Paul D. Schomer, PE, Acoustical Engineer
— Schomer and Associates

Dr. Schomer is a Board Certified Noise Control Engineers, a Professional Engineer, and he has very extensive expert witness experience including several high-$ cases. 

Dr. Schomer was the expert for the City of Minneapolis and 2 suburbs v. the Metropolitan Airports Commission.  This case settled for $128,000,000 which is believed to be the largest noise settlement ever.  Dr  Schomer was the expert for a LA manufacturing facility that was defending  against an environmental noise class action suit that included well in excess of 100 home owners.  A negotiated settlement was reached with about 6 of perhaps 8 to 10 home-owners that Dr. Schomer identified as possibly to probably impacted; the others who did not settle or were not so designated lost at trial. 

Dr. Schomer was the expert for defendants in a MN $ 20, 000,000 wrongful death suit that involved the sound of breaking glass.  Suit was settled out of court to the satisfaction of the defendants. 

Dr. Schomer was the expert in two multi-million dollar wrongful death law suits regarding the audibility of fire alarms; one in TX for the plaintiffs, and one iin CA for the defense.  Both settled out of court to the satisfaction of the respective clients.  Dr. Schomer was the expert in two cases involving the audibility of sirens in NY and WI; both for the plaintiff.  Dr. Schomer was the expert in one case involving the audibility of gunfire for the NJ state police as defendants.  In a jury trial, the police won.  Dr. Schomer was the expert for the defense in two wrongful death cases involving the audibility of truck noise in IL and IN; both settled out of court. 

In addition to the two environmental noise cases noted above, Dr. Schomer has been the expert witness in numerous other environmental noise cases in the United States; about equally for the plaintiffs and for the defense.  These cases khave included the full range of outdoor environmental noise sources including several airports, highways, railroads, industrial plants, grain elevators, firing ranges (both civil and police),  demolition of old military munitions, quarry explosion noise, open-pit mine noise (both equipment and explosives), the noise from ventilation fans for deep underground mines, etc. 

In one of the larger cases, plaintiffs sought to essentially close down a large outdoor music venue.  Dr. Schomer was the expert for the defense and was able to show the court that plaintiff’s sound measurement methods were suspect and the case settled out of court on terms very favorable to the defendants.   Dr. Schomer was the expert for the court in a case involving whether or not a local noise ordinance was unconstitutionally vague.