Opinion ID: 2972622
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Testimony of Johanson

Text: The district court recognized Johanson as a qualified expert in the field of mechanical engineering. In summary, Johanson concluded that: (a) the incompatibility of the helmet and mask resulted in an asymmetric attachment of the mask, (b) such asymmetry resulted in the mask’s full engagement of the left-hand side J-clip but only minimal engagement with the right-hand side J-clip, (c) based on that minimal engagement on the right-hand side, two screw-nut combinations affixing the right-hand side J-clip were loosened over time, such that (d) when Mohney’s face struck the boards, the pre-existing loose fitting screw-nut combinations instantly and simultaneously vibrated apart at or immediately after the initial time of impact, (e) resulting in the J-clip dislodging, and (f) allowing the mask to release to the downward torque. The district court found Johanson’s testimony on the asymmetrical fit of the mask and helmet to be reliable but excluded Johanson’s testimony regarding the screw-nut combination and J-clip because it was not the product of a reliable methodology. Plaintiffs claim that the exclusion of Johanson’s J-clip testimony was due to the district court’s adoption of Bauer’s version of the facts, namely Johanson’s conclusion that the J-clip was not present at the time of the incident. A simple review of the portion of the district court’s opinion excluding Johanson’s testimony regarding the 9 J-clip reveals that the district court did not discuss the facts of the case whatsoever. Rather, the district court concluded that Johanson did not perform any tests to form his opinions in this case, but had simply based his opinion on his visual inspection and measurements of the helmet and mask. The district court rejected Plaintiffs’ contention that Johanson conducted a “test” by shaking the J- clip back and forth with his hand while resting an exemplar helmet on a table. We find that the district court did not abuse its discretion in concluding that Johanson had not conducted adequate testing to support his opinion. First, there is no evidence that the “test” conditions accurately replicated or even approximated those at the time of the incident. Second, Johanson cited no research or publications quantifying the impact forces (vibrations) necessary to cause the screw-nut combinations to become loose. Third, Johanson’s conclusions are further undermined because Johanson: (i) assumed (but did not know) the remaining screw-nut combinations on the left-hand side J-clip were the same as those on the right side, (ii) did not attempt to determine the thread class of the screws or test whether the thread class of the left-hand side screw-nut combinations was sufficient, but rather just made the assumption that they were not, and (iii) failed to support his opinion with any objective testing or analysis (i.e., using any control standards). We conclude that such “testing” and Johanson’s opinion on the basis of such “testing” cannot be considered reliable under the four factors set forth in Daubert, supra. For the reasons stated, we hold that the district court did not abuse its discretion in excluding Johanson’s testimony regarding the J-clip.