Steven Kushnick PE is a Professional Engineer with over twenty-five years of experience in the field of turbomachinery. He worked for Pratt & Whitney in Mechanical Design for nine years, and has been consulting to the turbomachinery and reciprocating equipment industry since 1989.
Background
Q: Please list your professional accreditations, degrees, licenses, and certificates granted:A: B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Boston University, 1980, Cum Laude
Licensed Professional Engineer:
California M28670
Florida 35560
Georgia 23625
Massachusetts 35315
Washington 37219
Two patents in the field of turbine engines
Q: Please list your affiliations or memberships in any professional and/or industry organizations:
A: ASME: American Society of Mechanical Engineering
ASM: American Society for Metals International
SAE: Society of Automotive Engineers
NSPE: National Society of Professional Engineers
Q: Please list any teaching or speaking experience you have had, including subject matter:
A: Presentations to a Turbine Users Association:
1996 "Gas Turbine Firing Temperature Optimization for Maximum Net Revenue"
1998 "Data Analysis: Troubleshooting Turbines and Compressors"
1999 "Hardware Assessment and Failure Analysis, Broken Hardware Tells a Story"
2002 "Engineering" (Open forum to answer questions regarding mechanical design, metallurgy, upgrades, performance, and failure analysis with respect to turbomachinery)
2003 "Hot Section Life, Base Load, Peak Load, and with Inlet Chilling"
Q: Have any of your accreditations ever been investigated, suspended or removed? (if yes, explain)
A: None
Q: On how many occasions have you been retained as an expert?
A: Ten times; seven for Plaintiff, three for Defendant
Q: For what area(s) of expertise have you been retained as an expert?
A: Turbine Engine Mechanical Design and Durability: Merchantability and suitability
Mechanical Engineering and Failure Analysis: Electrical generator component cracking
Turbine Engine Mechanical Engineering: Patent rights dispute
Turbine Engine Performance and Mechanical Design: Merchantability and suitability, including performance, hardware life, thermodynamics, heat transfer
Turbine Engine Aftermarket Hardware Assessment: airworthiness of aftermarket hardware
Turbine Engine Mechanical Design: Assess due diligence in the case of a turbine design change
Compressor Failure Analysis: Determine cause for an LNG compressor failure and the engineering that led to that failure
Patent Dispute: Determined the similarities and differences between two combustion systems for a turbine engine.
Diesel Engine Design: Identified deficiencies in over-the-road truck engines that failed frequently.
Combustion Turbine Failure Analysis: Identified root cause of failure and operational errors in a large lasnd-based turbine engine burning heavy fuel oil at an electrical combined cycle plant.
Q: In what percentage of your cases were you retained by the plaintiff?
A: 70%
Q: In what percentage of your cases were you retained by the defendant?
A: 30%
Q: On how many occasions have you had your deposition taken?
A: 7
Q: When was the last time you had your deposition taken?
A: November 2004
Q: On how many occasions have you been qualified by a court to give expert testimony?
A: 10
Q: On how many occasions have you testified as an expert in court or before an arbitrator?
A: 3
Q: For how many years have you worked with the legal industry as an expert?
A: 11
Q: What services do you offer? (E.g.: consulting, testing, reports, site inspections etc.)
A: Consulting, mechanical engineering design and analysis, failure analysis, metallurgical analysis, engineering reports, site inspection, hardware assessment, expert reports, expert consulting, hardware assessment
Q: What is your hourly rate to consult with an attorney?
A: (Call for rate)
Q: What is your hourly rate to review documents?
A: (Call for rate)
Q: What is your hourly rate to provide deposition testimony?
A: (Call for rate)
Q: What is your hourly rate to provide testimony at trial?
A: (Call for rate)
Q: Please list any fees other than those stated above (E.g.: travel expenses, copy fees, etc.)
A: travel expenses at cost; copy and reproduction services, and purchased materials at cost-plus-ten percent
References
Greg CliftClouse Dunn & Hirsch LLP
2200 Ross Avenue, Ste 4900 W
Dallas, Texas 75201-2790
214 220 3888
greg@edhlaw.com
Laura McLane
McDermott Will & Emery
28 State Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02109-1775
617 535 4410
lmclane@mwe.com
Brannon Buck
Maynard Cooper & Gale
1901 Sixth Avenue North, Suite 2400
Birmingham, Alabama 35203-2602
205 254 1210
bbuck@mcglaw.com
Cathy Altman
Carrington Coleman, Sloman & Blumenthal, LLP
200 Crescent Court, Suite 1500
Dallas, Texas 75201
214 855 3083
CAltman@CCSB.com
