Oreste Ricardo Ramos

Practice Areas

Litigation

Litigation and Arbitration

Antitrust

Dealer and Distribution

E-Discovery and ESI

Intellectual Property

Securities Litigation

Tax Litigation

Product Liability

Career

Mr. Ramos is a member of the firm and a former chair of its litigation practice group. He joined PMA in 2000 after clerking for Judge Jaime Pieras, Jr. at the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. His practice focuses primarily on complex commercial litigation in federal and state trial and appellate courts and arbitration tribunals and on counseling clients in managing legal risk. Many of his engagements involve handling business and contractual disputes, constitutional litigation, securities litigation, sales representative and dealer and distributor agreements, intellectual property, and employment law. He has represented clients in several class actions, ranging from Civil RICO to securities claims and mass tort suits.

During more than 20 years at PMA, he has tried numerous cases to a final judgment or award and has significant experience arguing cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and representing clients seeking or opposing the issuance of preliminary injunctions, temporary restraining orders and petitions for mandamus before the Puerto Rico Court of First Instance’s Extraordinary Remedies Courtroom in San Juan.

Since 2010 Chambers & Partners, in its Global and Latin America Editions, has listed Mr. Ramos as a leading individual for Dispute Resolution. Clients interviewed for the publication highlight the “quality of his work, the results he achieves, and the speed at which he provides solutions.” In addition, they describe him as “an excellent litigator with a great strategic mind,” “very thorough and very accessible,” “highly prepared and intelligent lawyer,” and “always a few steps ahead of what you ask him.” In 2023, Best Lawyers selected him as Lawyer of the Year in Arbitration and Mediation in San Juan.

Mr. Ramos belongs to several professional associations, including the Federal Bar Association, where he served as the Puerto Rico Chapter’s President from 2012-13 and the Vice President for the First Circuit for several years. He is a Life Fellow of the Foundation of the Federal Bar Association.

Publications

Litigation in Puerto Rico, Chambers Legal Practices Guide Litigation (2014, 2019 and 2020), co-contributor with Néstor M. Méndez

Business Operations in Puerto Rico, Bloomberg BNA (2012), Distributorship Agreements and Sales Representative Agreements, contributor

Copyright Litigation and Strategies (2016), chapter on Third Party Discovery, co-author with Luis R. Román.

Education

Work Highlights

- Lead counsel for a major fuel company in the largest mass tort action brought in Puerto Rico federal court.

- Lead counsel to the Puerto Rico Employee Retirement System in a case brought by a city government seeking to delay the payment of approximately $100 million in pay-go retirement benefits, prevailing in trial court and pending appeal.

- Lead counsel to the management company of an internationally renowned Latin urban recording artist in a case removed to federal court by an entity seeking a judgment for tens of millions of dollars for an alleged breach of contract claim.

- Represented and counseled numerous principals and distributors under Puerto Rico’s Law 75-1964.

- Represents a private chemical laboratory in the largest federal Civil RICO action brought in Puerto Rico related with the sale of fuel oil to the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority.

- Represents the Puerto Rico Fiscal Agency and Financial Advisory Authority in connection with several claims brought in connection with demands for information.

- Lead counsel to several clients challenging requests for proposal awards.

- Represents several government instrumentalities in connection with constitutional challenges.

- Represents the Government Development Bank for Puerto Rico in connection with claims brought by several municipalities and private entities.

- Represented the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority Restructuring Corporation in the first bond validation case brought in Puerto Rico.

- Represents broker-dealers in numerous FINRA arbitrations and mediations related to the purchase of Puerto Rico securities.

- Represented the University of Puerto Rico before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in the case that most recently interpreted the standard for 11th Amendment Immunity for instrumentalities of the state.

- Represented as lead counsel a major financial institution before the U.S. District Court and First Circuit against a former employee seeking to establish an equitable claim in connection with an ERISA plan. Authored the brief in opposition for the issuance of a writ of certiorari before the United States Supreme Court.

- Lead counsel for the University of Puerto Rico and its President in a preliminary injunction proceeding brought by two students claiming that the University’s decision to declare a five day recess constituted an unconstitutional prior restraint of speech. After an evidentiary hearing held the day after the case was filed, the Court denied the preliminary injunction and dismissed the complaint with prejudice.

- Lead counsel representing the owner of a major office building in San Juan in connection with a TRO and preliminary injunction request against hundreds of protesters.

- Lead counsel and successfully represented a title loan company in obtaining a TRO and a preliminary injunction against several former employees for breach of trade secrets and electronic misappropriation of information.

- Lead counsel in the successful representation of the Puerto Rico Fiscal Agency and Financial Advisory Authority in a declaratory judgment action in which the union of the Government Development Bank for Puerto Rico sought the PRFAFAA to be deemed as a successor employee.

- Represented a major worldwide media company in connection with a libel and slander case brought by a resident of Puerto Rico in federal court.

- As lead counsel successfully represented a major entertainment company in a copyright dispute brought in federal court by the purported author of the theme song of a soap opera that ran in numerous Latino markets.

- Represented a major fuel company in its challenge of a multimillion dollar business volume tax levied against it by a local city government.

- After a two week trial, obtained a favorable verdict in favor of a principal in a dispute brought by a distributor alleging that its rights as an exclusive distributor had been impaired.