TX STATETexas Court of Appeals, 13th District
2006

Formosa Plastics Corp., USA v. Kajima International, Inc.

216 S.W.3d 436Texas Court of Appeals, 13th District • Decided 2006Enforced
Change OrderCited 52 times

HOLDING

Kajima, a construction contractor, hired expert witness Hutchison to testify in a dispute with Formosa Plastics over a plant expansion project. Formosa tried to disqualify Hutchison because a colleague had previously worked with Formosa, claiming a conflict of interest. The Texas Court of Appeals ruled that Formosa failed to prove Hutchison actually received confidential information or that a confidential relationship existed, so Hutchison was allowed to testify. This protects your right to use qualified experts even if their firm has worked with the opposing party.

KEY FINDINGS

Change Order

A company cannot automatically disqualify an expert witness just because their firm previously worked with the opposing party—they must prove actual confidential information was shared.

FULL COURT OPINION