Services
Forensic Evaluations
Dr. Mechanic conducts trauma-focused forensic evaluations in criminal and civil cases in which alleged trauma is at issue:
Criminal cases have focused on the following and involve evaluation of potential defenses (e.g., self-defense, duress/coercion, necessity and/or mitigation at sentencing, clemency, parole, or other post-conviction actions):
- Battered women charged with crimes of omission (e.g., failure to protect their child from death or harm, engaging in illegal acts at under duress) and commission (e.g., assault, murder, attempted murder, DUI, while fleeing violence, fraud);
- Individuals charged with violent crimes against an abusive family member;
- Individuals charged with crimes for whom prior trauma of any sort is relevant to their actions (e.g., combat survivor charged with assaultive violence, PTSD flashbacks resulting in potentially unlawful actions, sexually assaulted individuals engaging in assaultive violence against the person who sexually assaulted them.
Civil cases have focused primarily on damages in the context of a traumatic incident that resulted, whether from negligence, accident, or malicious intent, whether retained by plaintiff’s counsel or defense counsel. Sample types of cases include:
- Harm from any type of industrial, residential, motor vehicle or other accidents such as on ships, planes, etc.;
- Harm as a result of sexual assault, in the context of Title IX matters in schools, colleges or university; against incarcerated individuals; or sexual victimization acts committed by medical, mental health, or other professional care providers against their clients;
- Harm as a result of any form of interpersonal abuse, violence, victimization.
Educational Testimony
Dr. Mechanic provides educational testimony based solely on the scientific literature and most often is offered in prosecutions of crimes involving interpersonal violence where evidence of counterintuitive victim behavior is helpful to disabuse fact-finders about myths and misinformation that might otherwise lead them to summarily discount a victim’s account when it fails to comport with pre-existing beliefs about how “real victims” respond or ought to respond to acts of interpersonal violence. Dr. Mechanic’s testimony in these cases underscores the neurobiology of trauma, emphasizing the automaticity and survival-based nature of acute responses to trauma, including the myriad ways in which memory and disclosures are shaped by brain-based processing of traumatic events, the interpersonal context in which disclosures occur, and other ‘unexpected’ ways in which individuals respond to trauma, particularly acts of interpersonal trauma committed by known offenders.
Dr. Mechanic’s educational testimony relies on extensive extant social science research pertaining to post- and peri-traumatic responses to interpersonal violence, including failures to label an act of interpersonal violence as a crime, delayed reporting to law enforcement, absence of aggressive resistance to a sexual assault, failure to summon others for help when they were nearby, having continued contact post-sexual assault with the offender, etc. Given the prevalence of alcohol-facilitated sexual assault, Dr. Mechanic also regularly testifies about the impact of alcohol on memory, the differences between blacking out and passing out, risks to memory contamination and suggestibility, and the effects of alcohol on victim resistance and injury.
Dr. Mechanic’s testimony addresses variability in victim responses based on differences in the victim offender relationship, based on known offender status. Research demonstrates that victim responses to assaults perpetrated by known offenders (e.g., dates, acquaintances, co-workers, bosses, friends, romantic partners, spouses) v. those perpetrated by strangers vary in terms of their characteristics and victim responses. Dr. Mechanic’s testimony also addresses individual differences in victimization responses based on victim gender, race/ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation, prior trauma history, etc.
The second type of testimony provided by Dr. Mechanic is forensic in nature, detailing the results of a forensic evaluation she conducted in a civil, criminal, or family law matter. She has extensive experience working in cases involving battered women charged with crimes or other types of criminal cases involving defendant’s for whom proximal or distal traumatic event history is relevant to the charges against them (e.g., veterans, child abuse victims, active-duty military, and others with extensive trauma histories). In the civil realm, she has worked on a variety of trauma-focused cases, including, but not limited to Title IX claims against schools or universities for failure to protect individuals from sexual assault, as well as cases against other private and governmental institutions (e.g., prisons, psychiatric hospitals, police departments, etc.) for failing to protect their charges from being sexual assaulted in contexts in which institutions had a duty of care. In these cases, Dr. Mechanic evaluated plaintiffs claiming emotional injury. She has also evaluated defense claims in these types of personal injury litigation. Apart from civil personal injury claims for interpersonal violence, Dr. Mechanic has also worked on civil claims for damages arising out of accidents and has testified in appeals of denial of civil protective orders in intimate partner violence cases.
Dr. Mechanic has also evaluated individuals in the context of family law litigation, including evaluating issues of undue influence on execution of a prenuptial agreement and other marital contracts, and provided consultation/testimony regarding the impact of intimate partner abuse/violence on IPV-exposed children, and the dynamics of IPV and coercive control post-separation.
Forensic Testimony
The second type of testimony provided by Dr. Mechanic is forensic in nature, detailing the results of a forensic evaluation she conducted in a civil, criminal, or family law matter. She has extensive experience working in cases involving battered women charged with crimes or other types of criminal cases involving defendant’s for whom proximal or distal traumatic event history is relevant to the charges against them (e.g., veterans, child abuse victims, active-duty military, and others with extensive trauma histories). In the civil realm, she has worked on a variety of trauma-focused cases, including, but not limited to Title IX claims against schools or universities for failure to protect individuals from sexual assault, as well as cases against other private and governmental institutions (e.g., prisons, psychiatric hospitals, police departments, etc.) for failing to protect their charges from being sexual assaulted in contexts in which institutions had a duty of care. In these cases, Dr. Mechanic evaluated plaintiffs claiming emotional injury. She has also evaluated defense claims in these types of personal injury litigation. Apart from civil personal injury claims for interpersonal violence, Dr. Mechanic has also worked on civil claims for damages arising out of accidents and has testified in appeals of denial of civil protective orders in intimate partner violence cases.
Dr. Mechanic has also evaluated individuals in the context of family law litigation, including evaluating issues of undue influence on execution of a prenuptial agreement and other marital contracts, and provided consultation/testimony regarding the impact of intimate partner abuse/violence on IPV-exposed children, and the dynamics of IPV and coercive control post-separation.
Education & Media
Dr. Mechanic has provided numerous invited trainings for professional audiences included military and civilian prosecutors, criminal defense attorneys, mental health professional, family and juvenile court personnel. She is available to provide training on myriad topics in the realm of her expertise on trauma and victimization.
Dr. Mechanic has provided approximately 90 media interviews to journalists from print media, online blogs, radio, television, documentary film, and podcasts on topics related to trauma, interpersonal victimization, PTSD, vicarious trauma, and more. She is available and open to speaking with journalists on any trauma or victimization-related topic, whether focused on a case in the media, a current news story, or a more in-depth topical analysis of a trauma-focused topic.