The decision to appoint an expert witness lies within the discretion of the court and "is to be informed by such factors as the complexity of the matters to be determined and the fact-finder's need for a neutral, expert view." Tangwall v. Robb, 2003 WL 23142190, at *3 (E.D. Mich. Dec. 23, 2003); see also In re McGhan Med. Corp., 2000 WL 1521338, at *1 (Fed. Cir. Sept. 29, 2000); Applegate, 628 F. Supp. at 383. Courts do not, however, appoint expert witnesses for the purpose of assisting a litigating party. See Hannah v. United States, 2006 WL 2583190, at *4 (N.D. Tex. Sept. 1, 2006) (declining to appoint an expert witness for a pro se plaintiff because such appointment would merely assist the plaintiff prove his case rather than provide a neutral expert view for the court); Daker Kennedy v. Wetherington, 2006 WL 648765, at *5 (N.D. Ga. Mar. 15, 2006) (noting that "[l]itigant assistance is not the purpose of Rule 706").
See e.g. In re McGhan Med. Corp., 251 F.3d 166 (Fed. Cir. 2000) (stating that the district court appointed a technical expert "to assist the court" pursuant to Rule 706(a)); Walker v. Am. Home Shield Long Term Disability Plan, 180 F.3d 1065, 1071 (9th Cir. 1999) (affirming the district court's sua sponte appointment of an expert witness following its conclusion "that the medical testimony was not `particularly clear,'" and stating that it was "an appropriate occasion" to appoint an expert "to assist the court in evaluating contradictory evidence"); Gold v. Dalkon Shield Claimants Trust, 1998 WL 351466, at *2 (D. Conn. June 3, 1998) (declining to appoint an expert witness and designate costs to the defendant pursuant to Rule 706 because the "litigation [did] not raise any complex scientific issues which the Court need[ed] expert guidance to understand"). Quite simply, "litigant assistance" is not the purpose of Rule 706.