MIKE PANISH, EXPERT WITNESS
CABINETS, FURNITURE & ARCHITECTURAL MILLWORK
Serious personal injuries and property losses can arise from defective
products, defective installation, and inappropriate usage. If you or your
clients are involved in any type of claim arising from defective cabinetry,
furniture, or architectural elements make certain that you retain Mike
Panish, the industry's leading cabinetry expert to assess and support
your case.
Common Types of Cabinetry Related Cases Mike Panish Handles
Having provided unbiased, professional, and credible opinions to both plaintiffs
and defendants, Michael Panish can be consulted for any type of cabinetry matter.
Mike is the expert to call for cabinetry, furniture, and architectural
millwork defects & injuries
Mike has been retained as expert witness for all types of construction
and cabinetry issues, including:
- Cabinets & Counter Tops
- Structural and finish defects in cabinetry
- Architectural Millwork
- Casework
- Furniture
- Chair Defects & Failures
- Carpentry & Casework
- File Cabinets - Method of Attachment
- Woodworking
- Wood Finishes
- Refinishing
- Plastic Laminate Cabinetry
- Laminated Finishes & Delamination Issues
- Book Cases & Glass Display Cases
- Cabinetry Doors & Cabinet Components
- Steel & Metal Cabinets
- 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
- Design evaluation for manufactured products
- Methodology of installation
- Defective products and materials
- Glue and Adhesive Issues
Mike has been retained as cabinetry expert by plaintiff, defense, and construction
professionals across the country. His keen eye for detail has not only
greatly benefited clients in over 1750 cases but has also helped him obtain
crucial evidence that allowed his clients to achieve high settlements,
limit their liability, and even reverse the tables!
Mike has been the designated cabinetry expert witness for these types of cases:
- Falling cabinetry or architectural millwork that causes serious injury
- File cabinets that become detached or were never attached, causing serious injury
- Plastic Laminate panels and products that have delaminated
- Defective cabinetry & millwork in private residences or tract housing
developments
- Hotel room furniture installation issues causing personal injury
- Hotel room architectural millwork that has fallen onto hotel guests causing
serious injury
- Casino décor or millwork that has failed, resulting in personal injury
- Custom woodwork with failed features such as inappropriate usage of materials,
installation methods, hardware, finish, stain, and paint
- Defective glue or adhesives and defective laminate from factory
- Cabinetry or millwork that has failed or fallen apart
- Collapsed chairs causing falls and serious injury
- Display cases and showcases in schools and shopping centers that have caused injury
- Casework or cabinetry that has become unattached and fallen on people,
causing personal injury
- Casework and cabinetry contractual or defect issues relating to defects
or WIC (Woodworkers Institute of CA) or AWS (Architectural Woodwork Standards)
certifications, requirements, or standards.
Mike Panish, Cabinetry Expert, has over 40 years of experience as a cabinetry
& furniture manufacturer & installer
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 design, materials, application, method of attachment, and installation issues.
Mike has testified and consulted in personal injury and defect cases across
the country for Plaintiffs, Defendants, Cross Defendants, Cabinet Manufacturers,
Cabinet Installers, and Product Component Manufacturers
Mike is an expert witness and consultant for a variety 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 defective installation has resulted in
seven and eight figure verdicts and settlements. Claims for defective
casework and cabinetry that were proven by Mike to be unwarranted have
even turned the tables on the parties. 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.
Mike's experience as a cabinet expert witness and consultant have included:
- Homes
- Commercial & Residential Tract Development
- Hotels & Casinos
- Themed attractions
- Condominium & Apartment Complexes
- Restaurants
- Commercial Businesses
- Airports
- County Facilities & Jails
- Hospitals
- Courtrooms
- Schools & Colleges
- Shopping Centers & Department Stores
- Retail stores
Laboratory testing and product analysis
Mike Panish has over 40 years of hands-on experience and training with
regard to most of the products and finishes that are used in current and
past casework, cabinetry, and furniture. When chemical analysis or component
testing is required, he has extensive resources and ongoing relationships
with many diverse testing laboratories and facilities across the United
States. He routinely provides analysis of defective laminated panels and
products, paint and finish component analysis, and material defect analysis
through personal inspection and laboratory verification. He is able to
quickly and effectively determine product component defect with results
that are court ready and indisputable.
Mike Panish has extensive hands-on experience & field knowledge which
makes him the only choice for your Cabinetry Expert
Mike Panish has over 40 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.
Cabinet or Wood Finish defects or failures?
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.
Mike Panish is an unbiased expert for Plaintiff, Defense, and Cross Defense
Mike has authored a variety of published articles relating to cabinetry
defects, lamination issues, fastening methods, woodworking, and wood finishes.