In business litigation, accurate machinery and equipment valuations supported by evidence and logic are crucial, particularly in cases involving complex shareholder disputes over machinery, equipment, or other business assets. Whether for partnership disputes or buyouts, equipment valuations are expected to provide information needed to determine fair financial outcomes. In many cases, however, machinery and equipment…Read More
Case Study: Equipment Appraisal without Evidence – A Reviewer’s Perspective for Attorneys
In a fire damage litigation case of vehicles and material handling equipment — including a number of specialized reach lift stackers — at a major port, I came on board to review an appraisal report entered into evidence by the insurance company of the firm deemed responsible for the fire. In this case, as in…Read More
Risk Management with Appraisal Review
ASA Newsroom recently interviewed me about “Managing Risk with Appraisal Review,” a topic I addressed in a recent article published in the ASA ARM E-Journal™. The interview touches on the critically important role appraisal review and expert rebuttal contributes to risk management and mitigation for many clients/users of appraisal services, including attorneys, bankers & lessors,…Read More
Appraisal Review Risks and Rewards
The American Society of Appraisers recently posted an excellent discussion of appraisal review practice by our ARM colleague Mark Penny, ASA, ARM-BV, BV-IA. Mark’s article is primarily for appraisers who perform review work or are interested in doing so. It’s also an interesting read for those who might need an appraisal review. Lawyers often need…Read More
Family Law & Litigation Q&A in Healdsburg, May 21, 2018
We’re hosting a Q&A about equipment appraisals for litigation and family law in Healdsburg on Monday, May 21, 2018. If you’re in the area, we hope you’ll join us. For more information or to register for the event, click here Please visit our Attorney Support page to learn more about our services for the legal community….Read More
6 Tips for Divorces with Equipment Appraisals
Divorce is never easy. If your divorce involves a business, it’s even more complex. We’ve worked with many attorneys and business owners to provide appraisals for divorces, some more amiable than others. One thing that all of these situations have in common is that by the time our appraisal firm is called in, the divorce…Read More
Wildland Fire Litigation Conference: A Report
Several years ago while serving as equipment appraisal expert witness for the Ophir Fire, I discovered the Wildland Fire Litigation Conference and put it on my appraisal bucket list. Just this year, my schedule finally allowed me to attend the conference. In the intervening years, I’ve done many equipment appraisals related to insurance loss claims,…Read More
The Financial Risks of Flawed Appraisals
A previous post introduced the five qualities of a credible appraisal, and in a perfect world, the equipment appraisal report you’re basing financial decisions on would always adequately address those USPAP-specified qualities. The fact is though, that in this imperfect world many equipment appraisal reports don’t meet the basic requirements of completeness, accuracy, adequacy, relevance,…Read More
When to Worry About the Accuracy of Your Appraisal
An appraisal review or expert rebuttal report is a good choice whenever you feel confused about the methodology used in an equipment appraisal report or uneasy about the qualifications of the equipment appraiser. This could be a report you originally contracted for – or it could be an equipment appraisal report you’ve received from another…Read More
The Difference Between an Appraisal and an Appraisal Review
When clients call our office asking for an equipment appraisal review, I’ve found it’s important to ask them the purpose of the appraisal review. That quickly opens up the discussion about what an equipment appraisal review is and is not. And believe me, not everyone understands the difference between an appraisal (a quantitative analysis) and…Read More
Use a Shared Expert for Appraising Equipment During a Divorce
A recent equipment appraisal asignment emphasized again the importance of using one shared appraiser for both parties in a marital dissolution – also known as a divorce. Just last week, a scheduled inspection for a manufacturing equipment appraisal had to be cancelled until further notice. A party in the divorce proceedings had taken a good look…Read More
USPAP: Not just for Litigation Appraisals
Litigation support, from an equipment appraiser’s point of view, often seems like a long discussion about what constitutes an adequate appraisal report –– and that inevitably includes explaining what USPAP is and why it’s important. Of course, the benefits of a USPAP report aren’t limited to litigation purposes: professional appraisal standards benefit everyone in every situation for…Read More