Charles A. Valente

Phone
(312) 832-7890Fax
(312) 755-5720State University of New York, Stony Brook, New York, 1984, B.A.
Washington University School of Law, 1988, J.D.
Charles has successfully tried cases in the California, Connecticut, Florida, Virginia, and Illinois courts. He has a broad range of litigation experience that includes antitrust, securities, real estate, insurance coverage, consumer fraud, shareholder derivative claims, business valuation and partnership disputes, bankruptcy, and financial fraud. While an accomplished trial lawyer, Charlie has also obtained many victories by maneuvering the other side into settlements that achieve his client’s goals and minimize their costs.
Charlie is also an expert on the accessibility requirements for public accommodations arising under the Americans with Disabilities Act and various state accessibility laws. He has taken an active role in combating “drive-by” litigation under the disabilities laws by vigorously defending meritless claims and either prevailing at trial or forcing settlement.
Some of Charles' recent representations include:
- Obtained defense judgment in week-long federal jury trial in Virginia on behalf of national retailer in civil rights case brought on the basis of alleged disability.
- Obtained judgment – including punitive damages – in a two week federal court trial of fraud and alter ego claims under Tennessee law.
- Successfully defended suburban property owners’ association (both in the trial court and the appellate court) from injunctive claim seeking to prevent the association from dealing with overpopulation of wildlife on association property.
- Obtained a precedent-setting award of attorneys’ fees from advocacy group that financed itself through filing meritless disability claims.
- Obtained precedent-setting summary judgment in Seattle federal court upholding national retailer’s policy governing the admission of service animals to its premises.
- Obtained summary judgment in favor of national retailer and against disabled serial plaintiff who was alleging a failure to comply with accessibility standards based on plaintiff’s lack of standing.
- Obtained over $70M in property and business interruption insurance coverage settlement from three separate Lloyd’s syndicates and two different insurance brokers for damage suffered during a hurricane by a Caribbean hotel through multi-party mediation that resolved lawsuits pending in the Texas state courts and England.
- Obtained a TRO and then, succeeded after an evidentiary hearing in federal court, in enjoining the owner of a hydroelectric canal from running water through the canal due to potential subsidence in the canal walls which threatened the structural integrity of a neighboring factory.
- After a federal court receiver rejected a bidder for the assets of the receivership, tried a two week trial with no discovery which resulted in an award of over $200,000 in attorney’s fees for the bidder.
- Successfully tried international arbitration hearing on behalf of Illinois livestock breeder over the correct interpretation of a requirements contract against global livestock breeder resulting in substantial payment to Illinois breeder and favorable termination of requirements contract.