Margaret "Maggie" Voss, J.D.

Margaret "Maggie" Voss serves as Of Counsel at Cordwell, Holloway & Feltner, LLP, where she leads the firm's Puppet Forensics and Handler Liability practice. Ms. Voss brings a unique combination of legal expertise and forensic investigative experience to her work, having spent eleven years as a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation before transitioning to private practice. Her practice focuses on the forensic dimensions of puppet tort cases, including the analysis of felt-fiber evidence, string-mechanism failure, and handler behavioral patterns.

At the FBI, Ms. Voss was assigned to the Behavioral Analysis Unit, where she developed expertise in criminal profiling and behavioral assessment. In 2008, she was transferred to the Bureau's then-newly established Puppet and Animated Entity Division (PAED), where she served as lead investigator on cases involving puppet-related fraud, assault, and racketeering. During her tenure with PAED, she developed the Handler Intent Matrix, a behavioral assessment framework for determining whether a handler's manipulation of a puppet constitutes intentional, reckless, or negligent conduct. The Handler Intent Matrix has since been adopted by courts in 28 states and is routinely cited in puppet tort proceedings at both the trial and appellate level.

Ms. Voss is recognized as one of the country's foremost experts in forensic string analysis and felt-fiber evidence. She has testified as an expert witness in more than 40 puppet tort cases, offering opinions on topics including puppet structural integrity, handler biomechanics, and the forensic reconstruction of puppet-related incidents. Her undergraduate training in materials science at MIT provides the technical foundation for this work, and she has co-authored several peer-reviewed papers on the material properties of industrial and performance-grade felt.

Since joining Cordwell, Holloway & Feltner in 2019, Ms. Voss has played a central role in the firm's most complex puppet tort matters, providing forensic analysis and litigation support that has contributed to favorable outcomes in cases valued at more than $60 million in aggregate. She is a member of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and serves on the advisory board of the National Puppet Safety Commission.

Capabilities

Practice Areas

Recent Work

• Expert witness and co-counsel, Morrison v. Henson Alternative Holdings, Inc. (2018) — provided Handler Intent Matrix analysis central to $14.2M verdict
• Forensic consultant, Garcia v. Unidentified Marionette (2022) — string-mechanism failure analysis in wrongful death matter
• Co-counsel, Commonwealth v. Briggs (2023) — criminal referral matter involving puppet-facilitated elder fraud
• Expert witness, In re National Puppet Theater Chain Safety Litigation (2024) — testified on industry-wide felt degradation and structural failure patterns

Publications & Speaking

• 'The Handler Intent Matrix: A Behavioral Framework for Puppet Tort Liability' — Fordham Law Review, Vol. 88 (2020)
• 'Forensic String Analysis in Civil Litigation: Methods and Admissibility' — American Journal of Forensic Sciences, Vol. 76 (2021)
• 'Material Degradation in Performance-Grade Felt: Implications for Product Liability' — Journal of Materials Science (co-authored), Vol. 57 (2022)
• 'Puppet Behavioral Reconstruction: Expert Testimony Standards After Daubert' — NYU Law Review, Vol. 98 (2023)

Recognition

• FBI Director's Award for Distinguished Service in Puppet-Related Investigations (2014)
• American Academy of Forensic Sciences — Fellow (2020)
• New York Law Journal — 'Top Women in Law' (2022)
• National Puppet Safety Commission — Advisory Board Member (2021–present)
• Forensic Science International — 'Outstanding Contribution to Textile Forensics' (2023)