Petroleum Engineering Expert’s Testimony on Offshore Rig Operations Admitted

This matter concerns an incident aboard the Valaris 144 while the vessel was performing offshore drilling services in the Gulf of Mexico off the Louisiana coast. Caleb Kittrell worked as a roustabout for Ensco Offshore on board the vessel owned by Rowan Offshore Luxembourg. On December 27, 2023, Kittrell was instructed to disconnect a jet line hose on board the vessel; however, as he went to disconnect the line, not knowing the line was still pressurized, the line disconnected and struck Kittrell’s hand resulting in injuries to his hand, including a “gamekeeper’s” fracture.

As a result of this incident, Kittrell had surgery to repair his hand and continues to suffer pain in his left thumb and index finger.
Plaintiff asserted claims under the Jones Act, the General Maritime Law of Unseaworthiness and for the Seaman’s Remedy of Maintenance and Cure.

Perrin R. Roller, PE, a professional petroleum engineer, was retained by the Defendants to opine about the investigation of the incident at issue in the case and the operations that were conducted. Plaintiff filed a Daubert motion, challenging the testimony and opinions of Roller.

Petroleum Engineering Expert Witness 

Perrin R. Roller, PE has more than 40 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, including significant experience working offshore on jack-up drilling rigs.

Want to know more about the challenges Perrin Roller has faced? Get the full details with our Challenge Study report.

Discussion by the Court

Plaintiff challenged Roller’s opinions arguing that they are not based on reliable methodology. Defendants argued that Roller should be permitted to testify based on his extensive experience in the oil and gas industry. The Court agreed.

Roller’s curriculum vitae and affidavit detail his experience in the oil and gas field, from his start as a “roughneck” to his current role as a petroleum engineer and industry consultant. In addition to his personal experience in the oil and gas industry, having performed the task that Plaintiff performed in the present case, Roller relied upon industry practices and the Code of Federal Regulations to supplement his methodology. The Court found that Roller’s over forty years of experience in the field and his reliance on industry standards and applicable federal regulations in his report are “sufficient to withstand a Rule 702 challenge.”

Plaintiff pointed to Roller’s opinion that “The Valaris 144 was conducting jetting operations for several weeks prior to the incident involving Mr. Kittrell. In fact, the right was performing the jetting operations, almost exclusively for this time period. Mr. Kittrell would have seen and known the operations that were being conducted during his time for this particular hitch on the rig” to argue that this opinion is highly speculative and conclusory.

Because the opinions offered by Roller did not rely on completely unsubstantiated factual assertions, the Court will not exclude his testimony based on Plaintiff’s challenge to its reliability.

Held

The Court denied the Plaintiff’s Daubert motion to exclude the testimony of Defendants’ expert Perrin R. Roller.

Key Takeaway

Having considered the opinions offered in light of the facts as alleged by Plaintiff, and further having determined that Roller’s opinions are based not only on his experience working in the oil and gas industry but also upon federal regulations and standard industry practice, the Court found that his testimony will aid the trier of fact in understanding the complicated practices and procedures of working on a vessel offshore in the oil and gas industry.

Case Details:

Case Caption:	Kittrell V. Ensco Offshore, LLC
Docket Number:	2:24cv2947
Court Name:	United States District Court, Louisiana Eastern
Order Date:	February 02, 2026