The High Court of American Samoa applies rules of evidence modeled on the federal rules, so expert testimony is examined for the witness's qualification, the reliability of the method, and its application to the facts of the case, with the details of the inquiry for counsel to confirm. A damages report meets that examination by stating each assumption and naming its source, including any mainland benchmark it borrows. AAEFE membership adds a curated damages literature, the academy's peer-reviewed journal, that a report's method can be measured against; it does not replace that inquiry, and it is not a certification.
State recognition: Recognized nationally; no state licensure applies. There is no state license for forensic economists to check, so counsel verify the credential with its issuer and review the economist's testimony record directly.
AAEFE membership carries no American Samoa recognition and needs none: the academy is a national association of economists, finance academics, and accountants who serve as experts, and membership signals participation in its journal and meetings rather than a tested qualification. Its value in a matter venued in American Samoa runs through the literature. When a discount rate approach, a valuation method, or a lost profits framework in a report can be traced to the academy's journal, the method has a published, criticized, and refined basis, and an opposing report that departs from that literature can be measured against it. Membership is confirmed with the academy directly, and the affiliations of the economist assigned to a matter venued in American Samoa are stated at engagement.
KW Economics economists apply nationally recognized methods while accounting for American Samoa's wage levels, venue, and damages rules.
Economic damages experts testify in American Samoa's courts, where qualification is decided case by case on education, method, and experience rather than on any single credential.
Highest court: High Court of American Samoa, Appellate Division.
American Samoa has no separate supreme court and no local U.S. district court; the High Court exercises limited federal jurisdiction, and other federal matters are generally heard in the U.S. District Courts for the District of Hawaii or the District of Columbia.
KW Economics provides forensic economists for American Samoa damages matters, including remote consultation, report preparation, and deposition or trial testimony where the case is venued. Contact us to discuss availability for your matter.
The High Court of American Samoa applies rules of evidence modeled on the federal rules, so expert testimony is examined for the witness's qualification, the reliability of the method, and its application to the facts of the case, with the details of the inquiry for counsel to confirm. A damages report meets that examination by stating each assumption and naming its source, including any mainland benchmark it borrows. Recognized nationally; no state licensure applies. There is no state license for forensic economists to check, so counsel verify the credential with its issuer and review the economist's testimony record directly.
Request a consultation on American Samoa damages matters or call (201) 343-0700. Plaintiff and defense counsel.