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Keywords

liabilityappealtrialverdicttestimonyadmissibility

liabilityappealtrialtestimonyadmissibility

Related Cases

Lewis v. United States, 263 A.3d 1049

Facts

Jerome Lewis lived in the basement of a house he owned, which he rented to the Jenkins-Holland family on the upper floors. Tensions arose between Lewis and the family over unpaid bills and cooking odors, leading to Lewis asking them to move out. On February 16, 2013, a fire broke out in the basement, resulting in the death of four-year-old S.M.J. from smoke inhalation. Evidence suggested that Lewis had removed personal items from the basement prior to the fire, and he was seen behaving suspiciously outside the house as the fire raged.

Jerome Lewis lived in the basement of a house he owned, which he rented to the Jenkins-Holland family on the upper floors.

Issue

Did the trial court err in admitting expert testimony regarding the fire's origin and cause, and was there sufficient evidence to support Lewis's convictions?

Rule

The court applied the reliability-based standards of admissibility for expert testimony as set forth in Federal Rule of Evidence 702, which requires that the expert's testimony be based on sufficient facts or data, and that the expert has reliably applied the principles and methods to the facts of the case.

The court applied the reliability-based standards of admissibility for expert testimony as set forth in Federal Rule of Evidence 702.

Analysis

The court found that the trial judge did not abuse his discretion in admitting the expert testimony of fire investigator Lee McCarthy. The judge reviewed the transcript of McCarthy's prior testimony and determined that it met the reliability requirements of Rule 702. The court noted that McCarthy's experiments were designed to test the hypothesis that a cigarette could have ignited the fire, and the results were relevant to the case. The court concluded that the evidence presented was sufficient to support the jury's verdict.

The court found that the trial judge did not abuse his discretion in admitting the expert testimony of fire investigator Lee McCarthy.

Conclusion

The Court of Appeals affirmed Lewis's convictions, concluding that the trial court acted within its discretion in admitting the expert testimony and that the evidence was sufficient to support the convictions.

The Court of Appeals affirmed Lewis's convictions, concluding that the trial court acted within its discretion in admitting the expert testimony.

Who won?

The United States prevailed in the case, as the court upheld the convictions based on the sufficiency of the evidence and the admissibility of expert testimony.

The United States prevailed in the case, as the court upheld the convictions based on the sufficiency of the evidence.

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