Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes ruled yesterday that an expert witness that he picked will testify on the feasibility of Detroit’s debt adjustment plan without restrictions, Reuters reported yesterday. Judge Rhodes said that Martha Kopacz, a senior managing director at Phoenix Management Services in Boston, is qualified to give her expert opinion, noting that her "specialized knowledge will help the court to understand the evidence and to determine whether the city's plan of adjustment is feasible." Detroit's Police and Fire Retirement System and General Retirement System had filed a motion to exclude Kopacz's testimony relating to the pension systems, contending that she lacks qualifications on those matters and testifying about the pension funds was beyond the scope of her appointment. In the wake of Monday's evidentiary hearing that put Kopacz on the stand for questioning, Rhodes concluded that her opinions are based on sufficient facts or data and are the product of reliable principles and methods. Judge Rhodes added that Kopacz will also address whether the assumptions supporting the city's cash-flow projections, as well as revenue, expense and plan payment forecasts are reasonable.
