South Dakota courts screen expert testimony for reliability: the trial judge asks whether the economist is qualified, whether the opinion rests on sufficient facts and reliable principles and methods, and whether those methods were reliably applied to the case. A damages report is written to that standard, with each data series named and each assumption tied to the record. The forensic economist qualification is what that inquiry examines: graduate training in economics, finance, or business, a published damages method applied to the record, and a record of reports and testimony.
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.
For a matter venued in South Dakota, counsel verify the qualification the same way in every venue, because no state licenses forensic economists and there is no South Dakota register to check. The elements are the economist's graduate training, the published method behind each component of the report, and the testimony record, and each can be examined directly: the CV, the report's stated sources, and the transcripts of prior depositions. In South Dakota, the same elements are what the court weighs when the opinion is challenged, so a report that ties every input to the record and names its data sources answers the qualification question before it is asked.
KW Economics economists apply nationally recognized methods while accounting for South Dakota's wage levels, venue, and damages rules.
Economic damages experts testify in South Dakota's courts, where qualification is decided case by case on education, method, and experience rather than on any single credential.
Highest court: South Dakota Supreme Court. Federal venues: D.S.D. Court system: ujs.sd.gov.
KW Economics provides forensic economists for South Dakota 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.
South Dakota courts screen expert testimony for reliability: the trial judge asks whether the economist is qualified, whether the opinion rests on sufficient facts and reliable principles and methods, and whether those methods were reliably applied to the case. A damages report is written to that standard, with each data series named and each assumption tied to the record. 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 South Dakota damages matters or call (201) 343-0700. Plaintiff and defense counsel.