CRIMINAL JUSTICE 2
Criminal Justice
Kumho case and the scope of the Daubert ruling
The lawsuit, which Patrick Carmichael filed against the Kumho Tire Company,
compelled the supreme court of US to modify the Daubert jurisprudence. The Daubert v. Merrell
Dow Pharmaceuticals in 1993 case was instrumental in defining the Daubert jurisprudence
(Bernstein, 2014). Regarding the accident which led to death one a passenger and injury of
numerous travelers severely, Patrick Carmichael claimed that the car crash resulted from a
manufacturing defect. Dennis Carlson, Jr analyzed to prove the defect which led to the explosion
of the tire (Dillhoff, 2011). The investigation confirmed that the explosion of the tire resulted
from poor management or care. However, the analysis confirmed that the explosion of the tire
occurred from a manufacturing defect.
Based on Daubert factors, the Supreme Court concluded that the testimony of Dennis
Carlson, Jr did not provide sufficient evidence to affirm Patrick Carmichael’s claim concerning
the accident. The American court of appeal reversed the findings and concluded that Daubert
standard applies to scientific evidence (Dillhoff, 2011). Because the Daubert test covers
scientific proofs, the analysis does not include specialized or technical knowledge. Regarding the
conclusion, the court affirmed that Dennis Carlson’s testimony did not require affirmation from
Daubert test because the case relied on experimental proof rather than scientific evidence. The
Kumho verdict expanded the application of Daubert standard (Dillhoff, 2011). Even though the
Kumho verdict extended the implementation of Daubert guidelines, the decision has resulted in a
concomitant reduction in definitive roles and enhanced discretionary functions of Daubert test.
National Academies of Science Report