Jury instructions regarding expert witness testimony are outlined in Pennsylvania’s Suggested Standard Civil Jury Instructions. PA. SSJI (Civ), §4.100, §4.80 (2013). This rule provides that the jury is not required to accept an expert’s testimony simply because the witness is an expert. Id. The rule instructs the jury to consider a variety of factors when determining the amount of weight to give an expert’s testimony. Id. The factors the jury should consider are “the witness’s knowledge, skill, experience, training, and education, and whether [the jury finds] that the facts the witness relied upon in reaching [his] [her] opinion are accurate.” Id. Further, if there are multiple experts that have testified to conflicting opinions, the court should provide the jury with additional instruction. Id. To weigh conflicting testimony, the court should instruct the jury to consider each expert’s qualifications, the reasons for each expert’s opinion, and the “facts and other matters” that the experts based their opinions on. Id.
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