Katia Verónica Recio-Curet

Biography

She has over ten years of experience as a litigator, advising and representing both private and government clients in a comprehensive range of matters from complex civil litigation, administrative proceedings, civil rights, and criminal defense. She has focused her practice in the areas of torts, insurance, construction, regulatory affairs and employment law. She also has extensive experience in appeal procedures.

Prior to joining McConnell Valdés, Ms. Recio-Curet worked at a San Juan law firm representing clients before the Courts of First Instance of Puerto Rico, the Federal Court and various administrative agencies,  including the Bureau of Conciliation and Arbitration of the Department of Labor and Human Resources, the Department of Consumer Affairs, and the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau.

While in law school, she served as a Judicial Clerk at the Court of First Instance of Ponce. Ms. Recio also worked with the Legal Aid Society of Puerto Rico (SAL) where she started her litigation experience advocating and assisting in the legal defense of low-income individuals.

Representative Cases

Some of her representative cases include:

• Representing an international casual dining chain in a preliminary and permanent injunction, breach of contract and damages action against its landlord to enforce an exclusive use clause in a commercial lease agreement. Following the preliminary injunction hearing, the Court of First Instance issued a cease-and-desist order against the defendants, and a favorable settlement was reached. As part of the settlement, the landlord acknowledged and enforced the use restriction provision, and agreed to pay nearly half a million dollars to the client
• Representing one of the largest apparel and home retailers in the United States in a personal injury action where a favorable settlement for the client was obtained following the plaintiff’s deposition.
• Representing one of the major developers in Puerto Rico in five lawsuits involving complex breach of contract matters related to real property rights and tort actions.
• Representing the developer of the Paseo Caribe Project in a complex multi-million-dollar lawsuit related to construction law.
• Successfully defending the municipalities of San Juan, Caguas, Guaynabo, Morovis, Patillas, and Toa Alta, as well as its insurance company in a considerable number of tort actions.
• Representing the USDA Rural Development, the Federal National Mortgage Association and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, among national lenders and banks in foreclosure lawsuits.
• Representing the Puerto Rico Food Marketing, Industry and Distribution Chamber (MIDA, for its Spanish acronym) in the case against the Bureau of Transportation and Other Public Services (NTSP, for its Spanish acronym) to stop the enforcement of Regulation 9293 of July 23, 2021.
• Defending international and national companies in labor and employment lawsuits related to wrongful termination, discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation, and arbitration in collective bargaining. Her practice in labor matters also included conducting internal investigations and preventive consulting to implement workplace policies.

Practices