PLAINTIFF'S BAR'S GO-TO DAMAGES EXPERT WITNESS JAILED FOR PERJURY
John B. Torkelsen, an expert witness heavily utilized by the Plaintiffs' securities bar over the past several years to "testify on such issues as damages allegedly suffered by plaintiffs' classes and the appropriate value of settlements reached in several class action cases around the country," entered into a plea agreement before the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Federal Court, in which he plead guilty to perjury, admitting that "he lied to numerous federal judges across the county who were presiding over securities class actions."
Boiled down, Torkelsen had told various courts that he was an independent expert, yet certain law firms that hired him did so on a contingent fee basis and then concealed the payment arrangement from the courts. According to a Department of Justice litigation release, in furtherance of the scheme, the firms would then "submit to courts requests for reimbursement of fees already paid to Torkelsen when, in fact, the fees had not been paid and would not be paid unless the court awarded fees to the law firms; cause Torkelsen to submit declarations in which he falsely stated under oath that he had been retained on a non-contingent basis when, in fact, he had been retained on a contingent basis; cause Torkelsen to write-off fees he had incurred in class actions in which the law firms did not obtain a successful result; and cause Torkelsen to submit inflated fee requests in other class actions, billing for work that Torkelsen did not actually perform, in order to allow Torkelsen to make up for fees he did not recover in unsuccessful class actions."
Dishonesty has no place in the courtroom. At the end of the day, plaintiffs and defendants alike, as well as their counsel, are well-served by removal of such elements.
A detailed discussion of this case can be found on the Department of Justice's website at www.usdoj.gov/usao/cac/pressroom/pr2008/020.html
