Case: Window Safety

Window Safety

W. Lynn Beason is an engineer who often serves as a consultant or expert witness in his area of specialization, window safety. He became interested in this as an area of research as a graduate student when the area in which he lived was hit by a tornado. He saw that there were design problems with windows and he decided to try to clear them up. Now he regards himself as a public safety advocate. Eschewing the label of "crusader," he says that he simply uses the public interest as a guidepost when undertaking his work, especially as an expert witness. Noting that some engineers he knows operate as "guns for hire" when serving as expert witnesses, Beason is very uncomfortable with this. Instead he says to a potential client: "I will look at your case, and I will do my best to understand the truth of your case, and I will tell you what I think; and it you want me, that’s great, and if you don’t, just pay me what you owe me and I’m gone. And I tell that to everybody, you know, because that’s very comfortable."

This does not mean that Lynn Beason’s life as an expert witness is easy. What he says on the witness stand is not necessarily welcomed by all sides. Threatened with being sued for over a million dollars for allegedly making false statements in questioning someone’s window safety testing methods posed his greatest challenge. But instead of backing off, he filed a countersuit and continued his campaign. Eventually his adversary withdrew its suit against him. Undaunted by the unpleasantness (and potential costliness) of all this, Beason remains dedicated to his cause. He describes himself as a very stubborn, persistent person.

Reflecting on his approach to his work, Beason says, "I would like to feel good about what I do, okay, and you know, you can do lots of things and not feel bad about what you do, but I would like to feel good about what I do."

Discuss Lynn Beason’s way of handling expert witnessing, including his rationale.

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