court expert witness appraisal testimony litigation depositions

William M. Novotny, ISA AM
Personal Property Appraiser

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Expert Witness Testimony--Deposition--Trial--Litigation Support

Since 1997 William Novotny has been retained for litigation support, as a designated expert witness and appraiser of antiques and personal property, for at least thirty appraisal assignments. In each of these assignments he provided oral or written appraisal reports. He provided expert valuation testimony regarding antiques, personal property and household goods and many types of tangible objects at trial or deposition yearly between 2004 and 2008. Frequently his personal property appraisal assignments had multiple plaintiffs.

Court proceedings are challenging, typically adversarial and combative, and designed to get at the truth. Expert witnesses frequently disagree. Appraisal qualifications, opinions, evidence and methods are questioned. The most qualified and experienced witnesses that present the most persuasive and factually based opinions will prevail in most cases.

Novotny has been exposed to the demands of deposition and trial testimony and has consistently demonstrated professional performance. He embraces the challenges of the courtroom and litigation support appraisals. He seeks and reports the truth based on demonstrable facts and proper appraisal methodology. He does not advocate. He remains independent, objective and impartial.

An appraiser's opinions and conclusions can be very credible and persuasive when based on facts that are meaningfully and carefully communicated. Novotny has confidence in and embraces his appraisal assignment results. He can effectively defend his appraisal conclusions based upon his work file support and his extensive personal property market knowledge and experience.

While providing expert witness testimony Novotny is mindful to:

Define the appraisal problem and present a credible solution based on the facts of the case
- Demonstrate he followed the standard of care of typical practice
- Give his own opinion based on the facts of the case
- Demonstrate mastery of the technical aspects of the appraisal
- Establish and maintain credibility
Present a professional appearance and demeanor
Remain calm and maintain composure
Consider the question posed carefully
Provide a simple, direct, supportable answer to the question asked
Use clear, plain and non-technical language
Tell the truth always
Not advocate or push a client's interests

Novotny is competent to appraise many types of appreciating and depreciating personal property.
Based on 30 years of market experience as an antique dealer (1979-1999), estate sale agent (1989-2009) and appraiser (since 1993), he is familiar with most personal property and household goods, including rare antiques, art objects and ordinary residential contents.

As a generalist antique and personal property appraiser Novotny has knowledge and experience with many types of objects such as furniture, decorative and fine art objects, rugs, textiles, glass, ceramics, metal and wood objects and collectibles, etc. He is very familiar with common household objects of utilitarian value such as appliances, kitchenware, clothing, ordinary furnishings, electronics and the contents of the garage such as tools and sporting goods. He has studied, collected, dealt in and appraised Asian and Native American objects. Novotny is not a specialist, but has considerable knowledge in many specialized areas as a generalist. Learn more about the property types appraised by Novotny.

When Novotny lacks some necessary knowledge or experience he will disclose this fact to the client and remediate the problem, usually through consultation with a specialist with the requisite knowledge and experience. He may decline to value certain types of personal property. Novotny will not accept an appraisal assignment, or appraise a specific personal property object, unless he is competent and able to conclude the valuation credibly.

Appraisals without the possibility of inspection
Novotny specializes in loss claims in which the property cannot be inspected. In 2008 he published an article in the Journal of Advanced Appraisal Studies entitled: Equivalent Sampling: Valuation of Loss Claims with Limited Property Descriptions. His article explains the theoretical issues that underly the valuation problem, the methods and techniques that frequently solve the valuation problem and the USPAP requirements that must be met in the appraisal process. Novotny's appraisal techniques provide consistent and repeatable appraisal results for properties identified only by plaintiffs written words, deposition statements, discovery documents, and, when possible, by photographs.

Novotny considers all appraisal questions and assertions, relevant to value, with open mindedness and skepticism. He gathers the relevant facts and necessary market data to support his valuations, analyses and conclusions.

See Novotny's Curriculum Vitae/Professional Profile to find out more about his qualifications. Visit his Home Page for general information regarding Novotny's Appraisal Services or About Us for general information regarding his valuation experience and background. For cases in which the personal property can no longer be inspected, please visit the Distant/Online Appraisal page on this website for more information. Contact Novotny now to discuss your litigation support and expert witness antique and personal property appraisal needs.