Jury instructions regarding expert witnesses in Minnesota are outlined in Minnesota’s Jury Instruction Guides, Civil rule 12.30. MINN. PRACTICE JURY INSTR. GUIDES CIVIL RULE 12.30 (2017). This rule explains to the jury that experts are permitted to testify to their opinions on the matter at hand because of their expertise. Id. The rule instructs the jury to evaluate an expert’s testimony by considering the expert’s “education, training, experience, knowledge, and ability of the witness, the reasons given for the opinion, the sources of information relied upon, and the other guidelines already given” pertaining to witness testimony generally. Id. Additionally, the instructions tell the jury that expert witness testimony should be given the same level of importance as testimony from other witnesses, not more or less. Id.
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