--- title: "Transportation Expert Allowed to Opine on Contracts and Policies" meta: "og:description": "The transportation expert was allowed to analyze the Amazon Relay contracts, policies, and terms of service because of his extensive experience" "og:title": "Transportation Expert Allowed to Opine on Contracts and Policies" author: "Shuva Guha Thakurta" description: "The transportation expert was allowed to analyze the Amazon Relay contracts, policies, and terms of service because of his extensive experience" --- # Transportation Expert Allowed to Opine on Contracts and Policies Posted on August 6, 2026 by Shuva Guha Thakurta This diversity action arises from a motor vehicle accident that occurred on June 4, 2023, and resulted in the death of Noah M. Leyman—the Plaintiff's husband—and in injuries to Plaintiff Jurnee Leyman. Defendant Firdavs Kubaev, acting as a driver for and in the course and scope of his employment with Defendant Timur Trucking, LLC, was hauling a trailer owned by Amazon at the time of the accident. Amazon sought to exclude Plaintiffs' expert [David French](https://expertwitnessprofiler.com/expert-witness/David-French/1578169) on the grounds that: (1) his report contains only _ipse dixit_ assertions; and (2) his assertions are not reliable because there are no identified principles or methods of arriving at his conclusions. ![Transportation Expert Allowed to Opine on Contracts and Policies](https://media.jurimatic.com/images/blog_pic_640X480_2026_08_06T195710_261.webp) ## Transportation Expert Witness [David French](https://expertwitnessprofiler.com/expert-witness/David-French/1578169) is a Certified Transportation Broker and Logistics Consultant. He has over forty-five years of training and experience in the commercial trucking industry. [Want to know more about the challenges David French has faced? Get the full details with our Challenge Study report](https://expertwitnessprofiler.com/order/add?eId=1578169&pId=3). ## **Discussion by the Court** Plaintiffs produced an expert report authored by French regarding, amongst other things, the operational and contractor control Amazon Relay exerts over its motor carriers and drivers. ### A. _Ipse Dixit_ Argument Amazon argued that "French's report does little more than quote various contractual provisions." However, the Court has reviewed French's expert report and does not agree that French's opinion is simply _ipse dixit_. His report reflects that his opinion is based on an analysis of the Amazon Relay contracts, policies, and terms of service, as compared to federal safety regulations and commercial practices. French's extensive experience in the commercial trucking industry allows him to draw conclusions from the factual data in this case. This does not make the opinions mere _ipse dixit_. ### B. Reliability Argument Amazon relatedly argued that French's report is unreliable because it "does not contain any principles or methods for arriving at his conclusions aside from conclusory assertions." French applied years of experience when examining Amazon Relay's "contracts, policies, and Terms of Service" in order to opine on whether they were typical of normal business relationships and practices in this industry. French's report is not scientific or technical in nature; therefore, his methodology "need not be the rigorous or technical review as might be necessary for purely scientific or technical testimony." Rather, it is enough that French's report ties his observations about the relevant documents to conclusions through "the use of general truths derived from specialized experience." ## **Held** The Court denied Amazon's motion to exclude the testimony Plaintiff's expert David French. ## **Key Takeaway** It is well settled that an expert may testify based on personal experience. Moreover, an expert's report need not catalog all the details of the experiential knowledge on which the expert relies. ## **Case Details:** | Case Caption: | Leyman v. Amazon Logistics, Inc. | | --- | --- | | Docket Number: | 2:24cv129 | | Court Name: | United States District Court, Texas Northern | | Order Date: | August 04, 2026 | --- ## **You Might Also Like** ![Transportation Expert Allowed to Opine on Contracts and Policies](https://media.jurimatic.com/images/blog_pic_640X480_2026_08_06T195710_261.webp) [**Transportation Expert Allowed to Opine on Contracts and Policies**](https://expertwitnessprofiler.com/transportation-expert-allowed-to-opine-on-contracts-and-policies/transportation-expert-allowed-to-opine-on-contracts-and-policies)![Emergency Medicine Expert Allowed to Opine on Foot Injuries](https://media.jurimatic.com/images/blog_pic_640X480_2026_08_06T183545_570.webp) [**Emergency Medicine Expert Allowed to Opine on Foot Injuries**](https://expertwitnessprofiler.com/transportation-expert-allowed-to-opine-on-contracts-and-policies/emergency-medicine-expert-allowed-to-opine-on-foot-injuries)![Law and Legal Expert Not Allowed to Opine on Chinese Commercial Litigation](https://media.jurimatic.com/images/blog_pic_640X480_2026_08_05T200027_672.webp) [**Law and Legal Expert Not Allowed to Opine on Chinese Commercial Litigation**](https://expertwitnessprofiler.com/transportation-expert-allowed-to-opine-on-contracts-and-policies/law-and-legal-expert-not-allowed-to-opine-on-chinese-commercial-litigation)![Traffic Engineering Expert Not Allowed to Opine on Negligent Conduct](https://media.jurimatic.com/images/blog_pic_640X480_2026_08_05T175551_219.webp) [**Traffic Engineering Expert Not Allowed to Opine on Negligent Conduct**](https://expertwitnessprofiler.com/transportation-expert-allowed-to-opine-on-contracts-and-policies/traffic-engineering-expert-not-allowed-to-opine-on-negligent-conduct)![Psychiatry Expert Not Allowed to Opine on Skilled Nursing and Inpatient Rehabilitation Guidelines](https://media.jurimatic.com/images/blog_pic_640X480_2026_08_04T202929_2761.webp) [**Psychiatry Expert Not Allowed to Opine on Skilled Nursing and Inpatient Rehabilitation Guidelines**](https://expertwitnessprofiler.com/transportation-expert-allowed-to-opine-on-contracts-and-policies/psychiatry-expert-not-allowed-to-opine-on-skilled-nursing-and-inpatient-rehabilitation-guidelines)