Antonio A. Arias-Larcada

Biography

He represents U.S. and foreign clients in complex commercial litigation, bankruptcy, workouts, foreclosure and asset repossession.  A member of the firm's PROMESA Task Force, Mr. Arias has been actively counseling investment funds and creditors on Puerto Rico public debt restructuring. In the aftermath of Hurricane María, he has also been involved in disaster relief consulting and procurement of reconstruction projects, particularly in the energy and healthcare fields.

Mr. Arias-Larcada is ranked as one of Puerto Rico's Leading Attorneys in the Bankruptcy field by the international publication Chambers & Partners in its Latin America Guide. He is also ranked in the Criminal Defense and the Insolvency and Reorganization Law fields of The Best Lawyers in Puerto Rico guide. He has more than three decades of courtroom experience in numerous venues involving bankruptcy, medical malpractice, energy, telecommunications, internal company audits, and arbitration.

He has extensive experience in bids and procurement consulting and litigation representing companies in connection with government contracts for goods and services ranging from aircraft to voting machines.  In 2013, Mr. Arias-Larcada led the team that successfully negotiated a multi-million dollar sales contract for a new fleet of police helicopters. He also counsels engineering, project management and technology clients in government procurement of computer hardware and software for major infrastructure projects in Puerto Rico.

He regularly lectures and has published several articles on bankruptcy, restructuring and insolvency.  For the past 25 years he has given the bankruptcy bar review course sponsored by the Federal Bar Association of Puerto Rico.

Representative Cases

• Representation of creditors in PROMESA Title III debt restructuring cases of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, COFINA, the Puerto Rico Highway and Transportation Authority and the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority
• Lead counsel in procurement litigation representing project management proponents in Hurricane María’s disaster relief programs managed by the Puerto Rico Housing Department
• Lead counsel in procurement litigation related to inmate health services before the Puerto Rico Department of Corrections
• Consulting work for developer and builder of new healthcare facilities in Vieques post Hurricane María
• Lead counsel for aircraft owner and operator in wrongful death action by member of contracted ground crew
• Lead trial counsel for hospitality client securing dismissal of breach of contract lawsuit filed by evicted restaurant concessionaire
• Lead counsel in collections against municipalities and other third-party beneficiaries in Puerto Rico involving FEMA obligated funds.
• Lead trial counsel in multi-jurisdictional cannabis business shareholder dispute and related injunctive relief action.
• Litigation work and counseling for both sellers and buyers on issues related to luxury real estate transactions.
• Consulting work in negotiation of Third-Party Trustee contract with the Puerto Rico Department of Education related to administration of federal funds.
• Consulting work for automobile manufacturers in their relationships with Puerto Rico distributors ranging from shareholder disputes to legal advice in expansion and remodeling of sales and service infrastructure in compliance with dealer agreements.
• Representation of post-petition critical infrastructure contractor in administrative expense dispute with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority in the PROMESA restructuring case.
• Successful representation of stalking horse bidder in the acquisition in bankruptcy of all real estate assets, including the golf course and clubhouse, in the Trump Coco Beach Golf Club reorganization cas
• Representation of lender against the Metropolitan Bus Authority
• Counsel for the unsecured creditors committee in Farmacias El Amal bankruptcy
• Representation of critical vendors in Damas and Dr. Pila Hospital bankruptcy cases
• Management for the Puerto Rico Telephone Company of commercial bankruptcy work
• Representation of institutional lenders in the bankruptcy cases of Emérito Estrada Rivera, Charlie Auto Sales, Inc, Redondo Construction, Nutritional Resources d/b/a Pueblo Supermarkets and La Electrónica, Inc.
• Lead debtor counsel in the successful bankruptcy reorganization of a Ford-Lincoln car dealership with significant adjustment of pre-petition claims
• Representation of Pentagon Federal Credit Union, Mercedes Benz Financial Services, American Airlines Federal Credit Union, BMW of North America and Nextgear in workouts, repossessions, and bankruptcy cases
• Representation of supplier in bankruptcy case of former Jaguar distributor in Puerto Rico
• Jury trial counsel representing Volvo Car Corporation in a RICO and money laundering class action
• Jury trial defense counsel of healthcare providers in wrongful death litigation
• Plaintiffs’ jury trial counsel in age discrimination case
• Representation of BMW, Mitsubishi Motors and Ferrari in distribution disputes
• Defense of bank in multi-million dollar lender liability litigation in Arzuaga-Collazo v. Oriental Federal Savings Bank, 913 F.2d 5 (1st Cir. 1990)
• Representation of Bell Helicopter in contentious bid challenges involving government contracts for new helicopter fleet for the Puerto Rico Police Department
• After protracted litigation, dismissal with prejudice of commercial dispute against multinational Schlumberger Ltd. in relation to its installation and operation of an inmate public telephone network for the Corrections Administration
• Representation of suppliers in government bids related to alternative energy, inmate electronic monitoring devices, voting machines, transportation, internet solutions and public school renovation
• Successful bid defense in a multi-million dollar petroleum supply contract for the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority 
• Representation of student loan creditors in bankruptcy court

Practices

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