Erika L. Amarante
Erika Amarante is a Partner in the firm's Litigation Department. She represents hospitals, physicians, and other health care providers in cases alleging professional negligence, lack of informed consent, or negligent credentialing. She has extensive experience in defending claims of wrongful death, birth trauma, delayed diagnosis of cancer, and brain injuries, as well as the catastrophic injuries that often arise in such claims. Erika also has served in a claims management position, setting reserves and valuing cases. She regularly counsels health care providers on issues of liability and risk-reduction strategies. Erika has tried cases to verdict and recently secured a defense judgment after a bench trial in a case alleging lack of informed consent, and a directed verdict in a jury trial in a medical negligence case.
In addition to health care litigation, Erika's practice includes litigation, arbitration, and counseling on a wide variety of complex commercial and civil litigation issues. A seasoned franchise litigator, Erika has arbitrated and litigated dozens of franchise cases and has been chosen by her peers for listing in The Best Lawyers in America in the Franchise category. Erika has extensive experience in litigating environmental disputes in state and federal courts. She also regularly counsels the firm's clients on the requirements of federal and state antitrust law.
Erika serves on the Board of Directors of the Connecticut Defense Lawyers Association and on the Executive Committee of the Connecticut Bar Association's Litigation Section. She was Editor-in-Chief at the Connecticut Bar Journal from 2010 to 2013 and is a James W. Cooper Fellow of the Connecticut Bar Foundation.
Erika received her J.D. cum laude from New York University School of Law, where she was Editor-in-Chief at the Environmental Law Journal. After law school, Erika served as law clerk to Justice Richard N. Palmer and Justice Francis M. McDonald on the Connecticut Supreme Court and later served as Executive Assistant to Chief Justice Francis M. McDonald on the Connecticut Supreme Court. Erika received a B.A. with distinction from Cornell University in 1995.
New Haven, Connecticut 06508-1832