled integrator of the parameters of program and project life cycles, leadership, management, business operations, engineering and construction. He has extensive knowledge of regulatory compliance, environmental processes, industry standards, best practices, and field operations in urban and remote areas.

Mr. Young has broad construction management and design background for many of the knowledge and skill areas required in mining operations, bridges, highways, land development, major soil/structure type facilities, land survey, and construction surveying, including work in Arctic facilities and in desert regions.

Selected Background Experience:

• Completed 34 bridge structure designs, seismic retrofits, and special studies, including large cut and cover tunnels and numerous other complex structures for the $700 million design/build Eastern Transportation Corridor toll roads in Orange County, California
• Bridge construction oversight on $1 billion Cypress Corridor reconstruction in Oakland, California. 
• $10 million Sunrise/Highway 50, and $40-$50 million Douglas/Interstate 80 Interchange and Corridor designs in Sacramento, California.
• Bridge and highway project development duties in Caltrans Districts 1-5, 7, 10-12.

Thomas J. Young: PowerTeam Interview

Litigation Support - Mr. Young can act as an expert witness in all cases related to Forensic Transportation Construction Engineering. A persuasive communicator skilled at negotiating successful outcomes to complex situations, his expertise at analysis, problem solving, and bringing parties together in the public and private sectors is an asset in his performance in forensic engineering and expert witness testimony.

Areas of Expertise:

View Civ-Tek International's Business Consulting Profile.

Dr. Amin Terouhid is a Principal Consultant with Adroit Consultants, LLC. He leads a vibrant consulting practice on Construction Claim matters especially in the areas of delay analysis, loss of productivity, claims for changes, construction defects, and injury cases.

Litigation Support - With extensive experience working on several large and mega construction projects internationally and throughout the United States, Dr. Terouhid is a recognized expert in preparing and investigating construction claims. He has served numerous times (in more than 100 cases) in the capacity of a consulting expert.

Dr. Terouhid is currently (Feb 2022) involved in one international arbitration case for a multimillion-dollar claim in the court of London and three other cases, including a construction delay and loss of productivity claim for a megaproject in New York, a construction injury case, and a slip and fall case in the United States.

Areas of Expertise:

Dr. Terouhid is a Professional Engineer (P.E.) in the states of New Jersey, New York, and Texas and has been examined and certified by Project Management Institute (PMI) as a Project Management Professional (PMP) and Risk Management Professional (PMI-RMP), by the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering (AACE International) as a Planning and Scheduling Professional (PSP) and a Decision and Risk Management Professional (DRMP), and by SAVE International as a Certified Value Specialist (CVS). Amin was a recipient of the 2018 AACE International Technical Excellence Award.

Dr. Terouhid is the author of five AACE International recommended practices (RPs) that are used as guidelines with valuable reference information practitioners around the globe.