Specialties

Failure analysis and accident reconstruction of industrial accidents, automobile accidents, personal injuries, building fires, industrial fires, carbon monoxide poisoning, and industrial explosions. Design evaluations of products and buildings at the system and component level. Safety evaluation of construction sites and industrial facilities. Products evaluated include chairs, ladders, rolling-scaffolds and barricades, medical tables, water heaters, space heaters, furnaces, file cabinets windows. Vehicles evaluated include cars, forklifts, bicycle, pedestrian, golf cart and cranes. Fires & explosions include houses & commercial kitchen fires, methamphetamine lab explosion, ammonium perchlorate factory explosion, synthetic crude oil refinery fire, natural gas explosions, urban-wildland fire and print-shop fire. Construction defects & failures evaluated include structural collapse, mold infestations, EIFS failures, slab failures, pipe leaks and breaks, retaining wall failures, sub-sea level sewer tunneling failure, foundation failures, neighborhood flooding, roof and window leakage. Earthquake damage evaluation of residential, light commercial and high-rise buildings.

Degrees/Licenses

MS, BS, PE, (Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Structural Engineering, Materials Engineering, Fire Science & Engineering and Construction Management).

Specialties

Forensic architect; Expert witness; Construction defects; Code compliance; Slips and falls; Remedial construction documents/construction administration; Life safety issues; Guardrail/handrail/stairway design; Water intrusion; plan defects; Architecture standards of care, ADA.

Degrees/Licenses

Licensed Architect C-7096 (CA); Licensed Contractor B-402418 (CA); BS Architecture.

Formal Education

BS, Architecture, Catholic University, 1967; Graduate studies in City Planning and Urban Design, 1968.

Previous/Current Position

Principal Architect.

Honors/Awards

National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) "Remmies" awards: 1st Place: Design/Residential Interior; 1st Place: Contractor Residential Exterior; 1st Place: Design/Residential Exterior; 2nd Place: Design/Residential Interior; Merit Award: Design Residential/Exterior; Ford Foundation Grant.

Prof. Affiliations

AIA (American Institute of Architects); CSI (Construction Specification Institute); FEWA (Forensic Expert Witness Association)

Publications

Technical Reviewer, "Home Remodeling for Dummies"; Design project featured in Taunton Press book titled "At Work, At Home."

Prior Expert

Depositions/court testimony -- approximately 85+ cases over 35 years (30+ depositions, 10 trials, 50 reports/site inspections) involving: Slips and falls (stairs, handrails, guardrails); construction defects; water intrusion; building code and maintenance issues; defective architectural plans, construction assemblies, injury involving life safety elements as stairs, guardrails and handrails. Court appointed expert in a case involving a neighbor's dispute, consulted to the DOJ (Dept. of Justice) in a matter involving the VA (Veterans Administration); and ADA codes as applied to a HOA (Home Owners Association) case.

Specialties

39 years of development and construction experience. Full litigation support including construction defects, estimating, CPM scheduling, claims analysis, code violations, construction quality and delay evaluation, PI and construction accidents.

Degrees/Licenses

Bachelor of Science in Engineering (cum laude); General Contractor (CA) and Registered Civil Engineer (CA).

Formal Education

BSE, Civil Engineering, Princeton University, 1976.

Registration and Licenses

BSE, Civil Engineering, Princeton University, 1976.

Previous/Current Position

Project Manager, Stegeman & Kastner, Inc., Project Management Consultants. Field Superintendent, Turner Construction, Inc., Lecturer in Construction Technology at University of California, Irvine and UCLA.

Honors/Awards

Patent #6,110,038 for Carbon Monoxide Purging System, Sigma Xi national scientific research society.

Prof. Affiliations

Member, American Society of Civil Engineers.

Publications

4, including Apartment Manager and Energy Buyer's Guide.

Prior Expert

Over 100 cases representing both plaintiff and defendant. Numerous depositions, arbitrations, presentations at mediation, and trial testimony. Organize destructive testing, meetings of experts, analyze standard of care, estimating and CPM scheduling.