Opinion ID: 1058110
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: analysis

Text: The admission of expert testimony is committed to the sound discretion of the trial judge, and we will reverse a trial court's decision only where that court has abused its discretion. Tarmac Mid-Atlantic, Inc. v. Smiley Block Co., 250 Va. 161, 166, 458 S.E.2d 462, 465 (1995) (quoting Brown v. Corbin, 244 Va. 528, 531, 423 S.E.2d 176, 178 (1992)). Therefore, we apply an abuse of discretion standard when reviewing a trial court's decision to admit expert opinion testimony. Keesee v. Donigan, 259 Va. 157, 161, 524 S.E.2d 645, 647 (2000). We have held that [e]xpert testimony is allowed where it `will assist the trier of fact to understand the evidence or to determine a fact in issue.' Norfolk Southern Railway Co. v. Rogers, 270 Va. 468, 479, 621 S.E.2d 59, 64 (2005) (quoting Code § 8.01-401.3.). An expert's testimony is admissible not only when scientific knowledge is required, but when experience and observation in a special calling give the expert knowledge of a subject beyond that of persons of common knowledge and ordinary experience. Neblett v. Hunter, 207 Va. 335, 339, 150 S.E.2d 115, 118 (1966). Additionally, under Code § 8.01-401.1, an expert's opinion may be based upon facts, circumstances or data made known to or perceived by such witness. However, we also have recognized that the admission of expert testimony is limited and subject to certain fundamental requirements, including the requirement that the evidence be based on an adequate foundation. Keesee, 259 Va. at 161, 524 S.E.2d at 647. Therefore, expert testimony is inadmissible if it rests on assumptions that have an insufficient factual basis or it fails to take into account all of the relevant variables. Tittsworth v. Robinson, 252 Va. 151, 154, 475 S.E.2d 261, 263 (1996); Tarmac Mid-Atlantic, 250 Va. at 166, 458 S.E.2d at 465-66. We have explained: Expert testimony founded upon assumptions that have no basis in fact is not merely subject to refutation by cross-examination or by counter-experts; it is inadmissible. Failure of the trial court to strike such testimony upon a motion timely made is error subject to reversal on appeal. Furthermore, expert testimony is inadmissible if the expert fails to consider all the variables that bear upon the inferences to be deduced from the facts observed. Vasquez v. Mabini, 269 Va. 155, 160, 606 S.E.2d 809, 811 (2005) (citations omitted).
Regarding Haubert, the only basis for his opinion testimony that the hose had a manufacturing defect was the failure of the hose itself. That opinion is not based upon an adequate foundation. It is insufficient for Haubert to base his opinion upon the premise that because the hose failed, it was the result of a manufacturing defect. Additionally, Haubert admitted that he failed to perform tests that could have determined whether the hose suffered from the tight carrier defect he alleged. When Haubert made his own examination of the hose with a borescope, he conceded that he saw no evidence of a tight carrier defect in the hose. Haubert's opinion testimony concerning the hose's alleged manufacturing defect was not supported by facts, and the trial court abused its discretion in admitting his opinion into evidence. The trial court also abused its discretion in admitting the expert opinion of Heninger. Heninger admitted that he was not an expert in the hydraulic systems of mowers and had no experience in the design or manufacture of mowers or any other agricultural equipment. An expert's qualifications must correlate to the opinions for which the expert is being offered. King v. Sowers, 252 Va. 71, 78, 471 S.E.2d 481, 485 (1996). The fact that a person is a qualified expert in one field does not make him an expert in another field, even if they are closely related. Combs v. Norfolk & W. Ry., 256 Va. 490, 496, 507 S.E.2d 355, 358 (1998); Tazewell Oil Co. v. United Virginia Bank, 243 Va. 94, 110, 413 S.E.2d 611, 620 (1992). Here, Heninger admitted that he lacked specific expertise in the hydraulics of disc mowers and was unfamiliar with the hydraulic system of this mower. In Keesee, we clarified the standard for the admissibility of expert testimony offered to assist a trier of fact in understanding general scientific or technical principles. 259 Va. at 161, 524 S.E.2d at 648 (emphasis added). While a trial court may permit an expert witness to explain the general nature of the principle, testimony that goes further and attempts to relate those general principles to a particular person or event generally is inadmissible because the probative value of that evidence rest[s] on assumptions ... that [have] no factual basis in the record. Id. at 162, 524 S.E.2d at 648. Furthermore, because of Heninger's limited expertise, the trial court ruled that his testimony was to be restricted to hydraulic systems generally and held that he could not testify specifically about the particular mower at issue. However, Heninger's actual testimony went far beyond the court's limitations. He opined that the defect in this particular hose could have caused the hose to get caught in a pinch point in the mower, which caused the hose to burst. Heninger also offered alternative designs for the mower, but he conceded that he did not know whether these alternatives would make the mower unsafe or would even be feasible or effective. His opinions about the design of the mower were based upon assumptions not supported by facts and outside his area of expertise. Additionally, he admitted that he was not qualified to testify about the hose. As such, Heninger's opinion testimony lacked adequate foundation, and the trial court abused its discretion in admitting his opinions into evidence.