​HSSK Represents McKeen Law in High-Profile CUTPA Action Following Dissolution of Connecticut Trial Firm
08/05/2025Hurwitz Sagarin Slossberg & Knuff is representing McKeen Law LLC and its founders, Ryan and Allison McKeen, in a lawsuit filed in the Hartford Judicial District against Andrew Garza and his firm, Claggett Sykes & Garza LLC. The complaint alleges that Garza and his firm engaged in a pattern of unfair trade practices following the dissolution of Connecticut Trial Firm LLC, the personal injury firm the parties co-founded and operated together until spring 2024.
As reported in Law360, the case, McKeen Law LLC et al. v. Claggett Sykes & Garza LLC et al., centers on claims brought under the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act (CUTPA), including defamation, tortious interference with business expectancies, and unjust enrichment. The plaintiffs allege that after the firm’s breakup, Garza and his new firm carried out a deliberate effort to harm McKeen Law by misdirecting client communications, misrepresenting the McKeens’ professional reputation, and misappropriating the online presence of the former firm to boost their own standing.
The complaint also references a series of public misrepresentations, including alleged false online business reviews, misleading client referral practices, and altered email autoresponders that directed potential clients to Garza’s new firm while withholding the McKeens’ contact information.
On July 30, HSSK moved to disqualify Claggett Sykes & Garza from representing itself in the matter, noting that every attorney at the firm is a likely witness in the case.
The matter is pending in the Hartford Superior Court