Art. 373 Expert appointed by court

When a judge brings in an expert to help understand a case, that expert becomes part of the court itself, not just a hired helper for one side. This happens because the judge needs special knowledge or skills that the expert has, and the judge wants unbiased help understanding the facts of the case.

Once the expert agrees to take on this role, they are treated as an officer of the court. This status lasts from the moment they officially start until the judge makes a final decision in the case. Being an officer of the court means the expert has a duty to be fair and honest, similar to other court officials, rather than acting like a witness who only supports one side.

This matters because it affects how much people can trust the expert's opinions. Since the expert works for the court and not for either party in the lawsuit, their findings are meant to be neutral and based only on their professional judgment.