In 2016, the City of Sontse, Florida, installed porcelain tile in 45 of the neighborhood community centers in the city. City managers wanted to upgrade the facilities’ quality to rent them out for private functions. Designers working on the renovations selected Porcelain tile manufactured by Anato Porcelain for all floors because of its upscale appearance, durability, and slip-resistant properties. However, city leaders were concerned about users slipping on these floors due to the likelihood of wet floors from spills, plumbing issues, and water blowing in during heavy rainfall. Because of this, designers required that the new porcelain tile floors meet the American National Standards Institute ANSI B101.3 test method for measuring the wet dynamic coefficient of friction (DCOF) of Hard Surface Walkways. This test requires the floor to meet a dynamic coefficient of friction measurement equal to or greater than 0.42 under prescribed wet testing conditions.

The quantity of tile ordered from Anato required a 5% overage on the tile needed for the initial installation to be delivered to each location as part of the installation process. This overage was stored at each location to be available for replacement of porcelain that might be needed over the life of the installation. The tiles for the testing were taken from these boxes so that there would be no chance of sealer or cleaning chemicals being on them.

However, since installers completed the new porcelain flooring installation, slip-and-fall accidents in these community centers have increased substantially. A report on the local news made residents aware of the extent of the problem, prompting the city to sue Anato Porcelain, claiming the porcelain tile manufacturer provided does not meet the required standard for slip resistance. They are requesting that the manufacturer provide new porcelain tile, pay for testing it before installation, and pay for removal and reinstallation of the new porcelain tile. The manufacturer claims their product did meet the test standards, suggesting that the installers’ application of unapproved sealers or maintenance staff using incorrect cleaning materials post-installation can also cause the problem.

The judge overseeing the case had an independent investigation company, Floor Testing Inc., measure a sample from the extra tiles for each community center to evaluate the claim. You have also been hired as an independent expert witness to evaluate if the porcelain tile provided by the manufacturer likely met or failed to meet the required standard. Your contract is for services as an ordinary fact witness. You will report the result of your data analysis with 95% confidence in a memorandum to the judge, who will provide it to the jury hearing the case.

You will provide your findings in a memorandum addressed to the judge, Tanya Wasilew, and copied to the Clerk of the Court, Daniel Taft, defense attorney, Mitch Soldano, and the plaintiffs’ attorney Amira Herana.

Memorandum Headers

To and CC lines – The 'To" and “CC” lines content are provided on the template
From – Use your full name, your title/role in this assignment.
Date – formatted as shown in the example.
Re – The reference line needs a short title to identify the specific purpose of the document. As this is a document involved in a legal case, it must start with the case, which includes who is bringing it v. who the case is against (e.g., Brown v. Board of Education), then a brief description of the specific contribution of the document to the case.


Introduction

Why this document is important for the readers’ goals - Start with a statement of the larger objective with which everyone reading the memorandum can agree. Describe the big-picture objective that motivates the purpose of this document. After writing this statement, you need a sentence or two to connect that idea to the thesis.
Thesis/Purpose - A clear statement of the memorandum’s main idea and the outcome sought from the readers. Include this in bold font.
Finding - A statement of the finding must be included in the introduction. It may be part of the thesis or a stand-alone sentence.
Preview - The preview identifies what the document’s body will discuss to support the thesis. This element succinctly names the body elements, often aligning with section titles. Always present this information in the same order as the body elements.


Body Element – Context

Topic introduction - This introduction connects this section’s topic to the thesis. Then, identify what you will present on that topic in the order you will communicate it.
Describe elements - Develop ideas that emerge from the topic introduction and logically move from one idea to the next. In this section, you will describe the case and what led to it being brought.
Finish - End with a concluding statement summarizing what you documented.


Body Element – Facts

Topic introduction - This introduction connects this section’s topic to the thesis. Then, identify what you will present on that topic in the order you will communicate it.
Describe elements - Develop ideas that emerge from the topic introduction and logically move from one idea to the next. In this section, you will present the data that you have and its relevance.
Finish - state how the data will enable you to provide input into the case.


Body Element – Discussion of Statistical Logic

Topic introduction - This introduction connects this section’s topic to the thesis. Then, identify what you will present on that topic in the order you will communicate it.
Describe elements - Develop ideas that emerge from the topic introduction and logically move from one idea to the next. In this section, you will describe what your statistical process will accomplish. You will NOT walk through the math steps.
Finish - end with a concluding statement summarizing what you found with your calculations.


Conclusion

Review - The review describes what the document’s body discussed in support of the thesis. This statement succinctly names the body elements, often aligning with section titles. Always present it in the same order as the body elements.
Thesis/Purpose - A clear statement of what the document is about and what you want the readers to do/know/believe after reading it. This thesis statement must be in different words than the introduction’s thesis but have the same meaning. Present your thesis in bold font.
Finding - A statement of the finding must be included in the conclusion. It may be part of the thesis or a stand-alone sentence.
Why this document will support the readers’ goals - Conclude professional documents reminding readers of the larger objective the thesis will help meet. This concluding statement needs to be one with which everyone reading the memorandum can agree. It is the big-picture objective that spurs the purpose of this document.


Appendix

In this section, you will present the mathematical steps – typewritten in mathematical formulas easily read.

Statistical parameters – Identify the statistical parameters you calculate from the data to complete your analysis.
Hypothesis Test Layout – Show the hypotheses for this analysis using correct mathematical notation.
Statistical Formulas & The Formulas with the numbers for this problem. This section must include a brief description of why you used the hypothesis test you did for the calculations. Include each step in your calculations.
Outcome – State the numerical findings, what they mean to the hypothesis test, and what they suggest about the porcelain tile the manufacturer provided for the City community centers.