Barr Group's experts help lawyers investigate malfunctions in electronics and software for product liability cases, including related to malfunctions of electronic automotive systems and medical devices. All of our experts have hands-on experience designing electronic systems using their skills in computer science, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering. Barr Group experts include professors and PhDs as well as others with demonstrated success testifying before judges and juries.
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Liability for Software Defects
We live in an age of "smart products" with software powering our cars and medical devices and even financial systems. This software enables cloud computing and Internet of Things (IoT) devices, self-driving vehicles and robotics, smart grids/roads/cities, and much more. Unfortunately, software does not always work reliably and software defects can cause substantial physical or financial harm.
When an electronic system malfunctions, forensic analysis and a thorough review of the design of the electronics and software can be useful to identify the root cause of the mishap. Barr Group's consulting and testifying expert witnesses routinely assist plaintiffs and defendants in personal injury torts and other litigation relating to software failures and defects.
Barr Group's experience with class actions is extensive and includes source code analysis and testimony in the runaway Toyota economic loss and personal injury cases as well as in suits relating to excess VW diesel emissions, faulty MyFord Touch subsystems, and deadly GM ignition switches.
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Product Liability Expert Services
Barr Group's software experts support plaintiffs and defendants in product liability lawsuits in U.S. District Court as well as state and local courts. Our expert witness services include:
- Forensic product testing and (meta-)data recovery
- Technical assistance with drafting of discovery requests
- Software source code review and analysis
- Analysis of electronics and related design documents
- Root cause analysis for computer system failures
- Safety and security audits of processes and designs
- Review of applicable professional and safety standards
- Reverse engineering, including disassembly of binary code
- Expert reports, declarations, and witness statements
- Testimony at deposition, oral hearings, and trials
Barr Group has a demonstrated ability to quickly activate one or more code reviewers to match the size, scope, and complexity of any project.
Case Study: Runaway Toyotas
In support of automotive product liability lawsuits and a class action against Toyota, a team of Barr Group automotive software experts performed an extensive source code review of the engine control unit software for seven Toyota and Lexus models spanning the 2002 to 2010 model years. In analyzing these millions of lines of automotive software source code, the Barr Group team built upon a prior NASA review and concluded they'd found what NASA's engineers sought: “a systematic software malfunction in the Main CPU."