GILBERTSONInvestigations Inc. (239) 571-1840
False Arrest & Search · Probable-Cause Timing

What They Knew,
When They Knew It

$42M
Plaintiff settlements & judgmentsSecured by retaining counsel in matters since 2014 · See the case file

Direct line: (239) 571-1840  ·  GregoryGilbertson@proton.me

Attorney and law-firm inquiries only

Probable cause is not a label applied after the fact; it is a state of knowledge at a moment in time. The analysis goes back to that moment: the information actually in hand at the arrest, where it came from, and what accepted arrest procedure required.

From the Bench
U.S. District Court Western District of Washington

Never excluded. Professor Gilbertson’s testimony has not been excluded at trial in any state or federal court.

Ruling on a motion to exclude his testimony in Alvarez v. King County, No. C16-0721RAJ, 2017 WL 3189025 (W.D. Wash. July 27, 2017), Judge Richard A. Jones entered the following opinion.

“Mr. Gilbertson’s qualifications demonstrate extensive experience in policing. His expansive work as a police officer in Georgia, with assignments as a SWAT team officer, juvenile court investigator, school resource officer, stakeout squad officer, senior patrolman, and patrolman; then a career as a tenured college professor and university lecturer teaching criminal justice courses to degree-seeking students at colleges and universities, and as a licensed private investigator conducting felony pretrial investigations for attorneys in Washington State in dozens of criminal cases, makes him unique in the field of police expert witnesses. The Court finds that, based on his experience, Mr. Gilbertson’s testimony can be expected to have a reliable basis in knowledge and experience of police practices.”

The Hon. Richard A. Jones United States District Judge
The Scope

What this covers.

Within this engagement

  • Probable-cause-related police practices
  • What officers knew and when they knew it
  • Arrest procedures and warrantless arrests
  • Mistaken-identity arrests
  • Wrong-address arrests
How it is analyzed

Reports, dispatch records, witness statements and depositions, sequenced into a factual chronology of the arrest decision, then measured against agency policy and national arrest-procedure standards.

Engagement terms and the published fee schedule: For Retaining Counsel →

“Professor Gilbertson has twice served as my expert in search and seizure and false arrest cases. His analysis and opinions are always spot on.”
Darryl Parker, Attorney at Law · Seattle, WA
Questions

Before the record is sent.

Can timing really decide these cases?
Often it is the whole case: information that arrived after the cuffs cannot justify them. The chronology, built from the record, shows exactly what was known when.
What does retention cost?
A non-refundable $9,000 flat fee covering discovery review and the written expert report, with a bullet-point outline approved with counsel before writing begins. The full published schedule is on the For Counsel page.
Retain

Send the probable-cause timeline.

Attorney and law-firm inquiries only. Conflicts are checked before anything substantive, and you will hear about a conflict immediately.

Probable-cause inquiry

For counsel litigating what was known, and when.

Inquiry sent.

You will hear back directly. If the matter is urgent, call (239) 571-1840.

(239) 571-1840Direct line, Naples, Florida GregoryGilbertson@proton.meDirect email, prefilled for this matter.
Nationwide practiceRetained in 42 states and D.C. · Based in Naples, FL

Conflicts are checked before any substantive discussion. Please do not send privileged material with a first inquiry; after retention the record is exchanged on physical media. Gregory consults for attorneys and their staff only, and does not provide legal advice or attorney referrals to individuals.

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