Expert Testimony Error Harmless Since Reliability Established, 9th Circuit Says

Mealey's (May 14, 2019, 11:50 AM EDT) -- PASADENA, Calif. — While a trial court abused its discretion when admitting expert testimony from a fingerprint analyst in an illegal immigration case, the mistake was harmless because there was enough information to show that the expert’s opinions were reliable, the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals determined May 10 (United States v. Mario Ruvalcaba-Garcia, No. 17-50288, 9th Cir., 2019 U.S. App. LEXIS 13986)....