Tuesday, October 1, 2024

Ouch!

Check out what the state's expert witness is trying to charge for his services.  


40 comments:

Anonymous said...

Money well spent-

Anonymous said...

I guess you get what you pay for. It sounds like a lot, but a burger at Walkon's is $12.00 now. In looking at his boll I am reminded he has Destin Condo and BMW payments to make just like we do. You don't? That's funny, I don't either.

Oh well maybe we got into the wrong bidness....

Anonymous said...

Sounds reasonable. I have submitted many similar invoices to the State of Mississippi and they are always paid within 15 days. Some of us have time that is just worth more.

Anonymous said...

This doesn't shock the conscience at all since it included his preparation, attendance, and testimony at trial....

Anonymous said...

The guy doesn’t just show up from out of state wearing a necktie and carrying a briefcase — “Hey, thur, how y’all dewin’?” — and then climb on the witness stand. What does “expert witness” mean to a Mississippian, something slightly more than minimum wage?

Anonymous said...

This is standard for the industry. It doesn't shock me and is not inconsistent with amounts I paid to qualified experts in civil litigation.

Anonymous said...

Competence costs.

How much would a retrial cost?

Money well spent.

Anonymous said...

If this was for a defense expert for an indigent defendant, you all would be having a heart attack!

Anonymous said...

I believe $300.00 per hour for a psychiatrist who was retained to do what he did and testify is VERY reasonable.

The only line item I have a question about is him billing over 72 hours to complete an 85 page forensic report. That equates to a little over 1 hour per page (or $300 per page). I haven't seen his forensic report though, so what do I know. . .

The man did the work - pay him.

Anonymous said...

Next time try TaskMonkey and see how that turns out?

Anonymous said...

Pretty standard rates and cost for expert witness services. I don't get the "ouch."

Anonymous said...

Won't mean much to the great unwashed, but the average bill submitted by one of the usual shrinks at Whitfield runs about $10 large at the outside for similar testimony and reporting. So one understands why the court, the DA, and representatives of the county taxpayers who will be footing this bill are rightfully asking questions. $51k is probably a little eye-raising to the MDs at state hospital. I hope Dr Pickett isn't expecting to be appointed for court testimony anywhere in Mississippi in the near future.

Anonymous said...

What did Dr. Clark charge? Dr. Jason Pickett said he would give his honest opinion& it may not be what the prosecution or defense gree with, so that is that. Pay him.

golferinmississippi said...

Does this go into the court fees owed/paid by the defendant? I remember at the end of the trial, I heard them say she would pay fees but it was like $400ish dollars.

Anonymous said...

If and when the total is calculated for this whole tragedy - from the initial police response to the trial to the girl's total cost of incarceration and everything else, $50,000 will be a small fraction. If the doctor (only) did the things he was asked to do, did it competently, and is now accurately billing for it at the agreed rate, he is entitled to be paid. Not sure why anyone would suggest being paid under those circumstances is improper. I found all the rationalizing/justification in the cover letter a bit odd/unprofessional but that is a personal call about the submission of the invoice, not a comment about the professional services invoiced.

Anonymous said...

9:33 He is not from out of state. He resides in Tupelo. Please sit down before you embarrass yourself even further.

anonymous said...

This expert's hourly fee is well within the range. However if you look at his charges you see an enormous amount of time spent in discovery and written documentation. Maybe some padding there but if he did it and there is no reason to doubt the time then the bill, while high, is appropriate.

Anonymous said...

This fee is very reasonable in today’s market for any credible expert in any type of litigation. Ask any attorney what the going rate is for any qualified expert they have to hire. The expert has to become intimately familiar with the
litigation, do extensive research, issue a report to the court and be available to be deposed and testify under oath. The opposing counsel will aggressively attempt to disqualify the expert at every opportunity. It takes a special person to have the expertise to fully comprehend the matter, withstand the challenge to their credibility by opposing counsel and maintain their composure.

Bubba Bob said...

"I hope Dr Pickett isn't expecting to be appointed for court testimony anywhere in Mississippi in the near future."

I doubt he will starve without business from MS.

Anonymous said...

It's not just lawyers who know how to "run up the meter."

Anonymous said...

Next time use (Dr) Google AI.

Anonymous said...

As an expert in another field, the hourly rate charged was not out of bounds. The total looks a little fat, but preparing for expert testimony can be intensive, so I wouldn't argue that either. However, having watched his testimony, I am surprised that he was selected. Pickett has very limited experience and NO experience with children or juveniles. Had I been on this jury, I would have given his testimony very little weight. He also did something else that I thought was suspect: He gave an opinion on a patient (Kevin Gregg) who he had never examined, and that opinion ran counter to the opinion of a doctor that had actually examined the patient. That's some high-grade BS right there.

Not being an expert in his field, I can't say whether Pickett came to the correct conclusion regarding Carly Gregg, but, I can say that, if he did come to the correct conclusion, it was strictly by chance. It definitely wasn't due to his professional expertise, rigor, and ethics.

Anonymous said...

Heck, I had a Hot Water Heater installed for $1900.00 a month ago. Felt, I was ripped off. But I can take a bath now.

Anonymous said...

I do a lot of motion practice and appeals. When I look back over it, I usually average about an hour per page to write, and that's after doing the research and gathering and organizing the evidence.

The time reviewing discovery seems like a lot to me, but I'm in no position to question it. When the defense threw up an insanity defense, the State had to respond.

The State can afford to try criminal cases. The criminal justice system is not the place to cut corners.

Anonymous said...

Wonder if they will have to pay him again? New trial?

Anonymous said...

KF is just thinking he may have gone into the wrong line of work! Seriously, a psychiatrist is an MD + PhD. A lawyer is just one, JD. Two doctorates, double pay.

anonymous said...

all these rednecks drooling over paying this shrink a fee well into the 5 figures. these are the same people who will bitch, moan , cry , and complain when a attorney they hired bills for their time.
i got a fool proof way for you green teeth to get out of paying what you owe your attorney.......just don't pay him. dont worry he won't sue you for the fee cause 99% of you green teeth don't have any net worth and not one dollar of assets .

Anonymous said...

Incorrect. A psychiatrist is not necessarily a PhD. He or she is required to be an M.D. but not necessarily a PhD.

Anonymous said...

@1:37 okay, Bridget. 🤡 Dr. Pickett’s testimony was knowledgeable and informed. Forensic psychiatrists are trained to investigate and come to conclusions based on the information they are provided. The one page of physician notes given on Kevin were not enough to warrant as fact. And Dr. Pickett even said that— “provide me more information on his diagnoses and I’d be happy to consider it.”

Anonymous said...

I have no idea if Pickett is competent or not. But anyone upset with the bill (assuming it's accurate, time-wise) should not be upset with him, they should be upset with the DA's office. This whole case has been a shitshow, lawyer-wise.

Let's recap: a 14 year old shot her mother and her stepfather, basically on video and in any case, undisputed and uncontested. The only real question was what to do with her - there is no "innocent by reason of insanity." She wasn't going from the trial back to school if she had been found NGRI. It should not have taken 171 hours to determine her level of "sanity" and culpability insofar as those immediate actions, nor would it have taken file boxes of discovery to review. As but one example, I'll assume Pickett's assertion of the amount of discovery he was asked to review and assess is accurate because the DA's office would know if it were inaccurate. And that brings it back to the DA's office. So the question would be and is for the DA as to why it wanted such work done, not the person charging for the services he was asked to provide by it.

anonymous said...

6;49 is not a lawyer but he plays one on jackson jambalaya.............if found insane by the jury she would have been committed to the state mental hospital at whit field. you really should go home to your mother.

Anonymous said...

6:49, I would not want an attorney who does only as much work as he thinks is necessary to get by.

Usually, the other lawyers and the judges know who those people are, and they lack credibility.

Anonymous said...

"6;49 is not a lawyer..."

I call, and raise you an MD.

"..if found insane by the jury she would have been committed to the state mental hospital at whit field."

Is that your legal or medical opinion? Here's a hint - she would not have been found "insane" in a criminal trial - research it. As much as I am tempted, I'll leave things like "whit field" to others who wish to further respond to either the weakish trolling or honest stupidity...

And I'd love to go home to my mother, but, well, she died about 40 years after I got my MD and about 30 after my JD, so that's out.

Anonymous said...

Many years ago I considered majoring in Psychology. After looking at the potential job market, I decided where could I get a job and what could I earn
Today I would seriously say Hell Yea.

Anonymous said...

"Today I would seriously say Hell Yea."

The best time to do something was yesterday, the next best is today, but tomorrow is still in-play. You gotta be you, but regardless of age or current situation, dying on the path to "seriously" would seem to be better than dying never having tried.

Anonymous said...

That rate is a bargain. Lawyers charge that much and psychiatrists go to school much longer than lawyers.

anonymous said...

to 10;25 there are legions of MS's out there who never passed medical boards, and legions of JD's who never passed the bar. you talk like one of those types.

Anonymous said...

Yes there is, but in Mississippi it is called Guilty, But Restored. The jurors were given that as one of their verdict choices. So if that was what the jurors chose, she'd walk right out the courtroom doors.

Anonymous said...

Probably most of the "money well spent" comments here are from lawyers - who like Pickett MD take their sweet time with things while inflating the actual number of hours worked or even needed to "do the job". "Pad that check because you can" applies to a whole host of industries that are subsidized by insurance or government money. with little/no oversight. I'd bet that bill should be at least half of what it is, and same goes for most attorney's invoices.

anonymous said...

6:46....needs to read 4:09


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