Admissibility of Expert Witness Testimony and Reliability of Methodology On April 24, 2023, the Supreme Court of the United States approved two amendments to Rule 702. The language of these amendments was modified slightly from the language of the proposed amendments approved by federal judiciary’s Advisory Committee on Evidence Rules. This article discusses the amendments and how the changes will impact th ...

Consideration of Adultery in a No-Fault State and Elimination of Permanent Alimony (effective in Florida as of July 01, 2023) Florida has eliminated permanent alimony. This article discusses this change in the law, including the new alimony structure, consideration, burden of proof, and fact that the court now is allowed to consider adultery in determination of support. More than 200 laws passed in the rece ...

The Vital Role of Seamless Internal Communications When occupational fraud occurs within an organization, it is not a surprise that the root cause of the fraud was due to deficient internal controls. However, what does “internal controls” mean to all parties involved at an organization? Accountants should know what “internal controls” are, but does this concept resonate with the personnel within the sales o ...

Theory to Practice VPS StraightTalk Webinar, June 15, 2023 This article summarizes key takeaways from the June 15, 2023, VPS StraightTalk Webinar presentation co-led by R. James Alerding, CPA, ABV and Carli D. Lehr, CPA, CVA, CSEP. The speakers discussed how to differentiate between a projection and forecast, the importance of developing a reliable cash flow or projection evaluation of specific risk to the ...

An Interview with Zain Kalson, founder of Etheia As part of a broader dialogue around business valuations in the context of divorce, this article features an interview conducted by Andrew Thompson, Esq., with Zain Kalson, the founder of Etheia. The article discusses trends regarding how advanced data analytics are helping attorneys and experts sort through hidden assets, analyze expenses, and improve outcom ...

Currency Investment Scams Step aside e-mail compromises and romance scams. Make way for the crypto investment scam, the newest in an ever-changing sea of schemes and scams available on the World Wide Web to minimize your life savings in as little as a few weeks. This article is a refresher for traditional indicators beyond the “too good to be true” mantra and will detail the slight modifications occurring w ...

An Unimpeachable Cure for Delusive Exactness This 15th article of the unimpeachable neutrality series discusses the pathology, symptoms, and treatment for a bad case of delusive exactness. Delusive exactness affects thousands of financial experts every day and can be fatal to a case if left untreated. On balance, delusive exactness, as described herein, refers to the testimonial delirium exhibited by a fina ...

A Primer for Business Valuation, Forensic, and Litigation Support Professionals This is the first article in a series related to the cryptocurrency valuation and litigation. This is an emerging area of practice. In this first article, the author explains what is a blockchain and the purposes blockchains serve. Cryptocurrency litigation in the past decade has appeared in various dispute types: Matrimonial di ...

Business Revolution, Ethical Implications, Strategies for Business, and the Path Forward In this article, the authors examine the fine line between the unparalleled benefits of AI and its potential pitfalls. The authors advocate for a future where humans and AI work together harmoniously, driving innovation, productivity, and long-term success in an increasingly competitive global landscape. As professional ...

Avoiding Speculation The author of this article, Dr. Kreuter, recently testified in a jury trial in New York State Supreme Court. The case was heard in April 2023. In the case, Kela Tennis, Inc. (“Kela”) sued the City of Mt. Vernon (“Mt. Vernon” or “the City”). On behalf of Kela, Dr. Kreuter calculated the economic damages in connection with the City’s breach of contract with Kela. The City had wrongfully d ...

A Review of the Basics for Lost Profits (Part V) This is the fifth article in a series reviewing the basics for lost profits. When calculating lost profits, some assignments will show results with future lost profits. The future lost profits must be discounted to a present value. This article will review issues relating to discounting future lost profits to their present value. The topics discussed will be ...

Relief for the Tenant? Grief for the Landlord? With an anticipated increase in brick-and-mortar retailer bankruptcies, landlords may find themselves with little control over the future of their leases with bankrupt retailers. The Bankruptcy Code was designed to provide a “fresh start” to debtors whose balance sheet was weighed down by too many obligations, too little income, or insufficient cash flow. A deb ...

A Synopsis of Valuation Brief 1 “Understanding the Differences: Conclusion of Value vs. Value Calculations” Valuation Brief 1, “Understanding the Differences: Conclusion of Value vs. Value Calculations” attempts to unpack the differences between that which is a conclusion of value and that which is not. In this 14th article of the unimpeachable neutrality series, the author provides a synopsis of the key ta ...

A Review of the Basics for Lost Profits (Part IV) This is the fourth article in a series reviewing the basics for lost profits. Important in any assignment for calculating lost profits is understanding standards set by the courts. The three standards that courts use in assessing lost profit calculations are foreseeability, proximate cause, and reasonable certainty. In this segment, these court standards for ...

New Year, Neutrality It is incumbent upon those who attempt to become or remain as “thought leaders” to sometimes put some thought into what is written. This said, this 13th article of the Unimpeachable Neutrality Series will cover some of the basics of what exactly “unimpeachable neutrality” is and how it is just as valuable and necessary in 2023. I received a phone call from a distressed member the other ...

Navigating the Data While cryptocurrency has become more common, it has not lost its volatility. This article focuses on the risks of the rapidly growing cryptocurrency marketplace and what tools and capabilities are needed to protect companies from future crises that may emerge. Introduction Fortune favors the brave. That is what many have come to believe as cryptocurrency has soared into mainstream consci ...

Survey Evidence in Food and Beverage False Labeling Class Actions With false labeling class actions on the rise, rigorously designed surveys can provide contextual clues needed to explain how the “reasonable consumer” makes purchasing decisions. The authors of the article discuss the importance of surveys to establish a basis for causation and damages, and several legal decisions on the very issue. With fal ...

FTC Proposes Rule to Ban Non-Competes On January 5, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that, if adopted, would functionally serve as a complete ban on non-compete clauses and contractual provisions or employment policies that have a similar effect with limited exception. The 60-day comment period runs through March 7, 2023. On January 5, 2023, the Federal ...

Their Changing Roles and Responsibilities The Frye and Daubert decisions shook the legal world and the standards enunciated also shook the valuation world. In this article, the author shares some recent Maryland developments and surmises that there may be more changes coming that will affect the role of lawyers, judges and experts. In my 30 years as a Judge on three different Maryland Trial Courts and the l ...

An Additional Consideration for Business Valuation and Forensic Accountants When Valuing a Company The Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), 740 Ill. Comp. Stat. 14/1 et seq., is not just for Google and Facebook. While the technology giants have been sued for allegedly violating BIPA, so too have countless other companies. In the last few years, plaintiffs have sued hundreds, if not thousands, of compan ...