Why Michael is the expert witness for you.

Michael is not the average tile guy, but he comes from the average tile guy world. Michael began tile work in 1995 and has performed just about every installation type an installer encounters. He has experienced difficulties and problems contractors deal with every day, and views himself as a problem solver.  Understanding why something has failed is important, but determining accountability is where resolution begins.  Products can fail, standards may be neglected, so many things can go wrong that finger pointing begins to look like a standoff.

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Clarity without an expert is hard to come by. The internet may shed some light, or it may send you in the wrong direction. What makes Michael stand out as an expert is communication. Construction differs from other fields, not only due to standards and guidelines that must be honored, but because the hands-on aspect cannot always be grasped by someone unfamiliar with craftsmanship, or the lack thereof.  While attorneys tend to drive down to the nuts and bolts of things, a juror needs to hear things in plain English. The attorney has done his research, and is a professional self educator, that is not necessarily the case for the average juror. Michael is not an expert for the sake of being an expert. Time in the craft, along with the desire to better his knowledge over the years has made him such. 

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Michael has been part of every committee that will have him in the tile field. The National Tile Contractors Association has appointed him to the NTCA Technical Committee, this is a committee Michael aspired to be part of when he was still an apprentice. Michael reviews submissions with committee members on all aspects of installation materials, methods, standards, and failures.

Michael was a leading contributor to the NTCA 2025/2026 Reference Manual in the section titled; Problems with the "Miami Sandwich" Practice. Since 2016 Michael has helped to identify this practice that often leaves home owners with a failing installation in one way or another. A sub committee was formed and this document was put together, outlining why it is a practice, and not a method. The practice of the Miami Sandwich is just one type of failure that Michael has had to bring to the light through deposition. Spot Bonding is another extremely dangerous practice that Michael has gone to trial for to provide expert witness testimony. Unfortunately, spot bonding and the Miami Sandwich still keep Michael busy.

Reports written by Michael take into account the methods and standards, the nuances of installation, construction practices in and around areas in question, along with information from interviews, progress photographs, and everything that makes for a thorough report.    

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