DAUBERT TEST

Daubert test. A method that federal district courts use to determine whether expert testimony

is admissible under Federal Rule of Evidence 702, which generally requires that expert testimony

consist  of  scientific,  technical,  or  other  specialized  knowledge  that  will  assist  the  fact-finder  in

understanding  the  evidence  or  determining  a  fact  in  issue.  •  In  its  role  as  “gatekeeper”  of  the

evidence,  the  trial  court   must   decide  whether   the   proposed   expert  testimony   meets  the

requirements of relevance and reliability. The court applies the test outside the jury’s presence, usu.

during  a  pretrial  Daubert  hearing.  At  the  hearing,  the  proponent  must  show  that  the  expert’s

underlying  reasoning  or  methodology  and  its  application  to  the  facts  are  scientifically  valid.  In

ruling  on  admissibility,  the  court  considers  a  flexible  list  of  factors,  including  (1)  whether  the

theory  can  be  or  has  been  tested,  (2)  whether  the  theory  has  been  subjected  to  peer  review  or

publication, (3) the theory’s known or potential rate of error and whether there are standards that

control its operation, and (4) the degree to which the relevant scientific community has accepted

the  theory. Daubert  v. Merrell Dow Pharms., Inc., 509 U.S. 579, 113 S.Ct. 2786 (1993). Similar

scrutiny  must  be  applied  to  nonscientific  expert  testimony.  Kumho  Tire Co.  v.  Carmichael,  526

U.S. 137, 119 S.Ct. 1167 (1999). Variations of the Daubert test are applied in the trial courts of

most  states.  [Cases:  Evidence    508,  546,  555.  C.J.S.  Evidence  §§  527,  597–601,  609–610,

624–625, 627, 634, 649, 652, 677, 680, 682–684, 687–688, 713, 729.] [Blacks Law 8th]