John Loringer (Partner-Milwaukee, WI) and Gavin Wardzala (Associate-Milwaukee, WI), after obtaining dismissal of a negligence action at the circuit court level last year, successfully defended their appraiser client before the Wisconsin Court of Appeals. The case involved negligence claims against the appraiser, who had testified in a prior divorce hearing in which the plaintiff was a party. The court held that the appraiser was entitled to the absolute testimonial privilege because his testimony was relevant to issues before the divorce court. Accordingly, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal, finding that the appraiser was immune from civil liability and that the plaintiff’s claims were barred from proceeding. As a result of this successful defense raised at the earliest possible stage of the litigation, the client avoided the need for costly and time-consuming discovery and the retention of subject-matter experts.