Human resources "expert" testimony in employment litigation

Abstract

This article examines the admissibility in employment lawsuits of expert testimony in the human resources field. As there are no specific training or educational requirements for human resource professionals, no established "standards of practice" in human resources, and many human resources decisions are based on judgment, experience and intuition rather than scientific inquiry, this is a field that is poorly suited to expert testimony. Courts should continue to look with skepticism at this kind of testimony so that juries will not be misled by witnesses with impressive credentials but little to add in the form of true expertise.