Approved by Extension Governing Board 9/22/08

It is Extension's position that it should be neutral in litigation among its clientele and therefore, Extension personnel should not serve as expert witnesses in Nevada. Additionally, providing expert witness service in Nevada is a conflict of interest for Extension employees (see Extension's Conflict of Interest Policy). If an Extension employee is contacted by an attorney and asked to be an expert witness in Nevada, the individual should respond by saying, "Extension policy states that employees cannot serve as expert witnesses."

For out-of-state expert witness service that does not impact Nevadans, the employee may testify on personal time by taking annual leave and with approval of the employee's supervisor and the Director of Extension (following Extension's Conflict of Interest Policy).

When a valid subpoena is served, compliance is required. If an employee receives, either through mail or personal service, a subpoena, summons, lawsuit, or other legal document related to their employment, they should follow the procedure outlined in University Administrative Manual, Section 37 and also notify their supervisor, Area Director and the Director of Extension. The preferred method of transmitting documents is by hand delivery or by fax. If necessary, the employee may scan the documents and send as an email attachment. However, the employee should refrain from discussing the details of the case in the body of the email. This is better handled by phone call. Email documents are considered part of the permanent record and are subject to release.

In some cases, an employee may be contacted by an attorney either by phone or by email. As soon as the employee becomes aware that the request relates to a legal matter, they should refer the individual to the University's Office of the General Counsel. The employee may answer basic questions or provide printed materials that are available to the public.

When giving testimony, the employee is advised to refrain from engaging in speculation or stating personal opinions.

Extension 2008, Extension Expert Witness Policy, Extension

If you need more information.

Please contact Extension's Communication Team for assistance.

 

Also of Interest:

 
Conceptual Models for Surface Water and Groundwater Interactions at Pond and Plug Restored Meadows.
The pond and plug meadow restoration method, used for incised meadows in the Sierra Nevada Range, takes available alluvium on site to dam the incised channel in several places. Groundwater storage gained from restoration may alter flow paths and surface water availability.
 Rodriguez, Karly, Sherman Swanson, Adam McMahon 2017, J. Soil and Water Conservation 72(4):382-394.
Long-term aquatic habitat restoration: Mahogany Creek, Nevada, as a Case Study
We compared the recovery from abusive grazing of aquatic habitat due to different range management on two geomorphically similar rangeland streams in northwest Nevada...
 Myers, T. J. and S. Swanson. 1996, Water Resources Bull., 32(2):241-252.
Temporal and Geomorphic Variations of Stream Stability and Morphology: Mahogany Creek, Nevada.
Detailed studies of long-term management impacts on rangeland streams are few because of the cost of obtaining detailed data replicated in time. This study uses government agency aquatic habitat, stream morphologic, and ocular stability data to assess land management impacts over...
 Myers, T. J. and S. Swanson. 1996, Water Resources Bull., 32(2):253-265.