Opinion ID: 422249
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Expert Qualification

Text: 32 The trial court refused to qualify Harry Dougherty, a counselor at the Vet Center, as an expert in the diagnosis of PTSD in Vietnam combat veterans. The court based its refusal on the ground that PTSD was a medical diagnosis which required professional ability Dougherty did not possess. 10 Crosby complains that it was unfair for the court to qualify as an expert a doctor of osteopathy who had no board certification in psychiatry while it refused to qualify Dougherty. 33 Although Rule 702 of the Federal Rules of Evidence broadly defines those who may be qualified as experts in a given field, it is clear that a trial court has considerable discretion in determining whether an individual may testify as an expert. The expert qualification of a witness is a question for the trial judge, whose discretion is conclusive unless clearly erroneous as a matter of law. United States v. Johnson, 575 F.2d 1347, 1360 (5th Cir.1978), cert. denied, 440 U.S. 907, 99 S.Ct. 1214, 59 L.Ed.2d 454 (1979). The trial court's determination here was not clearly erroneous. Four psychiatrists testified at great length about Crosby's mental condition, and two defense psychiatrists testified that PTSD was often unrecognized, even by medical experts. Given the availability of this psychiatric testimony as well as the difficulty inherent in diagnosing PTSD, the trial court properly refused to classify Dougherty as an expert on the ground that only physicians could qualify as diagnostic experts concerning this medical condition. 11