C. Vincent LoCurto Esq.
Mr. LoCurto has practiced law successfully in Florida as a sole practitioner for more than twenty (20) years. He is a highly skilled litigator and trial attorney and has handled a wide variety of commercial and civil litigation matters from standard to complex. Mr. LoCurto provides aggressive and personalized legal representation to both businesses and individuals. Mr. LoCurto won a multi-million dollar jury verdict in favor of his client “Goodfellas Italian Restaurant” located in Boca Raton, Florida. The large verdict totaling $2.1 Million Dollars included $800,000 in compensatory damages plus $1.2M in punitive damages in complex commercial case which gained significant newspaper coverage in South Florida. After Fourth District Court of Appeals erroneously reversed the large jury verdict, upon Mr. LoCurto’s petition for certiorari review, the Florida Supreme Court reversed that decision and reinstated as much of the verdict as it was legally authorized to reverse. The Supreme Court’s decision in favor of Mr. LoCurto’s client, PNR, Inc. created important and lasting legal precedent in favor of Florida consumers. The case took an incredible 13 years to make its way through the appellate courts and although his client could not afford to pay his attorney’s fees for the appeal, Mr. LoCurto refused to abandon his client or their cause and ultimately prevailed on the merits which lead to a negotiated settlement.
After moving to Tallahassee in 2010 to start a family, Mr. LoCurto's expanded his practice to include Plaintiffs/Employee labor and employment discrimination and retaliation cases in both state and federal courts including: Race, Age, Gender, Religion, Nat'l Orig., and Disability Discrimination. In 2014 Mr. LoCurto obtained a published opinion from the First District Court of Appeals in Tallahassee which reversed the Public Employees Relations Commission in his client's favor finding that his career service position had been unlawfully terminated by the Fla. Dept. of Transportation. Over the past 7 years he has prosecuted dozens of employment discrimination, sexual harassment and whistleblower cases against employers who violated federal or state law by unlawfully dismissing Mr. LoCurto's client from employment and has thereby obtained hundreds of thousands of dollars in negotiated settlements for his clients.
In addition to his superior trial skills, Mr. LoCurto is an accomplished appellate practitioner. He is among the youngest Florida Attorneys to brief, argue and win a case before the Florida Supreme Court. The Supreme Court’s decision in PNR v. Beacon Property Mgmt., Inc., 842 So.2d 773 (Fla. 2003), which reversed the Fourth District Court of Appeals in Mr. LoCurto’s client’s favor, remains one of the most significant opinions handed down by the Florida Supreme Court in the area of Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices. Winning the PNR case before the Florida Supreme Court landed Mr. LoCurto on the “front page” of the Broward Daily Business Review in the Spring of 2003. Mr. LoCurto is licensed to practice in Federal and State Courts throughout Florida.
Areas of Practice
- Construction Litigation
- Employment
- Consumer Protection
- Business Litigation
- Personal Injury
Litigation Percentage
- 85% of Practice Devoted to Litigation
Bar Admissions
- Florida, 1994
- U.S. District Court Northern District of Florida, 2011
- U.S. District Court Middle District of Florida, 2007
- U.S. District Court Southern District of Florida, 1996
- U.S. Court of Appeals 11th Circuit, 1996
Education
- New York Law School, New York, New York
- J.D. - 1993
- Honors: Moot Court Board
- Fordham University, Bronx, New York
- B.S. - 1990
- Major: Psychology
- Minor: Economics
Representative Cases
- PNR vs. Beacon Property Mgmt., 842 So.2d 773 (Fla. 2003) (Fla. Sup. Ct. 2003)
- Moyer v. Fla. Dept. of Transportation, 130 So.3d 283 (Fla. 1st DCA 2014)
- Beacon Property Management, Inc. vs. PNR, Inc., 890 So.2d 274 (Fla. 4th DCA 2005)
- Shu Lin Hsu Wu v. Fla. Dept. of Envtl. Prot, 171 So.3d 707 (Fla. 1st DCA 2015)
- Wessner vs. Fla. Reemployment Assistance Appeals Comm’n, 122 So.3d 872 (Fla. 1st DCA 2013)
- Beacon Property Management vs. PNR, Inc., 785 So.2d 564 (Fla. 4th DCA 2001)
Representative Clients
- Great Southern Demolition, Inc.
- AB&B Electrical Contractors, Inc.
- Parker Brothers Roofing
- Parkway Wrecker Service, Inc.
- Wall St. Pizza, LLC
References
- Kenneth Wayne Sukhia, Esq.
- Brent Dickson
- Richard A. Miller
Honors and Awards
- Florida Lawyers Assistance, Volunteer of the Year
Professional Associations and Memberships
- Tallahassee Bar Association, Member, 2011 - Present
- Labor and employment Section, Fla. Bar, Member, 2013 - Present
- Fla. Bar Appellate Practice Section, Fla. Bar. , 2008 - Present
- Fla. Bar, Labor & Employment Section Member, Member, 2015 - Present
- Federalist Society, Member
Pro Bono Activities
- ABA/Fla. Bar, Free Legal Answers, 2018 - Present
- Legal Services of North Florida, 2011 - 2016
- Florida Lawyers Assistance, Inc., 2010 - Present
Languages
- English (Primary)
- Italian