As summer comes to a close, our office prepares for sweater weather and the return of pumpkin spiced coffees. We've delivered some major accomplishments over the last few months, and are looking forward to reconnecting with our legal colleagues as annual events and the holidays approach!

Read on to learn about what we've been up to and where to find us next quarter:

New Developments:///

19 Case Closures through settlement or verdicts

California MCLE Certification Renewed///

In September, the State Bar of California renewed 3D Forensic’s Single Activity Provider certification for our one-hour presentation titled “21st Century Technology in the Courtroom.” This session dives into the applications of forensic technology for case analysis and visualization and is designed for trial attorneys on both sides of criminal or civil cases.

To schedule a virtual or in-person session with our expert team, fill out our contact form at the bottom of our page!

Case Focuses:///

Plaintiff: Diana Castro-Mimata///

Ms. Castro-Mimata drove to her local Costco gas station to fill up her vehicle, but as she pulled the pump from the tank, it continued to spray gasoline outside of the vehicle. Some gasoline landed in her face and eyes, which degraded her vision and led to significant light sensitivity, headaches and blistering of the inside of her lower eyelids.

Trial attorney Jeremy Tissot of the Tissot Law Firm retained 3D Forensic to demonstrate how the gas pump malfunctioned and led to Ms. Castro-Mimata’s severe injuries. With assistance from Aperture LLC, 3D Forensic built an understanding of the gas pump’s mechanics and created a 3D animation showing the internal malfunction.

Our 3D animation was shown to the Alhambra County jury, who awarded a verdict in the gross amount of $5 million to the plaintiff. This verdict far outweighed Costco’s highest settlement offering of $10,000 pre-trial.

See The Tissot Law firm's full announcement here

Civil Defense: Laser Based Photogrammetry of Sidewalk Defect///

Facing a lawsuit resulting from a trip-and-fall incident near Los Angeles, Caltrans retained 3D Forensic to reconstruct the measurements and depth of a concrete sidewalk defect to determine an accurate depth. Because the area had been repaired by the time of our involvement, we were tasked with digitally reconstructing the defect based on several photos.

To accurately ascertain the depth of the defect seen in the photos, our team visited the site and laser scanned the surrounding sidewalk area that had not been modified. This scan provided millions of 3D measurement points which could be aligned to the defect photos and serve as a topographical foundation. This then allowed us to remove distortion in the photos, outline the three-dimensional area of the defect area, and verify the depths in our 3D Working Model.

Our analysis led to the conclusion that the depth of the defect was between 0.4 and 0.6 of an inch, factoring for a margin of error. This information helped lead to an informed settlement of the trip and fall lawsuit.

Plaintiff: Terry James Spillards///

A low-speed rear end accident led to plaintiff Terry James Spillards suffering intense neck and back pain. He required several specialized treatments including therapy, epidural steroid injections, and a foraminotomy, and lost significant wages due to inability to work.

With just five weeks to trial, attorney Tomas Ross of the Drake Law Firm worked with 3D Forensic and accident reconstructionist Ken Pearl to demonstrate the incident itself and the ensuing medical treatments. 3DF utilized the 3D Working Model to develop a visual reconstruction with Mr. Pearl, highlighting the damage sustained by Mr. Spillards even though the vehicle impacted his truck from the rear at only 17 miles per hour. The team then developed several animations showing the medical operations undertaken to treat Mr. Spillards’s pain.

The Riverside County jury awarded Mr. Spillards over $350 thousand after listening to arguments and seeing our analysis in trial, far outweighing the defendants’ $30K offer to settle.

“3D Forensic Inc was professional, efficient and effective. I will definitely use them for future trial animations."///

-Tomas Ross, The Drake Law Firm///

Events:///

CAALA 42nd Annual Convention///

Director of Business Development Colleen Moraga hosted a networking brunch at the Bellagio for CAALA’s Annual Conference this year in Las Vegas.

Continuing Education:///

Office of the State Public Defender///

CEO Jason Fries delivered an educational session on the role of forensic technologies in criminal cases to the Office of the State Public Defender’s audience of trial attorneys. Several areas of focus included 3D ballistic trajectory analysis, nighttime visibility analysis and laser-based photogrammetry.

Next Quarter:///

TLU Live: Las Vegas///

Join us at Trial Lawyers University Live at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas between October 16th and 19th! Our exhibit booth will feature completely new interactive exhibits that exemplify the reach of forensic technology.

FACDL Miami Cross-Examination CLE///

Dr. Kim Hellgren, PhD will be joining our partners at the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers in Miami to speak at their live “Cross-Examination CLE” event on Friday, October 18th! We are excited to discuss the resources available to hard working criminal defenders and hear insight on how national attorneys approach cross examination.

CAOC 63rd Annual Convention///

As the trusted AV sponsors for the Consumer Attorneys of California for over five years, we are thrilled for the 63rd Annual Convention to kick off the weekend of November 14th in San Francisco. Stop by our booth in the Ralston Room to see our latest exhibits and meet our expert team!

ADCNCN 65th Annual Meeting///

CEO Jason Fries will be a featured speaker at the Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California and Nevada’s 65th Annual Meeting at the Westin St. Francis in San Francisco!

3D Forensic, Inc. is a forensic technology firm providing analysis, expert witness testimony, and courtroom animation. We work with all legal teams to capture pertinent data, provide unbiased analysis, and visualize the facts. Founded in 2012, the firm serves attorneys nationwide with offices in San Francisco and Los Angeles.///