Standard of Care Expert Witnesses: 127

Brent Moelleken, MD, FACS is a Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon practicing in Beverly Hills and Santa Barbara. Double board certified, he received his training at Harvard University, Yale University, UCSF, and UCLA. Dr. Moelleken is one of three specialty-trained surgeons in the world to complete the year-long Aesthetic Surgery Fellowship at UCLA. He is an Attending Surgeon and Associate Clinical Professor in the Division of Plastic Surgery at UCLA, where he often performs surgeries and teaches residents. Here, he specializes in patients diagnosed with skin cancers in the facial area who require complex, artful reconstructions. 

Dr. Moelleken has innovated various procedures including LiveFill®, autologous fat-fascial grafts; the USIC® & LUSIC® cheeklifts, short incision cheeklifts; the 360 Facelift®, a comprehensive natural appearing facelift procedure; and the Hybrid Tummy Tuck®, a short incision tummy tuck for fit moms. He believes in publishing the results of his innovations in peer-reviewed journals. Results of Dr. Moelleken’s studies have been published in books, articles, and the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery journal. Dr. Moelleken provides free surgical services to Veterans at the West Los Angeles Veteran's Hospital through his UCLA affiliation, and has his own charity, the About Face Foundation ™, helping children and victims of violence or crime who might otherwise be unable to afford reconstructive services. Several of his charity patients have been featured in local and national television and print segments.

Litigation Support - Dr. Brent Moelleken provides expert witness support for insurance companies and counsel representing both plaintiff and defendant. His services include medical case review, depositions, and trial testimony when necessary. Dr. Moelleken has trial experience with the following issues:

Cosmetic Surgery Reconstructive Surgery Medical Malpractice

Burns & Wounds Scar Revision Lien Work

View Dr. Moelleken's Consulting Profile.

William A. Muñoz, Esq., is a Civil Trial Attorney, Legal Ethics Expert, and Third-Party Neutral with over 20 years of experience defending attorneys, and other professionals such as architects and engineers, real estate agents/brokers, real estate appraisers, and insurance brokers, as well as defending personal injury, toxic torts, products liability, defamation, wrongful termination / harassment, wage and hour and discrimination claims.

 Mr. Muñoz is currently a member of the California State Bar Committee on Professional Responsibility and Conduct (“COPRAC”) where the Committee interprets and issues opinions regarding legal ethics and the California Rules of Professional Conduct. Mr. Muñoz also serves as an arbitrator for the State Bar’s Mandatory Fee Arbitration program.

Mr. Muñoz previously served as the Chair for the Legal Malpractice Law Advisory Commission for the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization responsible for preparing and grading the legal malpractice law legal specialization examination as well as assessing the qualifications of potential applicants seeking the legal malpractice specialization designation and recertification.

Legal Malpractice Litigation Support - As a Subject Matter Expert, and with his wealth of experience, Mr. Muñoz is prepared to address the nuances of each case. His services are available to attorneys representing injured parties in the following areas:

Standard of Care Conflicts of Interests

Legal Ethics Reasonableness of Attorney’s Fees

Mr. Muñoz also serves as a Dispute Resolution Conference judge for El Dorado County Superior Court, a judge pro tem for Sacramento County Superior Court’s Settlement Conference Department, and more recently, a mediator for the Third District Court of Appeals Mediation Program. His approach is further informed by the renowned Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law mediation training program and the National Conflict Resolution Center mediation training program.

An expert in his field, Mr. Muñoz has presented locally and nationally on issues of legal malpractice, conflicts of interests and legal ethics and regularly contributes a column in the Association of Defense Counsel for Northern California and Nevada’s Defense Comment entitled “The Lawyer’s Lawyer” addressing issues of legal malpractice avoidance and legal ethics.

View Muñoz Dispute Resolution's Consulting Profile.

Dr. Robert Evans, PhD,  is a Licensed School Psychologist with over 30 years of experience in the behavioral sciences, including completing over 100 Child Custody Evaluations. Dr. Evans serves as a consultant to the medical, legal, and law enforcement community in Florida on Psychological and Educational matters. He consulted with Orange County Public Defender with cases involving arrest and incarceration of children, including Competency Assessments and Insanity Determinations. He has also provided Critical Incident Stress Debriefings to victims of crime in the Central Florida area. 

Litigation Support - Dr. Evans specializes in Parental Alienation cases which are commonly among those classified as High Conflict Divorce cases and he has written a book on Parental Alienation. He provides litigation support to counsel for both Plaintiff and Defense. His services include support with hearing / trial preparations, review of current evaluations, and support during and after the litigation process. 

Dr. Evans has given sworn testimony as a Forensic Psychology expert witness in NY, IL, PA, GA, FL, IA, ID, CO, OH, TX, TN, LA, MA, MD, MO, NC, SC, WA, and OR. 

Areas of Expertise:

• Parental Alienation
• Child Custody Evaluations
• False Allegations of Abuse
• Treatment Considerations for Alienated Children

Dr. Tony Nettleman is a Land Surveying Engineer and Attorney who has been practicing for over 20 years. He holds a BS, MS and PhD in geomatics as well as a law degree. He is licensed in twelve states as a Professional Surveyor and is also a licensed attorney. 

Litigation Support - Tony has helped over 100 clients understand their land surveying and/or property dispute issues. He has testified in depositions and trials over a dozen times throughout that period to help judges and juries better understand what's expected of a Professional Land Surveyor. Whether your dispute is in Florida or Texas, New York or California, Tony travels across the country to conduct surveys, help the clients understand the substantive surveying issues, and resolve the surveying matter at hand.

Areas of Expertise:

Easements Land / Water Boundaries Land Title / Deeds Real Property Attorney Standard of Care

Surveyor Negligence Riparian Allocations of Ownership and Use Dock Surveys Unmanned Aerial Systems

Tony Nettleman on Land Surveyor Negligence

Dr. Nettleman has held distinguished professorships at Texas A&M Corpus Christi, University of Florida, Florida Atlantic University, and Troy University. He is currently the Director of the Nettleman Institute of Surveying Engineering Technology, the President of Nettleman Land Consultants, and the President of NLC Test Prep. He is the author of Clark on Surveying, a co-author of Brown’s Boundary Control and Evidence & Procedures for Boundary Location, teaches college courses, and helps hundreds of land surveyors become licensed each year.

Dr. Farr Ajir, MD, MBA, FACS, CIME, is a Board Certified Neurosurgeon with more than 35 years of experience in the treatment of disorders of the Brain and Spine. He is also Certified by the American Board of Independent Medical Examiners (CIME).

Dr. Ajir has been staff neurosurgeon at Mayo Clinic and Kaiser Permanente Healthcare Systems.

He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS),  Congress of Neurological Surgeons, and California Association of Neurological Surgeons. He is a Certified Physician Executive (CPE) with many years of leadership and administrative experience in healthcare delivery.

Litigation Support - As an expert neurosurgeon with decades of experience, Dr. Ajir offers services to attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant. He performs Independent Medical Exammination, and provides expert reviews and medical-legal opinions. Dr. Ajir holds medical licenses in California, Montana, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington, Wisconsin, and Utah. 

Areas of Expertise: 

Brain

Brain Abscesses & Infections Brain Concussions Brain Contusions Brain Edema Brain Hemorrhages Brain Injuries Brain Tumors Cerebral Aneurysms Cerebral Vascular Diseases Cranioplasty

Craniotomy Head Traumas Hydrocephalus Microneurosurgery Pituitary Tumors Skull Fractures Stereotactic Neurosurgery Vascular Malformations Ventriculoperitoneal Shunts

Spine

Back Pain & Injuries Back Pain & Injuries Cervical Disc Diseases Cervical & Lumbar Disc Surgeries Cervical & Lumbar Laminectomy Lumbar Disc Diseases Microdiscectomy

Neck Pain & Injuries Spinal Abscesses & Infections Spinal Cord Injuries Spinal Cord Tumors Spinal Stenosis & Spondylosis Spine Fractures Spine Injuries

             

Kent C. Sasse, MD, MPH, FACS, FASCRS, FASMBS, is a Bariatric surgery thought leader.  Performed over 5,000 primary bariatric surgical procedures and 500 revisional bariatric procedures. Medical Director of nationally accredited bariatric surgery center. Award-winning teacher. Widely published scientist. Author of the nine books. Inventor and patent holder of bariatric surgical device. 

Clinical Experience includes: bariatric surgery and endoscopy, sleeve gastrectomy, gastric bypass, duodenal switch, reoperative surgery, revisional surgery, hiatal hernia, wound care, Barrett's esophagus, hernia mesh, hernia mesh explantation, endoscopic stenting, leaks, Ambulatory Surgery Centers, and solving complications. Prolific public speaker. University of Nevada School of Medicine faculty. Experienced expert witness at both deposition and trial. www.SasseSurgical.com/books. 

Litigation Support - Dr. Sasse has served as a medico-legal consultant to attorneys involved in complex litigation. He has provided extensive expert reviews of complex cases for the State of Nevada, for independent insurance and disability carriers, and for the United States Air Force. He brings to each and every case a level of experience and unparalleled dedication to preparation, excellent service, and insightful review. His expert testimony has proven highly valuable , serving both defense and plaintiff to reach the truth. 

Dr. Sasse is a sought after speaker and an experienced trial witness, having logged many hours on the witness stand in highly charged cases. He brings a commitment to objectivity and thoroughness to each and every case. 

Areas of Expertise:

Bariatric Surgery Weight Loss Surgery Obesity Gastric Leaks Surgical Complications Weight Loss Medications

Hernia Repair Hernia Mesh Sleeve Gastrectomy Endoscopy Sepsis Gastric Bypass

View Dr. Sasse's Consulting Profile.

Arnold J. Weil, MD has over 29 years of experience specializing in Non-Surgical Orthopaedics and Pain Management. A Diplomat of the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Chief Executive Officer of Non-Surgical Orthopaedics, P.C., one of the premier orthopaedic practices in the metro Atlanta area. 

Dr. Weil's practice focuses on conservative, non-surgical care of orthopaedic injuries, including the spine and extremities, with emphasis on spine rehabilitation, functional restoration, pain management, and ergonomic modifications. He treats patients with back and neck pain and a variety of other orthopaedic conditions. Managing acute and chronic pain through an advanced Non-Surgical approach, Dr. Weil has become one of the leading experts on Spine Care and Disability Management.

 

Video: Non-Surgical Orthopaedics, P.C. | The Overview

Litigation Support - Arnold Weil provides litigation support services to attorneys representing plaintiffs and defendants. He has maintained an unbiased reputation in the medical and legal community. Dr. Weil's experience includes over 300 depositions, medical-legal reviews, peer reviews, and trial appearances. 

Areas of Expertise:

Back, Neck, Spine Injuries Disability Management Pain Management Physical Medicine Workers' Compensation Injuries

Disc Herniation, Bulge, Rupture Independent Medical Evaluations Peer Review Physical Rehabilitation Sports Injuries

View Dr. Weil's Consulting Profile.

Craig A. Nachbauer, MD, RPVI, is certified by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery and has practiced thoracic and vascular surgery since 1991. He also serves as the Medical Director of the University of Vermont Health Network-Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital Wound Center.

Dr. Nachbauer completed his thoracic surgery residency at the Ohio State University Hospitals. After a fellowship in pediatric cardiothoracic surgery at Emory University, he served as Clinical Associate in Cardiothoracic Surgery at The Cleveland Clinic.

He is a diplomate of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery, Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, a member of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association, and the Society for Vascular Ultrasound.

Litigation Support - Dr. Nachbauer has over 10 years of experience in medical record review, determinations of standard of care, and deposition and testimony in medical malpractice cases.

Areas of Expertise:

• Thoracic Surgery
• Vascular, Endovascular surgery and Phlebology
• Non-invasive Vascular Testing
• Wound Care

New York Address 12 Haeley Avenue Plattsburgh, NY

Vermont Address 54 West Twin Oaks Terrace, Suite 14 South Burlington, VT

View Dr. Nachbauer's Consulting Profile.

Jennifer Nulton, OTR/L, CHT, CLT, CEAS, is an Occupational Therapist with over 23 years in practice. Ms. Nulton has provided occupational therapy services to adults and children in an inpatient acute rehabilitation and outpatient setting. She primarily treats patients diagnosed with cancer and/or lymphedema which would often require wound care.

Litigation Support - Ms. Nulton offers expert witness services to attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant, including medical record review, thorough reporting, depositions, and trial testimony as needed.

Areas of Expertise: 

Hand and Upper Extremity Certified Hand Therapist Lymphedema Certified Lymphedema Therapist

Orthopedics Ergonomics Certified Ergonomic Assessment Specialist Oncology

 Education: Master of Art Occupational Therapy, University of Southern California; Bachelor of Science Communication Disorders, The Pennsylvania State University

John D. O'Connor has more than 40 years of experience dealing with complex Attorney Fee Disputes. He is a member of the National Association of Legal Fee Analysis (NALFA) and is recognized as one of the top legal fee experts in the country.

Mr. O’Connor has tried over 70 cases in federal and state venues throughout the country, with highly enviable success in complex, contentious disputes. Retained by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company as trial counsel in key cases, he has achieved a pretrial dismissal in each concluded action. He has held the highest Martindale-Hubbell “AV” rating for over 25 years, and has consistently been named a “SuperLawyer” by his Northern California peers.

A former Federal Prosecutor, Mr. O’Connor was chosen lead outside counsel in certain S&L crisis litigation, defended a California Attorney General in campaign-related litigation, and successfully represented Golden State Warriors basketball Coach Don Nelson in significant contract claims.

Litigation Support - Since the advent in the late 1980’s of adversarial legal auditing, Mr. O’Connor has served extensively as an expert, litigator, and JAMS mediator throughout the country, analyzing audit criticisms, applying community standards, and construing applicable case law. Through written Declaration and oral testimony, he has consulted on hundreds of adversarial legal fee disputes over three decades. Mr. O'Connor's work has been widely lauded by clients, lawyers, courts, and arbitrators.

Areas of Attorney Fee Dispute Expertise:

• Billing Rates / Overbilling
• Litigation Efficiency
• Task Assignment and Staffing
• Prevailing Party Determination
• Litigation Skill

Britta M. Moss CPCU, SCLA, AIC-M, is a graduate of The Ohio State University and has over 25 years experience in the Property & Casualty Insurance industry.  She has claims experience in a wide variety of personal and commercial lines claims as a Claim Representative, Examiner, Supervisor, Trainer and Manager.  

Ms. Moss has handled, supervised, managed and provided training for claims involving personal & commercial property damage, bodily injury, personal injury, property damage liability, commercial general liability, uninsured/underinsured motorists, medical payments, personal injury protection, allegations of bad faith and extra-contractual exposure. Experienced expert witness for both plaintiff & insurer defense cases.

Areas of Expertise:

Property & Casualty, Claims Bad Faith Exposure Identification UCSPA Compliance Industry Standards Claim Handling Insurance Coverage Personal Injury Protection (PIP) Bodily Injury (BI) Property Damage (PD) Medical Payments (MP)

Uninsured / Under-Insured Motorist (UM/UIM) Commercial General Liability (CGL) Unfair Claims Settlement Practices Extra-Contractual Large, Complex Loss Policy & Procedure Supervision / Management Corporate Discovery Claim File Auditing Claim Personnel Management & Supervision

View Britta Moss's Consulting Profile.

Dr. Peter-Brian Andersson, a Board Certified Neurologist and Associate Professor of Neurology at UCLA, specializes in Traumatic Brain Injury, Multiple Sclerosis, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, Memory Disorders, Capacity, and Nursing Home Standard of Care. 

Between 1992 and 1997, Dr. Andersson completed an internal medicine internship and then neurology residency at the University of California, San Francisco where he also served as Chief Resident. He has completed fellowships in multiple sclerosis at UCSF and in neuromuscular disease at Stanford University. He served on the faculty at Stanford University in the neuromuscular division before moving to the Valley in 1999 and has served this community as both an outpatient and inpatient neurologist for over 20 years.

Dr. Andersson has been published in laboratory and clinical neurology. He has been an ad hoc reviewer for the journal Muscle & Nerve. He is the Medical Director of Stratus Neurodiagnostics, the leading outpatient EEG services company in the United States, and has served as a Principal and Co-Investigator for dementia trials at The National Research Institute.Epilepsy 

Litigation Support: Dr. Andersson has extensive experience providing expert testimony. His services include medical record review, IMEs, thorough reporting, depositions, and trial testimony as needed.

Areas of Expertise:

Traumatic Brain Injury Neuromuscular Disease   Multiple Sclerosis Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Capacity Epilepsy

EMG & EEG Neuropathy Myopathy Headaches Dementia / Memory Disorders Nursing Home Standard of Care

Prior to beginning his residency, Dr. Andersson graduated cum laude in medicine from the University of Cape Town in 1986. In 1988, he earned an honors degree in medical biochemistry at the University of Cape Town. Between 1988 and 1991, Dr. Andersson obtained a D. Phil in neuroimmunology at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. He was Yamanouchi Junior Research Fellow in Cell Biology at Wolfson 1991-2. Junior Research Fellowships are awarded to the top 2% of graduates at Oxford University.

Armond Kotikian, DDS, MD, FACS, is double board certified in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. In the clinic setting, Dr. Kotikian routinely performs IV sedations for complex cases including impacted wisdom teeth removal, dental implants, bone grafting and tumor excisions. He specializes in:

• Oral and Maxillofacial Trauma
• Infections
• Oral Pathology Resection and Reconstruction
• Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patients (surgical and non-surgical)
• Craniofacial Anomalies (orthognathic surgery / corrective jaw surgery)

Litigation Support - A Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, Dr. Kotikian has extensive experience as an expert witness in the field of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Dentistry. His Dental law and Dentistry services have been requested all over the country. Dr. Kotikian has been an expert witness on over 125 malpractice cases, given depositions on over 65 cases and testified at court over the past six years. His cases have included a wide variety of issues related to the Oral and Maxillofacial region including

• Oral Pathology
• Nerve Injuries
• TMJ Issues
• Oral Trauma
• Oral and Facial Fractures and Lacerations
• Injuries related to Extraction of Teeth
• Injuries related to Dental Implant \ Surgery
• Orthognathic Surgery Complications
• Head and Neck Infections related to Teeth and Salivary Glands

More information at www.oralsurgeryexpertwitness.com

View Dr. Kotikian's Consulting Profile. 

Dr. Jorge Perez, MD, is a Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon, practicing in Fort Lauderdale, Florida for over 30 years. A graduate and former faculty member of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, he is selected regularly among Castle Connolly/U.S. News and World Report's listing of America’s Top Doctors.

Litigation Support - Dr. Perez is fluent in Spanish and has been retained as a consultant and medical expert for over 25 years. He has provided records review, examination and testimony in matters of adult and child plastic surgery, burns, scars, hand, skin and soft tissue injuries, for both plaintiff and defense. He assists attorneys in preparation for sentinel depositions and vigorous cross examination of opposing experts.

Areas of Expertise:

Plastic Surgery Cosmetic Surgery Breast Implants Burn Scar MVA Soft Tissue Injury Skin Breast

Tummy / Abdomen Face Eyes Neck Liposuction Implants Hand Ears Body Contour Lips

Dr. Perez is an author and has been featured as an expert in plastic surgery on worldwide media, including ABC, NBC, CBS, Univision, Telemundo and elsewhere. He has lectured and trained thousands of surgeons, in dozens of countries, in multiple languages, in the areas of facial rejuvenation, breast surgery, and body contouring.

He has served as a consultant to breast implant manufacturers Mentor/Johnson & Johnson and Allergan Medical, and has been an FDA principal investigator in breast, body contouring, liposuction and abdominoplasty. He was one of only 10 original investigators to develop Ultrasonic liposuction and was a participant in a national abdominoplasty study for Baxter bioscience. He was the keynote speaker on facial rejuvenation surgery at an international congress held in Brussels Belgium. Dr. Perez has served as plastic surgeon to a leading NYC Burn Center.

Dr. Perez recently gave a guest lecture entitled "How To Get The Most Out Of Your Retained Expert."

www.PerezPlasticSurgery.com. PerezPlasticSurgery@Gmail.com

CV available upon request.

Marcel O. Ponton, PhD, has over 25 years of experience in the field of Psychology. He specializes in the Neuropsychological Assessment and treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury patients and patients with Psychological Trauma.

Dr. Ponton continues to treat brain injury and trauma survivors in his private practice. He has extensive expertise in the assessment of Spanish-speaking patients. He is a published author, Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at UCLA, and Adjunct Professor of Pastoral Counseling at Fuller Theological Seminary.

Litigation Support - Over the past 22 years he has served as an expert witness, Dr. Ponton has executed hundreds of evaluations and been retained for his expertise over 300 times. He has testified as an expert in court or before an arbitrator over 40 times. Dr. Ponton's services include neuropsychological assessments, psychological assessments, report writing, medical records review, consulting, and assessment of children and adults.

Areas of Expertise:

Forensic Neuropsychology Traumatic Brain Injury Brain Injury Rehabilitation Spinal Cord Injury Trauma Malingering Personal Injury

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Psychology Dementia Sanity / Trial Competency Sexual Harassment Sexual Discrimination Handedness