Complex litigation and subrogation cases involving product liability and/or technical issues frequently require opinion testimony in the form of expert witnesses. The role of the expert is to educate lay judges and juries who lack knowledge about a particular issue or technology involved in a case. This includes everything from the design of a complex product to the standard of medical care in the treatment of a patient to the reasonableness of attorneys’ fees or medical bills. To be effective, an expert must not only be knowledgeable, but be able to convey his opinion and the technology involved in an understandable and convincing manner. While the selection of the right expert is important in every case, it is critically important in subrogation cases because subrogation must be “cost-effective” in order to be successful. All too often we see a poor choice of an expert result in a poor subrogation result. Matthiesen, Wickert & Lehrer, S.C. has spent more than twenty years compiling a database of more than 25,000 experts throughout North America, broken down by geography, area of expertise, and cost. Our clients know that it is important to have the right expert the moment a claim is made and subrogation is apparent, so one of the services we offer our clients is locating potential experts when requested to do so. Every month, our Meet The Expert column will highlight a qualified expert who scores high in all categories and with whom we have had success in the past. This month we invite you to meet Antoine Rios, Ph.D.
Antoine Rios, Ph.D.
Plastic Plumbing Products Failure Expert
Dr. Antoine Rios has been with The Madison Group, in Madison, Wisconsin, since 1999 and is a recognized industry leader in the analysis of plastics failure, plumbing product failures, forensic analysis, and plastics part design. This experience and knowledge gives him an edge when it comes to inspecting and investigating parts related to subrogation claims. He is also experienced in the litigation process and has testified numerous times in both trial and deposition settings.
Dr. Rios received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering specializing in Plastics Engineering from the Polymer Engineering Center at the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 1999. Additionally, he holds a Master of Business Administration from Edgewood College, Madison, Wisconsin and is fluent in Spanish. He is currently a senior member of the Society of Plastic Engineers, where he serves as Director of the Composites Division and the Failure Analysis Special Interest Group. He is a participating member of ASTM International (subcommittee F17 – plastic piping systems) and has served as a reviewer of SBIR/STTR phase I/II proposals for the National Science Foundation. Dr. Rios contributes to his field by writing various papers and book chapters, and has given presentations on plastic failures, manufacturing, and Computer Aided Engineering (CAE).
Dr. Rios’ hobbies involve cars, boats, traveling, water sports, snowboarding, racquetball and softball, and his 1971 Mustang Mach 1. He was born in Venezuela, has worked in Germany, and travelled extensively in Europe and New Zealand. Dr. Rios also loves spending time with his family and enjoys playing and fixing things with his three-year old son.
Dr. Rios will be the guest speaker at the December 2, 2014 MWL webinar, Failure of Plastic Plumbing Products. There is still time to register for this webinar! To get information on this webinar and/or to register for it, click HERE.
Find out more about Dr. Rios and The Madison Group at their website, http://www.madisongroup.com.