Opinion ID: 59493
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Testimony of Stuart Feigenbaum

Text: When Foradori tendered Stuart Feigenbaum as an expert in the field of restaurant management, Captain D's stated: No objection. On direct examination, Feigenbaum opined that Captain D's had negligently trained and supervised its employees. Captain D's still offered no objection. On cross-examination, Feigenbaum answered defense counsel's questions about how restaurants should guard against workplace violence, particularly as to what precautions and actions restaurant manager Peggy King should have taken because of the altercation. Fiegenbaum conceded, however, that he was not an expert in specific training on how to diffuse workplace violence. [24] Even so, he answered defendant's attorney's questions according to his common sense. During redirect examination, the district court consistently sustained objections by Captain D's counsel to ill-founded questions by counsel opposite. [25] After the close of testimony, the district court instructed the jury to consider whether the expert testimony was based on sufficient education and experience. Despite offering no relevant, timely objection to Feigenbaum's qualification and expertise at trial, [26] Captain D's now asserts that Feigenbaum was improperly permitted to give testimony unsupported by the expertise required by Rule 702 of the Federal Rules of Evidence. Specifically, Captain D's argues that, although it did not object to Feigenbaum's acceptance as an expert on restaurant management, because he later conceded that he had no expertise in specific training of employees to defuse workplace violence, his un-objected-to testimony on the inadequacy of Captain D's training and regulation of its managers, particularly Peggy King, should not have been presented to the jury. Captain D's asserts that Feigenbaum's testimony in this area prejudiced the jury because his testimony was the only support for the jury's finding of negligent training, regulation, supervision, and control of employees. Because Captain D's did not timely object to the testimony it now challenges, we review these claims for plain error only, see United States v. Duffaut, 314 F.3d 203, 208-09 (5th Cir.2002), and conclude that Captain D's cannot meet this standard. Though Captain D's arguments fail to satisfy many of the requirements for plain error, we note only the crucial shortcoming that is simplest to address: Captain D's failed to demonstrate that any alleged error affected its substantial rights. Captain D's contends that it was prejudiced by Feigenbaum's testimony because it was the only evidence supporting the jury's finding that defendant's negligent supervision and training of its employees was a proximate cause of Foradori's injury. But, as we have already described above, the jury's verdict was overwhelmingly supported by other evidence, viz., the testimony elicited from Captain D's employees and managers as well as Foradori. Thus, the jury's verdict was amply supported even without Feigenbaum's testimony. Because Captain D's does not contend that it was prejudiced in any other way by Feigenbaum's testimony, we conclude that it has made no showing that any error in this respect affected its substantial rights. Consequently, Captain D's cannot demonstrate plain error. See id.