Opinion ID: 437193
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: The District Court's Use of a Court-Appointed Expert

Text: 63 After a lengthy trial and much conflicting expert testimony, the judge could not decide the merits of the students' seismic safety claims on the basis of evidence presented at trial, so he reopened the case and appointed a neutral expert to evaluate the adequacy of seismic testing at the Fremont site. The state defendants have several objections to this procedure on this appeal, all of which we find unpersuasive.
64 The state defendants object to the district court's sua sponte reopening the case to obtain evidence from a neutral expert. Sua sponte reopening is an unusual procedure, but it is within the discretion of the trial court. See Calage v. University of Tennessee, 544 F.2d 297, 302 (6th Cir.1976) (district court did not abuse its discretion in sua sponte reopening sex discrimination case for additional evidence to explain wage differentials); Arthur Murray, Inc. v. Oliver, 364 F.2d 28, 34 (8th Cir.1966) (district court abused discretion in sua sponte reopening antitrust case for additional evidence on lost profits where there was sufficient evidence in the record and no exceptional circumstances). 65 The court's discretion was not abused here. Both Calage and Arthur Murray emphasize that such evidence as a judge may properly seek to have added to a record on his own motion should appear both to be important as a matter of preventing injustice and to be reasonably available. Calage, 544 F.2d at 302 (citing Arthur Murray, 364 F.2d at 34). The district court specifically found reopening was necessary to prevent injustice and that the evidence was reasonably available. Only one additional expert testified, and his testimony was based primarily on the existing trial record. Although the procedure is somewhat unusual, the circumstances of the case appear to justify it.
66 The district court expressly relied on Rule 706, Fed.R.Evid. as a source of power to appoint a neutral expert. Rule 706 allows the court to appoint a neutral expert on its own motion, whether or not the expert is agreed upon by the parties. Rule 706 also allows the court to assess the cost of the expert's compensation as it deems appropriate. Appointments under Rule 706 are reviewable only for abuse of discretion. See Fugitt v. Jones, 549 F.2d 1001, 1006 (5th Cir.1977). As required by Rule 706, the judge allowed both parties to thoroughly cross-examine its appointed expert. Thus, under Rule 706, the district court's appointment of a neutral expert was proper. 67 The state defendants argue that the district court treated the neutral expert, Dr. Jahns, not as a neutral expert, but as a special master. Appointments of special masters are subject to stricter standards of review than appointments of neutral experts under Rule 706. Rule 53, Fed.R.Civ.P. governs the appointment of special masters. Rule 53(b) provides, A reference to a master shall be the exception and not the rule. The court in Arthur Murray, supra, used the lack of an exceptional condition as grounds for reversing the appointment of a special master in an antitrust case. 68 Here, the district court first appointed Dr. Jahns expressly as a court-appointed neutral expert under Rule 706. He was not appointed a special master until later. After his testimony convinced the court to order additional testing, Dr. Jahns was appointed special master to oversee the court-ordered tests. The state defendants argue, however, that his role was akin to that of a special master throughout the proceeding, because the district court relied upon him so heavily. The argument is not persuasive. Even if Jahns is characterized as a special master from the time of his original appointment, the case is complex enough to fit the exceptional circumstances requirement of Rule 53(b).
69 The state defendants contend that Dr. Jahns was unqualified. They argue that Jahns was not experienced in investigating school sites, that he was not familiar with California law regulating the construction of schools in seismically dangerous areas, and that he was not an expert on the effects of liquefaction, a potential seismic problem at the Fremont site. The students argue that Dr. Jahns was well-qualified, pointing out that Jahns was formerly dean of Stanford's Earth Sciences Department, and had extensive experience doing seismic safety evaluations for such critical facilities as nuclear power plants and hydroelectric dams. They also point out that Jahns was somewhat familiar with school sites, having reviewed at least ten school site investigations within the past five years, and that he generally understood seismic safety standards applicable to school sites under California law. 70 We find the attack on Jahns' qualifications without merit. Under Rule 706, the court is free to appoint an expert of its own choosing without the consent of either party. Moreover, the question of whether an expert is qualified rests within the sound discretion of the trial judge. J. Weinstein & M. Berger, 3 Weinstein's Evidence p 702 at 702-22 (1982). Nothing indicates that the trial court abused its discretion in selecting the qualified expert here.
71 The state defendants desired to make an offer of proof in rebuttal to Dr. Jahns's testimony. The district court refused to consider the offer of proof because it was untimely. The state defendants were originally ordered to submit their offer of proof by September 26. Later, the court gave the state defendants an extension stretching until 15 days after Dr. Jahns testified. At the end of the 15-day period, the state defendants requested an additional four-week extension which was refused. Decisions relating to additional time for presenting evidence are within the sound discretion of the trial court. Gilbert v. Lachapelle, 127 F.2d 750, 751 (D.C.Cir.1942). 72 Moreover, although the state defendants characterize the proferred testimony as previously unavailable comparative analysis of liquefaction phenomena, the proferred testimony was from an expert who had already testified at trial and may have been somewhat cumulative. In sum, the district court did not abuse its discretion in rejecting the state defendants' offer of proof.