Bajo Cuva Cohen & Turkel, P.A.

Tony Cuva and Ken Turkel are shareholders of Bajo Cuva Cohen & Turkel, P.A.—a Tampa litigation firm—and have established their reputations on statewide, regional, and national levels as seasoned civil trial lawyers. 

Tony Cuva grew up on Anna Maria Island where he worked as a lifeguard and acquired a love for the Gulf of Mexico, spending his youth fishing, boating, surfing, sailing, and doing just about anything else involving water.  When he graduated from law school it was only natural that he chose Admiralty and Maritime law as a focus of his practice.  He received his B.A. from Fordham University in 1987, and his J.D. from New York Law School in 1991, after which he returned to Tampa to practice law.

Tony has tried a broad range of Admiralty and Maritime cases, from collisions involving significant oil spills to vessel warranty claims on large vessels for companies such as Rolls-Royce Commercial Marine, MTU, and Detroit Diesel.  He also has extensive experience trying traditional Jones Act Claims, maritime lien claims, and salvage claims.  In addition to his maritime law practice, Tony has also tried a wide range of business litigation disputes including a shareholder dispute in which he and Ken Turkel obtained a seven figure verdict at trial.

Tony sits on the board of the Port of Tampa Maritime Industries Association, Inc. and the American Victory Ship and is a licensed Coast Guard captain (OUPV).  When he is not working, Tony still loves being on the water, especially with his wife and three children.

Ken Turkel was born and raised in Tampa, graduating from Jesuit High School in 1982.  He went to Tulane University, receiving his Bachelor of Science in Management (Finance) in 1986.  He attended law school at Stetson University, and focused on trial advocacy in Stetson’s nationally recognized trial program.

Ken’s practice is focused on the prosecution and defense of complex business and civil litigation matters. He has tried numerous cases in state and federal court, representing clients in business and business tort cases, defamation and privacy torts, sports and entertainment litigation, intellectual property disputes, class actions, false claims cases, and shareholder/corporate disputes.

In March 2016, Ken and his partner Shane Vogt obtained the landmark $140,000,000 jury verdict in the Terry Bollea (p/k/a Hulk Hogan) v. Gawker Media case. He has continued to advocate for his clients’ privacy, speech and intellectual property rights in a number of other high profile cases, including prosecuting false advertising claims against Warner Brothers arising from the film “War Dogs”, bringing defamation claims on behalf of Sarah Palin against the New York Times, and defending acclaimed recording artist Kid Rock against trademark infringement  claims.

Throughout his career Ken has been active in bar service, and was President of the Hillsborough County Bar Association from 2009-2010. Outside of work, he loves following local high school football and is a die-hard Bucs, Lightning and Rays fan. To get some relief from the daily rigors of a busy trial practice, he plays drums for the Little Kintner Boys, a classic rock band in Tampa.

Both Tony and Ken are recognized by national organizations such as Chambers USA, Best Lawyers in America and Florida Legal Elite, and have received numerous other accolades for their work as trial lawyers.

 

100 N. Tampa St., Suite 1900, Tampa, FL 33602 |  P: 813-443-2199  |  www.bajocuva.com