Opinion ID: 73730
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Testimony Assists Trier of Fact

Text: Paul also asserts that Ziegler’s testimony was inadmissible because it did not assist the jury’s understanding of the evidence. Properly qualified expert witnesses may testify regarding their specialized knowledge in a given field if it “would assist the trier of fact to understand the evidence or to determine a fact in issue.” Fed. R. Evid. 702; see also United States v. Rouco, 765 F.2d 983, 995 (11th Cir. 1985) (arguing that counsel may use an expert if the expert’s 7 testimony can offer something “beyond the understanding and experience of the average citizen”), cert. denied, 475 U.S. 1124 (1986); United States v. Burchfield, 719 F.2d 356 (11th Cir. 1983) (explaining that expert testimony is admissible where it is “the kind that enlightens and informs lay persons without expertise in a specialized field”). Paul has not challenged on appeal Ziegler’s qualifications as an expert on handwriting analysis. In fact, at the time of the trial, Ziegler: (1) was a full time handwriting examiner for 30 years; (2) was a member of four professional handwriting analysis organizations; (3) established both the Secret Service’s and the Naval Investigative Service’s “questioned document” laboratories; (4) lectured and taught extensively in the field of handwriting analysis; and (5) trained new “questioned document” examiners for several law enforcement organizations. Consequently, we hold that Ziegler’s expert testimony could assist the jury.