Calcoast has many years of experience in trial testimony, mediations and arbitration involving small claims to national class action cases.

Listed below is a sampling of expert services provided by D. Patrick Fairley (DPF), Antoine Y. Chamsi Ph.D. (AYC), and R. Haffner Ph.D. (RAH)



Pat Fairley has been a chemist and consultant to the coatings and building industry for over 30 years. He holds a State of California teaching credential for Coatings Technology and has taught at Technical Colleges and Adult Re-education Programs. Mr. Fairley has traveled extensively in Europe, the Mid-East and Asia acting as a coatings and waterproofing consultant and expert for the coatings industry. He has held various research and development positions in the field of organic coatings, including pigment and resin synthesis. Mr. Fairley has participated as an expert in over 1000 cases involving coatings and materials disputes and has testified on over 100 occasions. He is currently Laboratory Director of Calcoast Analytical of California and DL Laboratories of New York, coating, sealants, analytical and materials chemistry testing laboratories.


1. Davis v. Louisiana Pacific Corp.
Class Action v. Louisiana Pacific Corp.
Deposition December 2003
Bingham McCutchen
Michael I. Begert

Composite cement wood roofing shakes. Testing of paint, properties of coatings used for fiber/cement roofing material. Application, maintenance cycles for coating.

2. Donna A. Moutes v. The Glidden Company D/B/A ICI Paints
Case No 02 CIV 0618
Trial Testimony November 2003
Medina County Court of Common Pleas, Ohio
Judge: Collier Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP
Joseph A. Castrodale, Esq.
William Michael Esq.

Personal injury complaint involving adverse physiological reaction to the use of a solvent based alkyd floor coating. Issues involved product misuse, label instructions, ventilation, application, film thickness, solvent entrapment, physical and chemical properties of alkyd vs. latex emulsion paints.

3. Richison, et al., vs. American Cemwood Corp.
Class Action v. American Cemwood Corp.
Deposition June 2003
Law Offices of David Birka-White
David Birka-White

Testimony regarding roofing products composed of cement and wood fibre dimensional stability, water absorption, flexural strength and various other physical properties of the wood/cement matrix. Surface coating analysis, evaluation of coating manufacture, application method, and formulation.

4. Roland v. Greystone (AKA Roland II)
Deposition February 2003
Last, Harrelson & Faoro
Dennis Faoro
Michele R. Stafford

Hardboard Siding (Weyerhauser) cottage lap and self aligning lap siding paint/primer dry film thickness (DFT). Drip edge deterioration due to inadequate topcoat DFT. Swelling of siding, waterproofing, back priming. Proximity to large water mass ( San Francisco Bay) moisture effects on hardboard. Coating identification by FTIR.

5. Cal-Waii Moulding Co., Inc. dba Windsor Mill vs. Technical Coating Co. and Benjamin Moore & Co.
Case No. C001674 MJJ ARB
Deposition February 2003/Trial Testimony April 2003
U.S. District Court, North California
Judge: Hon. Martin J. Jenkins
Richard Finn
Ray A. Greene
Karyne Ghantons
Burnham and Brown

Adhesive Failure of industrial primer for finger jointed radiate pine wood trim. Opinions regarding analytical work performed by others, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning election microscopy/Energy Dispersive Xray (EDX) with respect to precision/accuracy. Evaluation of primer formulation with respect to raw materials, pigment volume concentration (PVC) Critical Pigment Volume Concentration (CPVC) oil absorption/ binder demand effects on coating film. Opinions regarding physical property testing of exterior primers for wood substrates, Acid Rain degradation theory of coatings containing Calcium Carbonate (CaCO3). Review of various experts opinions/reports.

6. Lawrence Kates and Arthur Burdore v. Sidney Young d/b/a Young's Maintenance Limited
5/02 Deposition Case No. SC 030217
Superior Court For The County of Ventura
Law Offices Of Robert I. Long - Robert I. Long

Failure of elastomeric coating on troweled and blown cement plaster (stucco). Crack bridging, coating composition, mixing of elastomeric coating with architectural paint product- Sherwin Williams exterior paint and Sonneborne elastomeric coating. Cracking and water intrusion, consequential damages due to water infiltration.

7. Hilton et. al. v. The Sherwin Williams Company
5/02 Deposition Case No. A375027
5/02 Trial - United States District Court, Judge Mark R. Denton
Jay R. Hampton Esq
Jay Hampton & Associates
Dennis M. Prince Esq
Prince and Keating, Los Vegas, NV.

Testimony regarding a Maaco automotive refinishing center using Sherwin Williams paints: Western Hi Glo synthetic acrylic enamel, Phoenix Flare Polyurethane basecoat/ clearcoat and U7000 polyurethane basecoat/ clearcoat. Failure of coatings due primarily to crawling and fisheye development in finish. Cross contamination of coating systems, polysiloxane and fluorocarbon additives effect on surface tension. Technical assistance issues and problem solving by paint manufacturer.

8. Brantley Construction v. United States
6/01 Mediation Case #99-785C
1/ 02 Trial- Federal Court, Judge Miller
Charleston, South Carolina
Department Of Justice, Civil Division
Joseph Trautwein Esq
United States Air Force- John Lauro Esq

Preparation and coating of galvanized steel corrugated roofing panels used for an airplane hangar. Phosphoric acid etching, media blasting, epoxy polyamide coating MIL-P-24441 system. Dry film thickness and adhesion failure- Remediation of damaged coating, costs, standard of care in use of coating, storage of finished panels and preparation of substrate.

9. Joe Stipic and Shelley Stipic v. Behr Process Corporation
8/01 Deposition Case #00-2-1105-5
Superior Court of Washington for Gray's Harbor County
Stritmatter, Kessler et al - Paul Stritmatter
Edwards & Hagen - David Edwards
Cotchet, Pitre & Simon - Bruce Simon

Failure of clear and pigmented linseed oil based exterior wood coatings due to early and rampant mildew/fungus growth. Compositional analysis of product components such as ultra violet light stabilizers and mildew inhibitors.

10. Brantley Construction v. The United States
6/01 Arbitration Case #99-785C
U.S. Department of Justice, civil Division
Joseph Trautwein, Esq.

Dispute involving early epoxy coating (MIL-P-24441) failure on galvanized sheet metal roofing and other steel components on the superstructure (ceiling & roof) of an airplane hangar occupied by the U.S. Air Force in Charleston, S.C. Standard of care of preparation of galvanized steel for painting, specification review, corrosion, coating delamination, cost of and methods of repair.

11. Live Oak HOA v. Braddock & Logan Ass.
04/01 Deposition Case #C99-03896
Low Ball & Lynch, David Blynn

Stucco cracking, waterproofing repair procedures, installation of stucco, control joints, repair costs, maintenance of exterior wall surfaces, physical properties of stucco.

12. Ruscilli Construction & Columbus Zoo v. Martin Painting
03/01 Deposition Thompson Hine & Flory - Blair Lewis

Failure of Hi Solids Polyurethane system on Columbus Zoo Manatee concrete Exhibit pools and miscellaneous salt water tanks. Application issues, specification, properties of epoxy / geofabric / polyurethane system - curing, adhesion and permeability.

13. City of Emeryville & The Emeryville Redevelopment Agency v. Elementis Pigments, Inc., The Sherwin Williams Company, Pfizer, Inc., A & J Trucking Company, Inc. and Baker Hughes, Inc., A.M. Sepulveda et al.
01/01 Deposition Cox, Castle & Nicholson – Robert Doty

Opinions regarding environmental pollution from iron oxide pigments manufacturing and natural iron oxide processing and distribution plant Historical use of iron oxide pigments. Arsenic content of natural iron oxides. Levels of bioaccumulative metal contamination of soils from iron oxide processing.

14. Scarpa v. The Randall Group et al.
01/01, Deposition DeMartini & Walker, Vincent DeMartini

Paint and primer used on condominium project. Hardboard (Masonite) siding, Total dry film thickness of paint and primer.

15. West Court Village HOA v. Bank of America, et al.
9/00 Deposition
Clapp, Moroney, Bellagamba, Davis & Vucinich-Leigh Goldstein

Exterior vinyl acrylic paint on hardboard siding, warpage of hardboard siding.

16. ATCO of Nevada, Inc., and Donald R. Atkinson, III, v. Omega Products Corp.
7/00 Arbitration
Ellsworth, Moody & Bennion, Chtd.-Keen Ellsworth & Charles W. Bennion, Esq.

Failure of a formulated polymer modified cement plaster exterior finishing
system in Utah.

17. Today’s Hotel Corp. (Holiday Inn Golden Gateway) v. Traditional Painting & Decorating, et al.
3/00 Arbitration, 10/00 Deposition, 10/00 Trial Testimony, Superior Court, S.F.
Archer, McComas, Breslin McMahon & Chritton/Archer, Norris-Todd Jones

Waterproofing issues of a 30-story hotel: water leakage through stucco wall, failure of an elastomeric coating system on cement plaster (stucco) substrate deterioration, deferred maintenance, control joint treatment, wall structural integrity, standard of care for specification writing, coating application & related issues.

18. Smith v. Behr Process Corp.
2/00 Deposition
Edwards & Hagen/Stritmatter Kessler Whelan Withey-David Edwards/Paul Stritmatter

Failure of exterior clear wood finish in Pacific Northwest. Fungal growth on/in clear coatings. Class action lawsuit.

19. SK Chemicals v. Advanced Polymer Sciences
2/00 Arbitration
Graham & James LLP - T. Garnett, A. Kim

Failure of epoxy based inorganic silica modified products used for chemical and heat Resistance.

20. Whiting - Turner v. Dynaguard and Euclid Chemical Co.
12/99 Deposition
Neal, Haushalter, O'Neill & Ray - James Kurkhill, Attorney at Law