Mr. Leonard Backer
North Miami Beach, FL 33160
We have specialized expertise in all areas of the Furniture, Seating and Table Industries. Our firm's services encompass Expert Witness work, Litigation and/or Strategic Consulting for a wide variety of clients on a nationwide basis. Determining Commercial Use versus Residential Use furniture. Site visits, expert reports and strong credibility at depositions and in court. We can add substantial value to any firm's litigation efforts and have had extensive experience over many years working for either Plaintiffs or Defense. Specialized expertise with all types of commercial seating and table construction, engineering, manufacturing and performance testing. Critical insight and experience with litigation involving Personal Injury, Product Defects and Premises Liability related to Seating, Tables and various other Furniture products. Specialized expertise with hotel, restaurant, cruise ship, casino, timeshare resort, retail store and senior living incidents. Freight damage, shipping, warranty and customer service issues.
- Bars/Lounges/Night Clubs
- Business
- Casino & Gaming Industry
- Consumer Products
- Contract Manufacturing
- Cruise Lines
- Ergonomics
- Failure Analysis
- Hotel & Hospitality
- Import/Export
- Marketing
- Personal Injury
- Premises Liability
- Products Liability
- Restaurants
- Retail Store Design & Operations
- Q: Please list your affiliations or memberships in any professional and/or industry organizations:
- A: Previous associate member of Business and Institutional Manufacturers Association (BIFMA). Previous associate member of the National Restaurant Association. Previous member of Institute of Business Designers (IBD).
- Q: Please list any teaching or speaking experience you have had, including subject matter:
- A: "Furniture Manufacturing and its Impact on the Environment" - Institute of Business Designers, New York City. Panelist and Speaker at Various Furniture Industry National and Regional Shows. "How to Make Better Furniture Presentations to Interior Designers". "Better Organizing Large Furniture and Custom Project Quotes". Interviewed many times by nationally recognized furniture publications.
- Q: Have any of your accreditations ever been investigated, suspended or removed? (if yes, explain)
- A: No
- Q: On how many occasions have you been retained as an expert?
- A: Retained in 145 cases over the past 12 years.
- Q: For what area(s) of expertise have you been retained as an expert?
- A: Personal Injury, Breach of Fiduciary Duty, Product Liability, Defective Furniture Design, Premises Liability, Negligence, Product Field Performance Issues, Furniture Freight Damage, Table Design Defect, Furniture Tip overs, Restaurant Seating, Hotel Seating, Retail Store Aisle Display Seating and Tables, Wood Chair Design, Hotel Seating, Casino Seating
- Q: In what percentage of your cases were you retained by the plaintiff?
- A: 75 percent
- Q: In what percentage of your cases were you retained by the defendant?
- A: 25 percent
- Q: On how many occasions have you had your deposition taken?
- A: 32 times
- Q: When was the last time you had your deposition taken?
- A: October 2022
- Q: On how many occasions have you been qualified by a court to give expert testimony?
- A: 65
- Q: On how many occasions have you testified as an expert in court or before an arbitrator?
- A: Four times
- Q: For how many years have you worked with the legal industry as an expert?
- A: Past 12 years as an independent expert witness and litigation consulting firm. Previously worked with attorneys and insurance companies for 15 years as "in-house expert" coordinating defense strategies for various legal actions filed against our large nationally known furniture manufacturing firm.
- Q: What services do you offer? (E.g.: consulting, testing, reports, site inspections etc.)
- A: Consulting, Expert Reports, Site Inspections, Detailed Product Reviews, Accident Causation Analysis Involving Furniture
- Q: What is your hourly rate to consult with an attorney?
- A: $375 per hour
- Q: What is your hourly rate to review documents?
- A: $375 per hour
- Q: What is your hourly rate to provide deposition testimony?
- A: $450 per hour
- Q: What is your hourly rate to provide testimony at trial?
- A: $450 per hour
- Q: Please list any fees other than those stated above (E.g.: travel expenses, copy fees, etc.)
- A: Travel time, portal to portal billed at $150 per hour. Out of pocket travel expenses, copying, air freight, etc... billed at net actual cost.
Richard Retamar
Retamar & Millian, P.A.
823 East Hillsboro Blvd.
Deerfield Beach, FL 33441
(561) 391-2373
retamar@retamarmillian.com
Joseph Napoli
Napoli Shkolnick
917 922-1595
jnapoli@napolilaw.com