MICHAEL PANISH
Legal Expert Witness
CABINETRY, FURNITURE
&
ARCHITECTURAL MILLWORK
OVER 35 YEARS EXPERIENCE AS
CABINETRY & FURNITURE MANUFACTURER & INSTALLER
EXTENSIVE HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE & FIELD KNOWLEDGE
Cabinets & Counter Tops
Architectural Millwork
Casework, Furniture
Carpentry, Woodworking
Wood Finishes, Refinishing
Book Cases, Glass Display Cases
Cabinet Doors, Cabinet Components
Plastic Laminated, Steel & Metal
Laminated Finishes, Delamination Issues
Design - Fabrication - Installation
Proper Application for Product
Architectural Component Failures
Design evaluation of Manufactured Products
Chairs, Furniture, Ergonomic & ADA
Personal Injury from Defective Installation
Poor Installation, Defective Workmanship
Insurance Claims - Cost Estimates
Personal Injury - Wrongful Death
Premises Liability - Defects
Residential - Commercial - Medical
Themed Attractions - Restaurants - Airports
Government Facilities - Jails - Courthouses
PLAINTIFF & DEFENSE CASES
Mike Panish is an expert witness in the field of cabinetry, carpentry, architectural millwork, casework, and furniture. Mike is a highly experienced and gifted cabinet and furniture maker. He is an experienced designer, manufacturer and installer of quality custom cabinetry, furniture, and millwork. His skills as a cabinet maker, furniture maker, carpenter, craftsman, woodworker, and wood finisher qualify him to critique and troubleshoot defects in materials, application, and installation issues. Mr. Panish is an expert witness and consultant on various types of cabinetry and millwork cases. He has testified and consulted on many cases involving defective casework leading to personal injury, millwork and architectural component failures, durability, and usage of appropriate product. His involvement as designated cabinetry expert witness for personal injury cases from cabinetry, design, or installation defects has resulted in seven and eight figure verdicts and settlements. Mike has been retained to participate in mediations and arbitration for contractor vs. homeowner or homeowner vs. contractor with State Contractor's License Boards. He has been retained and designated as expert witness for many cases pertaining to all types of cabinetry and furniture issues.
Some of his experience as a cabinet expert witness and consultant have included cases for homes, residential tract development, commercial tract development, hotels, casinos, themed attractions, condominium and apartment complexes, restaurants, commercial businesses, airports, county facilities, hospitals, courtrooms, and schools.
Mike Panish has over 35 years of hands-on experience crafting commercial production and museum quality commissioned pieces. Mike founded Cabinet Systems to assure the necessary support to his highly successful Construction Company, where his casework and cabinetry have been utilized since the early 1980's. His laminated casework and cabinetry products are in current usage in hotels, hospitals, medical office buildings, themed attractions, airports, restaurants and commercial centers throughout California and parts of the western United States. He has provided medical related cabinetry and specialty casework to most of the hospitals, laboratories, and medical office buildings in Southern California. He has provided office products, furniture and utility laminated products to almost every courthouse in Southern California, being the designer, fabricator, and installer for the American Disabilities Act (ADA) master swing gate project that was installed in 2007. These swing gates were installed in over 450 court rooms throughout Los Angeles County in response to ADA accessibility issue lawsuit settlement to create unencumbered access to disabled patrons of the court system.
Mike Panish designs and custom crafts handmade fine furniture at his shops in New England, where he specializes in hand crafted Tiger Maple wood products. He has replicated antique pieces, fabricated modern replacements, and designed and built a unique line of period furniture utilizing the most precious of cabinet materials.
Mike is a thoroughly accomplished craftsman and can analyze wood types,
wood stains and finish for defects and other issues. He has been the designated
cabinetry or finish expert witness on many defective finish claims. He
has been retained by homeowners, contractors, insurance companies and
cabinet manufacturers to assist in dispute resolution. He has been retained
to evaluate claims regarding hotels, offices, restaurants, building component
finishes, and home renovation complaints. Home owners frequently retain
him to evaluate finish and installation issues pertaining to cabinets,
counter tops and other casework throughout their home.
Published Articles by Michael Panish relating to
Cabinetry & Woodworking:
