Documentation In The Small Forensic Engineering Office

Abstract

In order for the forensic engineer to be effective in his or her task, the forensic engineer must possess a number of qualities that allow that task to be accomplished successfully. One of these qualities is credibility. Unless the forensic engineer has credibility, the task at hand can not be brought to a successful conclusion. In a recent decision the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals found that where the only evidence was conflicting expert testimony a new trial was granted on the trial Judges finding of credibility, and when the resolution of a case boils down to credibility, the jury must be permitted to determine the weight to be given to each witnesss testimony. In other words, the jury will decide which expert witness has more credibility. Lets briefly look at the definition of the word credibility; it is derived from the word credit, which, according to Webster, means