Likewise, Mr. Vega has extensive experience in appellate practice. He has successfully appeared many times before the Court of Appeals of Puerto Rico, the Puerto Rico Supreme Court, and the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. He has substantive experience in appeals before administrative agencies, such as the Department of Consumer Affairs, University of Puerto Rico, Department of Labor, and Department of Health, and the remission and mitigation of fines and penalties before the Department of Homeland Security Customs and Border Protection.
Mr. Vega’s work has resulted in novel applications of the law by Commonwealth and Federal courts. In admiralty and transportation law, he obtained a judgment on behalf of a maritime carrier enforcing a hold harmless clause in a bill of lading in litigation resulting from a catastrophic truck accident that occurred five miles inland. In a medical malpractice case, Vega’s work resulted in an Opinion of the Puerto Rico Court of Appeals using the date of the medical records’ production to the deceased’s relatives as the base for the calculation of the one-year statute of limitations.
Mr. Vega is a speaker on litigation techniques and ethics in seminars and conferences attended by attorneys, physicians, and other professionals.
He enjoys sharing his professional and litigation experience and providing pro-bono services in his community.
Education
- University of Puerto Rico Law School
San Juan, PR
1991, JD
Magna Cum Laude - University of Puerto Rico
San Juan, PR
1987, BS in Biology Education
Magna Cum Laude
Bar Admissions
- Puerto Rico Bar, 1992
- United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico, 1992
- United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, 1992
- United States Supreme Court, 2010
Professional Associations & Certifications
- American Bar Association
- Federal Bar Association
- Defense Research Institute
Mr. Vega has participated as a speaker in seminars and conferences such as:
- Puerto Rico Comparative Civil Trial Skills and Strategies,
National Business Institute, August 21, 2009. - Puerto Rico Comparative Civil Trial Skills and Strategies,
National Business Institute, September 25, 2008. - American Cancer Society, Radiation Therapy and Cancer Institute,
Metropolitan Hospital: Patient’s Rights, March 6, 2006. - Reclamaciones por Alegada Impericia Médica,
Medical Convention Alejandro Otero López Hospital,
October 12, 2002.
Representative Cases
-
Campos-Matos v. Hospital del Maestro Inc.
208 F. Supp.2d 170 (D.P.R. 2002)
Applying state law, U.S. District Court ruled that, after the voluntary dismissal of a medical malpractice case, subsequent communications between the attorneys for plaintiffs and defendants did not toll the one year statute of limitation and therefore dismissed all claims.
-
Daniels Recio v. Hospital del Maestro
109 F.3d 88 (1st Cir. 1997)
Court applied state law doctrine that considers physicians with admission privileges at a Hospital as independent contractor, exempting the Hospital from liability.
-
María Sabrina Romero v. Estado Libre Asociado
2014 WL 511240
Puerto Rico Court of Appeals affirmed a Judgment dismissing a medical malpractice case ruling that the date of the production of the medical records to the mother and sister of the deceased was the date when the one year statute of limitation commenced to run, instead of a later date in which the plaintiffs were provided with a medical opinion on negligence.
