Ms. Smith-Miró has over 10 years of experience in litigation and counseling with respect to a wide range of subjects, including torts, commercial disputes, labor and employment, fraud, breach of contract and bad faith claims, insurance coverage disputes, first party property claims, regulation and compliance, and wrongful death claims.
Ms. Smith-Miró has represented her varied clientele in local and federal court, as well as administrative and regulatory agencies such as Puerto Rico’s Department of Labor, Department of Consumer Affairs, Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline, and Office of the Commissioner of Insurance. Moreover, she has handled cases through all stages of the litigation process. Accordingly, she is vastly experienced in devising strategies for and representing clients in hearings, depositions, mediations, trials, and appeals processes.
In a case were the main plaintiff alleged quadriplegia as a result of shellfish poisoning, Ms. Smith-Miró obtained summary judgment in favor of her client, the insurer of a seafood importer, by arguing that plaintiffs could not prove the requisite causal nexus between the importation of shrimp and the alleged injuries. See González Cabán v. JR. Seafood Inc., 14-1507 (GAG) (D.P.R. 2019), aff’d sub nom. González Cabán v. JR. Seafood Inc., 48 F.4th 10 (1st Cir. 2022).
In another federal case, Ms. Smith-Miró was part of the defense team that procured the dismissal of survivorship action for lack of jurisdiction. In so doing, she persuaded the Court that 2 of the subject estate’s heirs, who were not named as plaintiffs, were indispensable parties, and that the fact that they resided in Puerto Rico defeated complete diversity. See Delgado v. Dorado Health, Inc., 14-1735 (GZS) (D.P.R. 2017).
Ms. Smith-Miró’s litigation experience also includes 3 wins at trial in the 2015-2018 period, in cases regarding casualty and medical malpractice. More recently, in representation of a national insurance company, she secured the settlement of 2 multi-million-dollar Hurricane María first party property claims presented by insured municipalities, which encompassed over 200 insured locations.
Ms. Smith-Miró is also knowledgeable in the evaluation of tort liabilities. To that end, she frequently works in collaboration with insurance claims handling teams, in-house legal and finance teams, and third-party consultants. She enjoys guiding clients with a practical approach towards effective solutions, channeling her analytical style to highlight the strengths of their cases.
Ms. Smith-Miró is a Junior Partner at SCVR. She joined the firm in 2019. Previously, Ms. Smith-Miró focused her practice on labor and employment law, torts, and medical malpractice defense, including both physician and hospital liability.