Opinion ID: 781098
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Testimony of Dr. Daniels

Text: 9 Sosna also argues that the District Court erred when it allowed Binnington to present the testimony of Dr. Daniels, who is an internist and not a surgeon, regarding whether Binnington complied with the relevant standard of care. Rule 702 and the Supreme Court's jurisprudence make it clear that a district court must not only act as a gatekeeper when ruling on the admissibility of expert testimony, but must also continue to perform its gatekeeping role by ensuring that the actual testimony does not exceed the scope of the expert's expertise. Wheeling Pitts. Steel v. Beelman River Terminals, 254 F.3d 706, 715 (8th Cir.2001). In Wheeling, we held that the district court erred when it allowed a hydrologist, an admitted expert in hydrology and flood risk management, to testify regarding safe warehousing practices that he had neither studied nor gained practical experience about. See id. After reviewing the record in this case, we find no similar abuse of discretion. Dr. Daniels is an internist with expertise in endocrinology. At least some of his research focused on the small bowel, and he regularly treated patients whose small-bowel obstructions were relieved medically or through surgical intervention. Hence, Dr. Daniels was competent to testify about the proper pre-and post-surgical treatment of patients with small-bowel obstructions. Dr. Daniels did not offer testimony regarding the technical aspects of the surgical procedure, nor could he. We conclude the District Court did not abuse its discretion when it admitted the testimony of Dr. Daniels.