Premises Liability Expert Witnesses: 32

Dennis Gemberling, CHA, CFBE, FMP, FCSI, President and Founder of Perry Group International, has over 35 years of experience in the Hospitality Management industry. His experience includes managing, operating, and consulting on full-service, limited-service, extended-stay, all-suite, condo and timeshare hotels and resorts, casual, fine-dining, and quick-service restaurants, bars and nightclubs, catering and special event facilities, casinos, and mixed-use real estate. 

Mr. Gemberling has held prior positions for different owners, operators, and chains as Senior Vice President, General Manager, Director of Food & Beverage, and Restaurant Unit Manager. He has been retained on over 400 projects with typical values in the $1 million to $75 million range and revenues in the $1 million to $100 million range both nationally and internationally. His many clients have include among others Biscuits & Blues, Cantina’s, Chevy’s, Choice Hotels, Embassy Suites, Hampton Inns, Hilton, Holiday Inns, Hooter’s Casino, Hyatt, Marriott, McDonald’s, Microtel Inn & Suites, Outback Restaurants, Radisson, Residence Inns, Signature Resort, Sizzler, Sonic Drive-Ins, Starbucks, Starwood, Sheraton, Togo’s, Wendy’s, and Willie Mays Skybox Lounge. 

Litigation Support: Dennis Gemberling is a Certified Hotel Administrator, Certified Food and Beverage Executive, Certified Foodservice Management Professional, and Certified Food Safety Manager. He offers expert witness services to attorneys for plaintiff and defendant cases on a variety of Hospitality-related claims. He is a Professional Member of Foodservice Consultants Society International and the Forensic Expert Witness Association. Mr. Gemberling also provides expertise as a Court Appointed Receiver and Interim Property Manager and is currently the Past President and a Board of Director for the California Receivers Forum – Bay Area Chapter. 

Areas of Expertise:

View Dennis Gemberling's Consulting Profile.

Illumination Engineer, consultant, teacher, inventor, forensics investigator, and expert in lighting.   My 30+ years of experience has immersed me in different facets of the lighting industry.  I have worked for companies that cater to lighting design, lighting equipment manufacturing, 3d modeling lighting software, sales and service including post occupancy evaluation. My design experience includes indoor/outdoor lighting, safety and security, lighting and human health, glare, roadway lighting, sports lighting, and lighting standards.  Since 1999, I have been involved with standard writing committees within the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES).  For the IES, I served on 13 IES committees, of which was the chair of 7 of those committees producing over 11 standards documents.  

Teaching has also been a part of my career, instructing diverse groups from high school students to seasoned lighting professionals allowing these individuals to understand the concepts on their level.  In my practice, I have designed over 8000 designs in addition to teaching over 5000 students in my courses and presentations on lighting design, illumination engineering and the lighting industry.  I am a certified instructor for IES SEM courses, am a Lead instructor for the IES Street and Area Lighting Conference (SALC), as well as the SALC Education Coordinator from 2010 to 2019.  The University of Colorado  guest lecturer for three years.  I have authored several lighting courses and seminars as well as presenting them.  

View Matthew Hartley's Consulting Profile.

Leonard J. Backer has over 28 years of extensive and successful Seating, Tables and  Furniture Industry experience in all key areas. Mr. Backer has been directly involved in the design and development of 250+ seating and table collections. He specializes in Private Label Manufacturing, Sourcing, and Product Development expertise. Mr. Backer provides aggressive Expert Witness and Litigation Support services to attorneys, insurers and businesses for Plaintiff or Defense. He performs site inspections, detailed product reviews and incident analyses. He has worked with law firms and insurance companies to develop and coordinate strategies for various types of legal actions and lawsuits. Very strong hospitality background. Mr. Backer has extensive experience with hotel, restaurant, cruise ship, retail store and senior living incidents. Personal Injury and Product Liability Cases. He provides detailed analyses, written opinions, and expert witness reports for clients throughout the U.S. Strong proven deposition and court testimony. Areas of Expertise:

View Leonard Backer's Consulting Profile.

Jeffrey S. Lapin, CPM, ARM, DREI, is an expert in maintenance and management procedures and reasonable standards of care for commercial and residential multifamily properties. He has been directly involved in Property Management, Leasing and Construction for over 40 years. 

Mr. Lapin is a Certified Property Manager (CPM®) and an Accredited Residential Manager (ARM), certified by the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM®). Mr. Lapin is a certified instructor for IREM® and is a co-author of IREM's Maintenance and Risk Management Course (MNT 401). Mr. Lapin teaches for the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA®) and is a Distinguished Real Estate Instructor (DREI). Mr. Lapin teaches courses for these prestigious international property associations, including courses required by IREM® and by BOMA® for the respective professional accreditations they offer, centered around inspection and maintenance topics. He also served as President of the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM®) Chapter 22 in Sacramento, California in 2016. 

Mr. Lapin specializes in Standard of Care for Landlords, Property Maintenance and Inspection Procedures, Management Policies and Procedures, and Asset Value Protection. His background includes roles with a diverse group of private property owners. His experience is in managing and leasing all types of property including commercial and multi-family residential, industrial, office, and retail real estate assets. 

Litigation Support - Mr. Lapin provides expert witness services on Commercial and Residential Real Estate Standards of Practice. His cases involve injuries, personal and financial, that occur as a result of an alleged failure by a commercial or multifamily landlord to follow reasonable standards of care and industry standard practices.

Areas of Expertise:

View Jeffery Lapin's Consulting Profile.

Stephen George has over 40 years of Landscape Design and Construction Defect experience. Mr. George has owned and operated Landscapes West since 1980, and is still providing design / build and maintenance services to his clients. His projects have included commercial, apartments, condominiums, and residential landscapes. 

Mr. George is a member of the California Landscape Contractors Association (CLCA), the Forensic Expert Witness Association (FEWA), the Irrigation Association (IA), the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), the National Concrete Masonry Association (NCMA), and the Interlocking Concrete Paver Institute (ICPI).

Litigation Support - Stephen George is an Industry Expert for C-27 Landscape Construction. He provides litigation and consulting services to attorneys representing both Plaintiff and Defendant. His expertise has been called upon throughout the state of California, Washington, Arizona, Nevada, and New York. Mr. George's services include inspection and cost of repair and replacement, review of project drawings, photography / forensic imaging and construction documentation, arboriculture analysis, and landscape construction defects and failures. 

Areas of Expertise:

View Stephen George's Consulting Profile.

The four PhD and registered PEs at Miller Engineering are celebrating 40 years of Professorships at three universities along with providing services to Government, Insurance, and Industry—through research, publications, presentations, and expert testimony. We have a dedicated office with a full time staff of engineers, researchers, and technical writers. The span of our collective academic and experiential expertise covers well the Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, Agricultural, Industrial, Human Factors, Ergonomic and Safety fields of engineering. The areas listed below are from actual projects completed in our 40 years of history. 

P. Marc Fischer | MBA, M.Ed. | CPM^®, RPA^®, CCIM^®, LEED^® GA, BOMA Fellow 

Marc Fischer is an internationally recognized Commercial Real Estate (CRE) expert with more than 30 years of proven performance in the fields of property management, building operations, and asset management. 

As an expert witness, Marc helps uncover the truth in complex real estate-related cases. Marc is well-known in the CRE community as a thought leader. He deeply understands CRE operations and the role of exceptional real estate management in optimizing asset value. As a highly skilled facilitator and instructor, he has the unique ability to communicate complex concepts clearly and concisely to legal professionals, judges, juries, and the general public.

He is recognized for thorough expert witness reports and straightforward testimony in depositions and trials. He supports both plaintiff and defendant counsels in various real estate-related issues, including:

Highlights Include:

• 30+ years of experience in all aspects of commercial real estate (CRE) property management, asset management, property operations, and construction
• MBA in Management / Organizational Behavior
• M.Ed. in Adult Education & Training (a highly valuable background for explaining complex concepts to judges and juries)

Industry Designations:

• Real Property Administrator (RPA®)
• Certified Property Manager (CPM®) 
• Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM®)
• LEED® Green Associate
• BOMA Fellow

Author of eight (8) CRE textbooks published by BOMA International (all translated into Mandarin):

• Acquisitions, Dispositions & Underwriting textbook
• Measuring Financial Returns textbook
• Lease Analysis, Evaluation, Negotiation, and Approval textbook
• Foundations of Real Estate Management textbook
• BOMA International Proactive Maintenance Guidebook for Industrial Properties
• Managing Industrial Properties
• Guide to Developing a Standard Operating Procedure Manual
• BOMA International Guide to Exterior Maintenance Manual

View INSPIRE CRE, LLC's Consulting Profile.

HLN offers Peer-reviewed methodologies and Appellate court proven testimony by experienced professionals who have provided consulting services and conducted audits and investigations for hundreds of hospitals, physicians and other healthcare providers nationwide. HLN's experts have provided expert testimony in administrative and regulatory proceedings, as well as in state and federal courts for civil and criminal cases, for plaintiffs and defendants.

HLN provides experts in: medical billing, reasonableness of charges, reasonable value of medical services, Medicare & Medicaid reimbursement and compliance, clinical documentation, medical record coding, economic damages, insurance disputes, lost profits and false claims. HLN's founder co-authored two editions of the AMA's best selling Mastering the Reimbursement Process book. 

HLN's Consultants include:

Ken Tannar’s Golf Expertise is unique in the legal world. As an Errant Golf Ball expert, Mr. Tannar can analyze and give advice on potential damage produced by errant golf balls. With an increase in residential developments built around golf courses, errant golf balls will almost certainly cause damage to property and/or persons. 

Mr. Tannar provides litigation support services on all cases involving golf club / ball interactions. Having consulted on over 70 cases, he uses a highly accurate golf ball projectile model, Mr. Tannar can determine the “zones of danger.” including:

Golf Netting Safety Height - Topographic Errant Ball Analysis - Adjoining Property Errant Golf Ball - Safety Determination

Mr. Tannar has been providing expert advice to golf courses, driving ranges, residential properties and the courts for since 2000. He has advised on cases in Australia, Canada, Norway, Spain, UK and many of the US States.

Edward L. Smilow, Esq., PGM, is an Attorney at Law, Golf Professional, and Professor of Golf and the Law. As a trial and appellate lawyer for 35 years, a golfer for 55 years, a golf professional for 18 years, and the creator and professor of the only college course taught on golf course law in the United States, he has the unique ability to represent the Game of Golf and the people who make a living in the game.

Litigation Support- As general counsel to numerous golf courses, country clubs and resort properties, Mr. Smilow has broad-based knowledge and experience to provide legal counsel and representation to avoid legal entanglements, successfully defend against unwarranted claims, and effectively advocate the rights of those who have invested their lives and fortunes in the Game of Golf.

Mr. Smilow represents owners, operators, general managers, PGA professionals, superintendents, country club controllers, golf industry entrepreneurs, golf vendors, and industry leaders have all sought his counsel on the myriad of ways that golf is affected by the law. A much-requested and noted speaker at golf industry forums, he has a unique perspective reflective of his extensive knowledge of golf history, the importance of golf in today's society, and the need to avoid legal entanglements through the introduction of proactive measures and aggressive representation when needed.

Areas of Expertise:

Background Experience - Graduate of Cornell University, the New England School of Law, the Professional Golfers Career College (Valedictorian) and advanced legal certification from the University of Southern California. Member of the bar of the State of California and the Supreme Court of the United States. Elected to membership in the prestigious American Board of Trial Advocates and designated a "Citizen of Distinction" by the NAACP, City of Santa Ana, State of CA, and the Congress of the United States.

Past Executive Director of the California Golf Course Owners Association, Member of the CGCOA Advisory Board, Mr. Smilow represents owners and operators throughout the State of California.

Gary Deel, Ph.D., J.D. has 10 years of experience in executive-level positions in the hospitality industry and 10 years of experience teaching hospitality management and law curriculum for some of the nation's top hotel schools.

Dr. Deel holds both a Ph.D. in Hospitality and a J.D. in Law, so he understands the nuances of expert witness testimony from the perspective of attorney strategy. He has also worked in a variety of different hospitality industry capacities including operations, sales, security and risk management, training and administration, and others. His services are available to help attorneys make the strongest possible arguments for clients in hospitality-related cases. Dr. Deel offers expert witness services nationwide in the areas of:

Recent Cases:

• Suit against Miami beach resort involving catastrophic injury in the ocean and hotel duty to warn about latent hazards known to hotel and not obvious to visitors (plaintiff).
• Suit against Orlando city center convention hotel involving sexual assault of a minor guest by an employee and hotel duty to monitor employee whereabouts and activities (plaintiff).

Preston Rideout is a nightclub and bar consultant specializing in Dram Shop Expert Witness Testimony. He has 25 years of bar operations experience and 75 alcohol safety certifications. Preston is CEO of Rideout Hospitality and Founder of The Dram Shop Experts.

Upon graduating from the University of Mississippi, Preston relocated to Las Vegas to work for Pure Management Group. While in Las Vegas, Preston operated Coyote Ugly, Tangerine Nightclub, Pure Nightclub, PCD Lounge, LAX Nightclub, Noir Bar Audigier Nightclub, EVE Nightclub, Venus Pool Club, and Rehab Pool Party inside Treasure Island Casino, New York New York Casino, Caesars Palace, The Luxor, Aria Casino, and The Hard Rock Hotel. After Las Vegas, Preston launched Rideout Hospitality.

As CEO of Rideout Hospitality, Preston provides consulting to casinos, hotels, resorts, restaurants, nightclubs, bars, and hospitality management groups across the United States, Mexico, and the Bahamas. Clients retain Preston to optimize bar operations, create alcohol service policies, implement operating procedures, and conduct bartender training. Together. Preston and his team of consultants have provided consulting to over 250 clients.

As Founder of The Dram Shop Experts, Preston provides plaintiff and defense attorneys with Liquor Liability, Premise Liability, Personal Injury, Catastrophic Injury, and Wrongful Death expert witness testimony. Attorneys retain Preston to provide insight into alcohol-related industry-standard operating procedures, intoxication identification, training adequacy, management oversight, alcohol service policies, procedures, bottle service, mechanical bull operations, pool parties, underage alcohol prevention, security, use of force and deadly force.

Areas of Expertise: include but are not limited to Alcohol Service, Alcohol Policies, Alcohol Procedures, industry Standard Bar Operations, Casino Bar Operations, Nightclub Operations, Restaurant Operations, Mechanical Bull Operations, Pool Party Operations, Management Oversight, Bartender Training, Intoxication Identification, Liquor Liability, Premise Liability, Wrongful Death, Slip & Fall.

Alcohol Certifications: Preston Rideout has 75 Alcohol Safety Certifications, including Techniques for Alcohol Management  (TAM), Training for Intervention Procedures (TIPS), Responsible Beverage Service (RBS), Responsible Alcohol Server Program (RASP), Alcohol Seller Server Training (ABLE), Alcohol Beverage Commission (ABC) in all 50 states.

Litigation Support: Preston Rideout provides Dram Shop Expert Witness Testimony for both plaintiffs and defendants.

Litigation Experience: Preston Rideout has been retrained 73 times to provide Dram Shop Expert Witness Testimony. He’s been retained 23 times by Defendants 50 times and by Plaintiffs.

View Preston Rideout's Business Consultant Profile.

Dr. Ron Martinelli, PhD, CMI-V, is a nationally renowned Forensic Criminologist and a federal/state courts qualified law enforcement and premises liability expert who is also a Certified Medical Investigator (physician's level) and a Certified Suicide Investigator. 

Dr. Martinelli directs the nation's only Forensic Death Investigations & Independent Review Team of 26 law enforcement, forensic and medical experts and specializes in officer-involved death cases, civilian self-defense shooting cases and premises liability/security cases. He is a forensic/law enforcement expert to the U.S. Department of Justice, several State Attorney Generals' Offices, numerous major municipalities and nationally prominent private law firms specializing in wrongful death, civil rights and premises liability. 

Dr. Martinelli is the prevailing expert in over 90% of his retained cases. He has saved defendants over $650M and earned plaintiffs over $290 million in jury verdicts and settlements since 2004. He is the media's go-to forensic expert for FOX News, One America News Network, CNN, HLN, Sky News, BBC, NPR, and the History & Discovery Channels. Dr. Martinelli is skilled in officer-involved shootings, in-custody deaths, crime scene reconstruction, forensics, applied sciences, human factors, psycho-medical emergencies and premises liability and security cases. His unique and extensive field experience, combined his academic and scientific credentials, excellent written reports and persuasive testimony, make him a very appealing expert to attorneys and juries alike.

Areas of Expertise:

• Arrests
• Search & Seizure
• Use of Force / Excessive Force - All Levels and Weaponry
• Officer Involved Shootings(OIS)
• In-Custody Deaths
• Criminal Investigations
• Law Enforcement & Corrections Practices, Training & Supervision
• Adult & Juvenile Corrections
• Law Enforcement Negligence
• Civilian Self-Defense, Premises Liability, Security, Foreseeable Harm
• Insurance Cases
• Human Factors

Dick Bridy, PhD, is a Commercial Real Estate expert and entrepreneur with over 40 years of Commercial Real Estate Development, Brokerage, Investment, Leasing, Private Equity Sourcing, Operations, Construction, and Asset Management experience. He is the CEO of DBI Group (DBI) and Bedrock Investments Group (BIG), Bedrock 1st Mortgage, DBI Commercial Real Estate, and a principal of DBI Asset Management. 

Background Experience - Dr. Bridy and his team entitled and built two shopping centers and five single tenant properties. In addition, he has contracted for the redevelopment of over 3.5 million sq. ft. in 14 shopping centers in the Midwest and the Western US.

An accomplished scholar, Dr. Bridy is a graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania with a B.Sc. in Economics. His graduate studies garnered academic honors recognition from the San Diego State University Graduate School of Business, the Marshall School at the University of Southern California, and the University of Phoenix, from which he received an MBA, EMBA, and PhD respectively.

For decades, Dr. Bridy has served on the boards of many prominent real estate organizations, including the National Association of Realtors, California Association of Realtors, San Diego County Commercial Association of Realtors, and CCIM.

Litigation Support - Dr. Dick Bridy delivers real estate expert witness testimony for the commercial real estate and brokerage industry nationwide. He has been engaged by both plaintiff and defense attorneys. As a commercial real estate CEO, investor, developer, asset manager, broker, and syndicator, Dr. Bridy is an excellent communicator, honed by many years in leadership and advisory positions in the commercial real estate industry and as a Marine Corps officer.

Services include consultation, case review, technical investigation, IME’s, research, laboratory work (in-house or otherwise), report preparation, depositions, arbitration, mediation, court appearances, standby, cancellation of court deposition, and travel. 

Areas of Expertise: 

View Bedrock Consulting Group's Consulting Profile.

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.