Kenneth Suria
In 1985, Kenneth Suria commenced his legal career with Hartford Fire & Indemnity Insurance Company representing the carrier’s assureds in general liability and automobile insurance claims in cases from their inception through trial. Two years later he became staff counsel for CIGNA Property & Casualty Company where he represented the company’s assureds in a vast array of areas of civil litigation, including premises liability, automobile accidents, general liability, insurance law, products liability, copyrights, and federal litigation.
Subsequently, Mr. Suria became a Senior Trial/Litigation Associate with the firm of Bower & Gardner, where he represented the firm’s corporate self-insured clients in general liability cases involving product liability, commercial litigation, insurance law, and premises liability defense, among other areas, from their inception through jury trial and verdict. Finally, Mr. Suria went into the private practice of the law for a period of two years before returning to Puerto Rico.
Upon his arrival in Puerto Rico, Mr. Suria briefly worked for the well-known tort law firm of Martinez-Texidor & Fuster in Ponce before moving to his native San Juan and taking up his place as a Senior Litigator with the Castellanos Law Firm. At Castellanos, Mr. Suria successfully litigated the case of New Shows, S.A. v. Don King Productions, Inc., in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, providing Mr. King with his first legal defeat ever. The lower court verdict was subsequently affirmed by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (210 F.3d 355 (2nd Cir. 2000)). Mr. Suria headed the Federal Litigation Department, where he became involved in the litigation of cases in the areas of product liability, copyright, collections, medical malpractice, appeals, and other areas of civil practice. Mr. Suria joined Estrella, LLC in March 2000, and is actively engaged in general civil litigation, including labor and employment matters, tort defense, federal appeals, federal litigation and contract cases.
Education
- New York Law School/J.D./1983
- Spring Hill College/B.S./1979
Professional Affiliations
- American Bar Association
- Puerto Rico Bar Association
- Hispanic National Bar Association
Representative Experience
- Madelux International v. Barama Co., Ltd., 364 F.Supp.2d 64 (D.P.R. 2005), aff’d, 186 Fed. Appx. 10 (1st Cir. 2006)(Dismissal of a Law 75 case against the client after trial upon finding that to establish a Law 75 relationship the parties need more than a letter expressing such an intent).
- Chevron Puerto Rico LLC v. Jose Perez, Et al., 673 F.Supp.2d 69 (D.P.R. 2010)(Permanent injunction granted against retailer for trademark violation and refusal to tender the premises).
- Gonzalez Figueroa v. JC Penney, 568 F.3d 313 (1st Cir. 2009)(Claim of wife and two adult children dismissed as time-barred for failure to toll the statute of limitations according to state law).
- Sylvia Diaz Negron v. Wal-Mart Puerto Rico, Inc., Case No. 07-1919(Plaintiff alleged personal injuries as a result of the defendant’s negligence. Jury found lack of proximate cause).
- Guillen v. JC Penney, 731 F. Supp. 219 (D.P.R. 2009)(Summary Judgment granted in employment matter based upon prescription, lack of adverse employment action and lack of showing a failure to promote).
Professional & Community Involvement
- National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA) Puerto Rico Program Director/2014
- Rotary Club/2011-2013
- Club Volleyball Vaqueros de Bayamon/Vice-president/2008-2011
- Van Scoy Basketball Club/Vice-president/2004-2006
