This case involves an upstate New York homeowner who passed away after being electrocuted by a live power line. The homeowner was driving home during a thunderstorm and didn’t realize that the line had gone down. The homeowner drove over the line and became electrocuted upon attempting to exit the vehicle. The power line in question was attached to a wooden power pole located directly on the homeowner’s property and owned by the homeowner. However, the homeowner had just moved to the property two weeks before the incident and was unaware that he owned this power pole and was unaware that he was responsible for it’s maintenance as well. It was alleged that the real estate agent did not disclose the homeowner’s responsibility for maintaining the pole. An expert in real estate was sought to discuss whether or not the real estate agent should have notified the homeowner of his responsibility to maintain the pole.
Question(s) For Expert Witness
1. Please briefly describe your experience as a real estate agent.
2. What are best practices for informing purchasers about issues such as the one in this case?
Expert Witness Response E-014913
I have 13+ years of experience in real estate as both an appraiser and a broker in the Northeast.I have reviewed cases before regarding broker duties and standards of practice. There are several questions regarding where the responsibility lies in this case. Typically during a sale, the real estate agents in question and the buyer would have ordered a title insurance, and the title company would have searched and found that there were easements reflected on the property. What I see happen often is that agents do not thoroughly review these title reports because it is often simply assumed the utilities are going to be there and might not be of issue. The common scenario in a case like this is one of two things: either lack of disclosure in that the agent should have known about the utility pole on the property, or that they knew about it but did not disclose it to the buyer.
About the author
Victoria Negron
Victoria Negron has extensive experience in journalism and thought leadership in the legal space, with a background crafting content, whitepapers, webinars, and current event articles pertaining to the role of expert witnesses in complex litigation matters. She is a skilled professional specializing in B2B product marketing and content marketing. Currently, she serves as an Enterprise Product Marketing Manager at Postman, and previously held the position of Technical Product Marketing Manager at Palantir Technologies, where she developed her skills in launch strategies, go-to-market strategy, and competitive analysis.
Her expertise in content marketing was further refined during her tenure at the Expert Institute, where she progressed from a Marketing Writer to Senior Content Marketing Manager, and eventually to Associate Director of Content & Product Marketing. In these roles, she honed her abilities in digital marketing, SEO, content strategy, and thought leadership.
Educationally, Victoria holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Florida - Warrington College of Business and a Bachelor of Arts in Literature, Art, and Hispanic Studies from Hamilton College. Her diverse educational background and professional experience have equipped her with a robust skill set in product marketing, content development, and strategic marketing initiatives.
