Opinion ID: 458572
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Dr. Holahan's Testimony

Text: 25 Big Bud retained Dr. William Holahan, who has a doctorate in economics, to analyze and estimate Big Bud's economic loss resulting from Twin Disc's delayed deliveries of transmissions and to testify at trial concerning the extent of that loss. The district court granted Twin Disc's motion to quash Dr. Holahan's testimony because Dr. Holahan's initial attempt to estimate Big Bud's lost profits 5 was to be based on (1) the life expectancy of Mr. Harmon, Big Bud's chief executive officer and sole shareholder, (2) projections as to Big Bud's future profits made in Big Bud's draft reorganization plan for the bankruptcy court by Mr. Harmon, whose credibility was a major issue at trial, and (3) trade association data from the Farm and Industrial Equipment Institute (FIEI), which the district court called an outfit ... that apparently no one has heard of before. 26 The district court has broad discretion to assess the admissibility of expert testimony. See Parker v. Board of School Commissioners, 729 F.2d 524, 528-29 (7th Cir.1984). Big Bud's arguments on appeal lead us to conclude only that the district court could reasonably have ruled to admit Dr. Holahan's testimony, not that it abused its discretion in disallowing it. We therefore find no error in the district court's refusal to allow Dr. Holahan to testify concerning Big Bud's preferred calculation of lost profits.