--- title: "Mechanical Engineering Expert Witness Not Allowed to Opine About the Accident or on the Credibility of Individuals" meta: "og:description": "Mechanical engineering expert witness' accusations about the Defendants' knowledge of the accident rejected" "og:title": "Mechanical Engineering Expert Witness Not Allowed to Opine About the Accident or on the Credibility of Individuals" author: "Expert Witness Profiler" description: "Mechanical engineering expert witness' accusations about the Defendants' knowledge of the accident rejected" --- # Mechanical Engineering Expert Witness Not Allowed to Opine About the Accident or on the Credibility of Individuals Posted on July 9, 2024 by Expert Witness Profiler This matter arises from the tragic death of James Lemaster, a technician employed by Orbis Corporation at the company’s manufacturing plant in Georgetown, Kentucky. Lemaster’s job duties involved fitting industrial molds for filling and pressing to produce various made-to-order plastic hardware. On August 12, 2021, Lemaster was operating a hoist crane to lift and move a large mold encased within a mold fixture. The crane was hooked onto the mold fixture with a swivel hoist ring manufactured by Defendant American Drill Bushing (“ADB”). While the mold and mold fixture were suspended twenty feet above ground, ADB’s swivel hoist ring failed causing the mold and fixture to fall. Lemaster was struck by the falling mold and fixture, and he was killed on impact. Plaintiff filed the instant lawsuit on behalf of Lemaster’s estate and alleged that the fatality was the result of negligence on the part of ADB and/or Defendant Strohwig Industries, Inc. (“Strohwig”). Strohwig filed a motion to exclude certain testimony by Plaintiff’s expert [Paul Sweeney](https://expertwitnessprofiler.com/expert-witness/Paul-Sweeney/1558874), a mechanical engineer, with regard to Sweeney’s statements alleging that Strohwig and American Bushing were aware of why the lifting bracket failed but are intentionally not disclosing that information. ## **Mechanical Engineering Expert Witness** [Paul Sweeney](https://expertwitnessprofiler.com/expert-witness/Paul-Sweeney/1558874) is a registered professional mechanical engineer in the State of Connecticut with decades of experience in the field of cranes and rigging. Sweeney began his career in 1984 by graduating #1 in his class at the GDEB Career Development Program which places engineers in the shipyard as supervisors after intensive training. Sweeney has held several positions at GDEB.  As Ship Superintendent he managed the construction of missile compartments on Trident submarines. In 1990 Sweeney was promoted to the position of Supervisor of Crane Engineering where he held technical oversight for the safety, repair, maintenance, modification, overhaul, inspection, quality control, testing, and certification of Electric Boat’s cranes and nuclear lifting and handling equipment. [Get the full story on challenges to Paul Sweeney’s expert opinions and testimony with an in-depth Challenge Study.](https://app.expertwitnessprofiler.com/login?eId=1558874)  ## **Discussion by the Court** The Court held that Sweeney is not an expert on what the representatives of either American Drill or Strohwig know about the accident or on the credibility of individuals. Plaintiff did not offer Sweeney as an expert on those topics. Nor did he profess to be such an expert. He is a mechanical engineer. Accordingly, the Court will grant the motion to exclude any testimony from Sweeney that either Defendant knew why the lifting bracket fell and was intentionally withholding that information. Strohwig also objected to a statement in which Sweeney seemed to indicate that the Strohwig lifting bracket may have caused the swivel hoist ring to fail. However, Plaintiff conceded that there is no evidence in the record to support Sweeney’s statement that the lifting bracket may have caused the swivel hoist ring to fail. Accordingly, the Court prohibited this testimony. In its motion to exclude Sweeney, Strohwig also moved the Court to strike Sweeney’s report from the record, largely because of the accusations that Strohwig and American Bushing knew of the cause of the accident and have withheld that information. While Plaintiff did not object, the Court denied this portion of the motion. ## **Held** The Court granted in part and denied in part Strohwig’s motion to exclude Paul Sweeney’s testimony. ## **Key Takeaway:** Since Sweeney is not an expert on what the representatives of either American Drill or Strohwig know about the accident or on the credibility of individuals, the Court rejected any testimony by Sweeney that indicated that either Defendant knew why the lifting bracket fell and was intentionally withholding that information. ## **Case Details:** --- ## **You Might Also Like** ![Human Resources Expert Allowed to Opine on Termination](https://ewp-blog.expertwitnessprofiler.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/blog-pic-640X480-2026-04-22T200052.311.jpg) [**Human Resources Expert Allowed to Opine on Termination**](https://expertwitnessprofiler.com/mechanical-engineering-expert-witness-not-allowed-to-opine-about-the-accident-or-on-the-credibility-of-individuals/human-resources-expert-allowed-to-opine-on-termination)![Neuropsychology Expert Not Allowed to Opine on Cognitive Decline](https://ewp-blog.expertwitnessprofiler.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/blog-pic-640X480-2026-04-22T144728.528.jpg) [**Neuropsychology Expert Not Allowed to Opine on Cognitive Decline **](https://expertwitnessprofiler.com/mechanical-engineering-expert-witness-not-allowed-to-opine-about-the-accident-or-on-the-credibility-of-individuals/neuropsychology-expert-not-allowed-to-opine-on-cognitive-decline)![Human Factors Expert Not Allowed to Opine on the Tile](https://ewp-blog.expertwitnessprofiler.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/blog-pic-640X480-2026-04-21T191749.960.jpg) [**Human Factors Expert Not Allowed to Opine on the Tile**](https://expertwitnessprofiler.com/mechanical-engineering-expert-witness-not-allowed-to-opine-about-the-accident-or-on-the-credibility-of-individuals/human-factors-expert-not-allowed-to-opine-on-the-tile)![Insurance Expert Not Allowed to Opine on Legal Duties](https://ewp-blog.expertwitnessprofiler.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/blog-pic-640X480-2026-04-21T155751.487.jpg) [**Insurance Expert Not Allowed to Opine on Legal Duties**](https://expertwitnessprofiler.com/mechanical-engineering-expert-witness-not-allowed-to-opine-about-the-accident-or-on-the-credibility-of-individuals/insurance-expert-not-allowed-to-opine-on-legal-duties)![Law And Legal Expert Not Allowed to Opine on Contract Formation](https://ewp-blog.expertwitnessprofiler.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/blog-pic-640X480-2026-04-20T213123.718.jpg) [**Law And Legal Expert Not Allowed to Opine on Contract Formation**](https://expertwitnessprofiler.com/mechanical-engineering-expert-witness-not-allowed-to-opine-about-the-accident-or-on-the-credibility-of-individuals/law-and-legal-expert-not-allowed-to-opine-on-contract-formation)