NEW YORK
dvega@tktrial.com
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Dennis E. Vega

Partner

Mr. Vega focuses his practice in areas of product liability, asbestos, environmental and toxic tort, and healthcare litigation. He is an experienced litigation and trial attorney representing clients in high stakes and sophisticated product liability, toxic tort, maritime, wrongful death, personal injury and premises liability cases in state and federal court.

Mr. Vega serves as national, regional or local counsel for various global industrial equipment manufacturers, distributors and contractors in the power, oil, chemical, railroad and automotive industries. He also counsels corporate clients and scientists on selecting products suitable for laboratory testing to develop sophisticated exposure modeling for litigation and trial purposes. Mr. Vega’s defense work includes coordinating with distinguished scientific and medical expert witnesses and serving as lead counsel in various state and federal coordinated proceedings, including New York City Asbestos Litigation (NYCAL) and Multi-District Litigation (MDL).

Mr. Vega has also represented leading New York area teaching hospitals and public hospitals, as well as their affiliated doctors and other healthcare practitioners.

Mr. Vega is admitted to practice law in New York and is admitted to appear before the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as the U.S. District Court for the Southern, Eastern, Northern and Western Districts of New York. He is also admitted in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the U.S. Court of Appeals (3rd Circuit).

While attending law school, Mr. Vega was the executive editor of the Cardozo Women’s Law Journal and represented the school on its trial team in national competitions. He began his career at the Bronx District Attorney’s Office where he earned assignment to the Trial Bureau and investigated, prosecuted and tried several capital cases. He is fluent in Spanish.

  • Alford v. CBS Corp. (S.D.N.Y., March 8, 2018) – federal officer removal statute overrides the Jones Act removal prohibition.
  • Fordham v. Asbeka Industries, (S.D.N.Y., April 25, 2012) – denying plaintiff’s motion to remand based on government contractor defense.
  • Lyautey v. Alfa Laval, Inc., (E.D. Pa., March 19, 2012) – granting equipment manufacturer’s motion for summary judgment based on lack of causation (de minimis exposure).
  • Floyd v. Air & Liquid Systems Corp., (E.D. Pa., February 9, 2012) – equipment manufacturer is not liable for harms arising from any product that it did not manufacture or supply (Bare-Metal Defense).
  • Conner v. Alfa Laval, Inc., 842 F.Supp.2d 791 (E.D. Pa., 2011) – manufacturer is not liable for design defect or failure to warn of dangers caused by products incorporated into its equipment that it did not manufacture or distribute (Bare-Metal Defense).
  • Conner v. Alfa Laval, Inc., 799 F.Supp.2d 455 (E.D. Pa., 2011) – maritime/admiralty jurisdiction applies to U.S. Navy sailors.
  • Plaintiffs v. Major Equipment Manufacturer (January 2011) – defense verdict after jury trial in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
  • Hagen v. Benjamin Foster Co., 739 F.Supp.2d 770 (E.D. Pa., 2010) – denying plaintiff’s motion for remand based on government contractor defense.
  • “Do All Parties Appearing at a Remote Deposition Consent to Its Recording?” New York Law Journal, December 2021
  • "Lasting Litigations Trends of COVID-19" CLE panel, Hispanic National Bar Association/Vision in Action Annual Convention, September 2021
  • “Assessing Changes To The Jones Act Litigation Landscape,” Law360, March 2018
  • “The Red Flags Indicating You Have Retained a Bad Expert., Hispanic National Bar Association/Vision in Action Annual Convention, September 2016
  • “The Basics of Deposing the Navy or Shipbuilding Plaintiff,” DALS, June 2016
  • “Complex Litigation: Preparing and Defending the High Stakes Case,” HNBA Corporate Counsel Conference, March 2012
  • “U.S. Navy and Equipment Cases – What is the Current State of the Law?” Perrin Conference, December 2011
  • “A Discussion of Other Cancers, Other Causes and What the Future Holds,” DRI Asbestos Medicine Seminar, November 2011
  • “Effective Collaboration with Outside Counsel in Complex Litigation,” HNBA Corporate Counsel Conference, March 2011
  • J.D. (1997) Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University
  • B.A. (1994) Queens College – CUNY, with honors