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Forensic Engineering Services

Forensic geotechnical engineering involves the investigation and determination of the likely cause(s) of unexpected performance of the underground portions of a project. It can also involve the assessment of the consequences of the unexpected performance and determination of workout options. It may consist of site investigations, field and laboratory testing, instrumentation and monitoring to document performance, engineering analyses and formulation of expert opinions.

Geocomp's forensic practice focuses on careful review of all relevant project documentation and formulation of potential hypotheses and data gap analysis from which to identify missing or needed important facts and data. We organize and manage supplemental investigations to obtain critical data and carry out analyses needed to develop and support the foundation of our opinions. We seek to build our opinions on solid evidence that can withstand the scrutiny of other geotechnical experts. We strive to present our work in ways that non-technical people can understand our conclusions and opinions.

Our focus can vary from working with the project team to find the best way out of a troubled geotechnical project, to assisting with dispute resolution, to providing expert testimony in legal proceedings. We have experience in workouts, mediations, arbitrations, and court proceedings in a wide variety of geotechnical issues related to design, construction, and operation.

Geocomp's staff members have experience in a variety of geo-failures such as landslides, foundation and retaining wall failures, underground pipeline distress, earthwork construction defects, dam failures, damages due to vibrations and differential settlement, earthquake induced damage, and sinkhole formation.

Members of our staff have given depositions and testified in state and federal courts.

Some projects examples include:

  • Geotechnical expert for defendant in a $12 million claim regarding Differing Site Conditions related to soft clay presented to a Dispute Review Board on Central Artery/Tunnel project in Boston
  • Geotechnical expert for contractor in multi-million dollar claims regarding Differing Site Conditions related to hard rock presented to Dispute Review Board on a tunnel project in California
  • Forensic engineering and expert testimony to Federal Court relative to failure of the IHNC flood control works in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina
  • Forensic engineering and expert testimony in State Court relative to failure of the spillways for Oroville Dam
  • Assessment of Standard of Care issues relative to design of a highway widening project in West Virginia
  • Forensic engineering and remedial design for major landslide on new highway project in West Virginia with testimony to Dispute Review Board on behalf of the contractor
  • Forensic engineering and expert testimony in mediation for $400 million claim related to Millennium Tower in San Francisco
  • Forensic engineering and expert testimony in mediation proceedings for $400 million claim related to dredging for new Doha airport on Qatar
  • Forensic engineering, remedial design, and expert testimony in court for $15 million claim on behalf of contractor
  • Geotechnical expert with deposition testimony for US Dept. of Justice in defense of a claim related to dam failures following heavy rains in South Carolina
  • Forensic engineering of differential movements of a $400 million residential building in Boston
  • Forensic engineering, Standard of Care Evaluation, and expert testimony regarding the causation of pipeline distress in Connecticut
  • Forensic engineering of salt cavern collapse and 20-acre sinkhole formation
  • Forensic engineering of the failure of a 240-foot tall, reinforced earth slope in West Virginia
  • Forensic engineering of the foundation failure and subsequent collapse of a 200K metric ton capacity storage dome
  • Evaluation of technical merits of Premises Liabilities associated with heaving soils
  • Forensic engineering and litigation support representing a global insurance company in a $160 million claim related to a sinkhole developing below an automotive manufacturing facility in Alabama