Opinion ID: 621313
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Lakeside's Expert's Opinion

Text: In opposition to Producers' motion for summary judgment, Lakeside submitted the testimony of a banking and forensic accounting expert opining as to whether Producers' conduct was consistent with that of an owner and not merely a lender. The district court held that because the issue before the court was whether Producers owed a legal duty to Lakeside, and Lakeside argued that Producers' ownership status informed that decision, the expert more or less offered a legal conclusion based upon facts submitted to the expert by Lakeside regarding the owner/lender status of Producers and that, as such, the court need not consider it as binding. In re Acceptance Ins. Cos. Sec. Litig., 423 F.3d 899, 905 (8th Cir.2005) (When the expert opinions are little more than legal conclusions, a district court should not be held to have abused its discretion by excluding such statements.). Lakeside argues that its expert provided testimony that was more technical in nature, applying extensive banking and forensic accounting experience to give industry-specific context to financial data and the actions of Producers, and that the expert could opine on the well-recognized meaning of the Producer/Gayer transaction in the business or industry. Nucor Corp. v. Neb. Pub. Power Dist., 891 F.2d 1343, 1350 (8th Cir.1989) (Courts have frequently recognized the value of expert testimony defining terms of a technical nature and testifying as to whether such terms have acquired a well-recognized meaning in the business or industry.). We review for abuse of discretion the district court's decision to exclude expert testimony for purposes of determining whether there exists an issue of material fact. In re Baycol Prods. Litig., 596 F.3d 884, 889 (8th Cir.2010). The district court did not abuse its discretion in excluding this testimony. Contrary to Nucor, the case primarily relied upon by Lakeside, whether or not Producers functioned as owner or lender was not ambiguous in the sense that [it was] of a sufficiently technical nature to be the subject of expert testimony. Nucor, 891 F.2d at 1350. In Nucor, the court allowed expert testimony to inform the jury of differing views regarding the statutory terminology contained in the contract at issuei.e., in order to determine whether a breach of contract occurred, the jury had to determine whether particular rates were fair, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory, as those terms were contemplated by their regulatory function. Id. Here, expert testimony regarding the ownership status, or not, of Producers was not necessary to assist the trier of fact in its determination regarding the elements of the tort claims raised in this action. Federal Rule of Evidence 702 permits expert testimony to assist the jury in understanding technical or scientific evidence, which the court, in its broad discretion, determined was not necessary in this case. See Fed.R.Evid. 702. Lakeside claims this testimony was relevant to whether Lakeside justifiably relied on Producers' representations and further gives some factual context to the question of Producers' duty to Lakeside. While true, expert testimony was not needed to inform the district court on those legal issues and, as noted earlier, whether or not Producers owned the livestock is ultimately a non sequitur. Therefore, the district court did not abuse its discretion in excluding the expert testimony at issue.