Orpe v. Carnival Corp.

Colin Orpe appeals a final judgment entered in a negligence action. Because the trial court would not allow Orpe to present the testimony of his expert witness at trial, we reverse.

Dr. Marc Wilson was Orpe’s sole liability expert witness. Orpe was injured while he was a passenger on Carnival Corporation’s vessel Holiday when his cabin bathroom door swung shut and severed a portion of his finger. The door opened outward and a magnetic device on the adjacent wall was designed to hold the door against the adjacent wall. Orpe’s cabin-mate testified that the door had malfunctioned several times…