Don’t Flip Out: When Using Exhibits at Trial, How Far Does the Plaintiff’s Expert Have to Go to Show Substantial Similarity?

Typically, how substantially similar a demonstrative exhibit must be to the original occurrence is a gray area. Recently, the Appellate Court in the case of Ackerman v. Yapp, 2020 IL App (1st) 182708, clarified that the demonstration or exhibit needs to be considerably similar, particularly if being demonstrated by an expert in front of a jury. […]