Jury instructions regarding expert witnesses in Delaware are outlined in Delaware’s Civil Pattern Jury Instructions, § 23.10 and § 23.11. DEL. CIVIL PATTERN JURY INSTR. § 23.10 (1998). This rule instructs the jury that experts have a “special skill or knowledge” that makes their knowledge base greater than that of the “average person” based on their “special study or experience.” Id. Thus, when determining how much weight to give an expert’s testimony, the jury should consider the “expert’s qualifications, the reasons for the expert’s opinions, and the reliability of the information supporting the expert’s opinions.” Id. The jury should also use the factors provided by the court for weighing the testimony of all witnesses. Id. The jury should give expert testimony the weight it feels it deserves in light of all of the evidence presented in a case. Id. Additionally, for the jury to rely on a fact testified to in an expert’s opinion, the fact must be based on “reasonable probabilities, not just possibilities.” Id.
Expert Witness Sample Jury Instructions in Delaware
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