MCKINNEY v. WING

**Employee Loses Case After Expert Witness Problems** McKinney sued his former employer, Church Mutual Insurance Company, claiming the company broke his employment contract. To support his case, McKinney planned to use expert witnesses to testify on his behalf. However, McKinney ran into a major procedural problem. Federal court rules require parties to provide detailed information about their expert witnesses well before trial, including their qualifications and what they plan to say. The court found that McKinney failed to provide this required information properly. McKinney tried to classify his experts as "non-retained" witnesses (which have fewer disclosure requirements), but the court rejected this because the experts were actually hired specifically for the lawsuit and didn't provide enough details about their expected testimony. Because of these failures, the court threw out McKinney's expert witnesses entirely, and he lost the case. **What this means for workers:** When suing an employer, following court procedural rules exactly is crucial. Even if you have a strong case, failing to properly disclose expert witnesses or other evidence can result in losing your entire lawsuit. Workers considering legal action should ensure their attorneys understand and comply with all court deadlines and disclosure requirements, as these technical rules can make or break a case.