State v. Riddle

In this criminal case, we are asked to decide whether a defendant may prevent an accident reconstruction expert, whom the defense originally had hired to investigate the accident on which the criminal charges were based, from testifying for the state about an opinion that the expert formed while in the defendant’s employ. We hold that a privilege to prevent such an expert from testifying altogether cannot be based solely on the fact that the state offers the expert testimony against the party that originally employed the expert. On the specific facts before us, we affirm the ruling of the…