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 Dr.
Zeigler has served as a scientific consultant and/or expert witness in several
different litigation settings, most particularly as a defense expert in the huge breast
implant litigation. His expertise in silicone chemistry and materials
properties, device manufacturing procedures, quality control, GMP and many
other elements of implantable medical device litigation combines his extensive
knowledge of silicone-based polymers with his analysis of several hundred
thousand pages of
manufacturing and inspection documents. This litigation experience, coupled with
his scientific and personal integrity, can make him a resource for law firms and
large corporations facing significant technically-rooted litigation.
Experience
- Sworn testimony in trial, deposition and hearing settings over 50 times
- Special experience in implantable medical device litigation (breast implants,
chin implants, malar implants, tissue expanders, vaginal slings, and others)
- Additional experience as a defense expert in personal injury litigation
(e.g. fiber-reinforced silicone steam hose explosion, sleep clinic fire)
- Strong scientific and technical background and recognition
Capabilities
- Scientific Advice and Consulting
- Dr. Zeigler's expert knowledge of silicon-based (and other) polymers,
combined with his extensive litigation experience can help you understand
the technical issues surrounding a given product or device. Experience in
litigation settings has shown that juries appreciate and respond to
attorneys and witnesses who fully understand, and can explain, their cases from a scientific
viewpoint.
- Document Analysis
- Company documents and their real meaning in proper context constitute
much of the subject
matter of most technical and product litigations. Silchemy can help you, just as it has
in literally thousands of other litigation cases, understand the full import
of company documents from a scientific/technical standpoint, identify issues
that the documents might raise and help you deal with "bad" documents.
- Deposition and Trial Preparation
-
 Opposing scientific experts' testimony, even when scientifically invalid,
can be tremendously damaging at trial or even in settlement negotiations.
Dr. Zeigler has helped attorneys literally hundreds of times understand
expert testimony, find scientific weaknesses in it, develop responses to it,
and devise general lines of questioning to limit or attack opposing
testimony. His scientific studies have helped to eliminate or limit issues
and opposing witnesses from trial testimony numerous times. The attorney will formulate his own strategy, but, with our help,
he will do so from strength and knowledge.
-
 Product Examination and
Failure Analysis
- Dr. Zeigler has full capability to perform non-destructive analysis of
used or failed products to determine the cause of any failure and help
pinpoint issues that might be raised by opposing counsel during trial or
settlement negotiations. Examinations can be documented photographically, by
video, by written report, by oral report or any combination thereof.
- Exhibit Preparation
 Unlike most expert witnesses, Dr. Zeigler has prepared
virtually all the many illustrative exhibits and computer animations he has used at trial and in Daubert/Frye
hearings. Thus, there are no damaging answers to questions like "Did the
attorneys prepare this for you?". Since he prepares exhibits after consultation with client attorneys, you can rely on his exhibits
to be scientifically valid and understandable for the average jury. - Expert Testimony
- Dr. Zeigler has given sworn testimony in state and Federal courts, at trial and in Daubert/Frye hearings to limit testimony of opposing
experts, about 15 times. His testimony has typically been a mix of teaching
of materials principles, properties and chemistry, interpretation of
documents and offering of opinions, based on generally accepted scientific principles. Indeed, his positions have been
supported several times by unbiased panels of scientists tasked to examine
scientific data on breast implants. His testimony has been effective. A
judge in a Federal bench trial referred to Dr. Zeigler as "a gifted expert
witness" in her decision. The long-time court bailiff in a state district
court trial referred to Dr. Zeigler in post-trial interviews as "a natural
teacher."
- Straight Talk and Integrity
- In the heat of trial or deposition, some witnesses will cross the line
between scientific explication and advocacy, damaging their own credibility
and the strength of your case. You can depend that you will get honest
advice and scientifically sound testimony from Dr. Zeigler. If he can't
serve as an expert in your case, either because he isn't an expert in the
necessary area or because the scientific data doesn't support your case, he'll
tell you! If he has a potential conflict-of-interest in helping you, he'll
make you aware of the possible conflict! If he agrees that he can help with your case within the
bounds of accepted science, he will be there, when and where you need
him.
- About Dr. Zeigler
-
  Dr.
John M. Zeigler has a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of
Illinois, a highly-ranked chemistry graduate program, and is a member of the
Phi Beta Kappa Society. He is co-editor of an ACS Advances in Chemistry
volume on silicon-based polymers and a long-time member of the Editorial
Advisory Board of the Journal of Inorganic and Organometallic Polymers.
He is also the co-recipient of an IR-100 award for the development of
polysilane self-developing photoresists. He has also worked in conductive
polymers, receiving several patents in that area, superacid catalysis, polymer
photodegradation, and organic chemistry research. A curriculum vitae, listing
publications, invited presentations, patents, testimony and other relevant materials is
available. He has been involved in litigation support work for nearly 15 years.
- See if We Can Help You!
- If you're interested in exploring whether we can help in your
litigation, contact us now. Initial consultations are free and confidential,
without obligation. You can reach us at
silchemy@earthlink.net or call us at the
contact numbers on the home page.
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