Construction Expert’s Opinions Regarding the Rebuilding Costs Admitted
Posted on August 20, 2025 by Expert Witness Profiler
On March 4, 2023, Plaintiff Jane Randall’s son, Christian Randall, set fire to her home on Lady’s Island in Beaufort, South Carolina. On January 26, 2025, Plaintiff identified David Johnson as an expert general contractor to testify regarding the extent of damage to Plaintiff’s home and the need to demolish and rebuild the property at a cost of approximately $2.2 million.
Defendant Allstate Insurance Company argued that Johnson’s opinions regarding the cost of rebuilding Plaintiff’s home are “nothing but speculation, conjecture and a lack of formalized testing.”
Construction Expert Witness
David Johnson has over two decades of experience as a licensed general contractor in both North and South Carolina. He has been in the homebuilding construction business since 1971 and has served as a project manager for many residential properties in Beaufort County. As both a licensed realtor and a licensed general contractor, he has extensive experience in assessing property values and damage costs.
Discussion by the Court
After a careful review of Johnson’s deposition, the arguments of the parties, and Rule 702 standards, the Court found that Johnson’s testimony is sufficiently reliable and would be helpful to the jury if called upon to determine damages in this case. Johnson has sixteen years of experience as a general contractor in the area and has firsthand knowledge of construction costs. He has consulted with an architect and structural engineer and provided an estimate that the rebuilding of the home would cost around $395 per square foot, which is at the low range of square foot costs in the area.
Johnson’s use of a per square foot metric to estimate rebuilding costs is a reasonable method utilized in his business.
Defendant accurately noted that the estimate provided by Johnson is not based on final architectural blueprints and that the square foot number he utilized was based on information provided by Plaintiff. These issues go to the weight and not the admissibility of the expert testimony. Defendant will have every opportunity to cross examine Johnson at trial and identify any weaknesses or questions about his opinions.
The Court found, however, at this point, Plaintiff has carried her burden of showing by a preponderance of the evidence that Johnson’s opinions are sufficiently reliable, based upon reasonable methods, and would be helpful to the jury should damages be an issue at trial.
Held
The Court denied the Defendant’s motion to exclude David Johnson as an expert witness under Rule 702.
Key Takeaway:
Johnson’s opinions are based on personal experience as a general contractor in the Beaufort County area, consultation with an architect and structural engineer, personal inspection of the fire damaged home, firsthand knowledge of actual costs for construction in the local area, and the use of a cost per square foot metric.
Case Details:
| Case Caption: | Randall V. Allstate Insurance Company |
| Docket Number: | 9:24cv4123 |
| Court Name: | United States District Court, South Carolina |
| Order Date: | July 07, 2025 |
