Charles C. Platt

Partner

Partner-in-Charge, New York Office

charles.platt@wilmerhale.com

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7 World Trade Center
250 Greenwich Street
New York, New York 10007 Map
+1 212 230 8860 (t)
+1 212 230 8888 (f)

Charles Platt is a leading commercial litigator, recognized nationally for his work defending financial services and insurance companies. He is the partner-in-charge of the firm's New York office.

Mr. Platt has extensive experience in a wide variety of civil litigation matters, ranging from securities fraud and ERISA class actions to disputes regarding hedge fund management and bond indentures. He has defended numerous companies in national class actions regarding investment and retirement products, including cases challenging compensation arrangements and fees that give rise to breach of fiduciary duty and prohibited transaction claims. He has successfully tried cases raising breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract, tortious interference, fraudulent conveyance, business valuation, indemnification, preliminary injunction, franchise termination, employment, bankruptcy and other commercial issues.

Honors & Awards

Recognized for exceptional standing in the legal community for his general commercial litigation practice in the 2006-2015 editions of Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business
Selected by peers for inclusion in the 2006-2018 editions of the Best Lawyers in America for insurance law
Named a "New York Super Lawyer" in 2011-2017 for his work as a leading commercial litigator
Selected as a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, a peer-nominated, invitation only Trial Lawyer Honorary Society

Publications & News

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October 2, 2017	Life and Annuity Series: Cost-of-Insurance Charge Litigation – October 2017 Update Four recent cost of insurance (COI) decisions were handed down over the summer of 2017. Three of these decisions preserved the plaintiffs' claims, even though the insurers had the express contractual right to increase COI charges for a number of different reasons. The fourth decision provides support for some defenses in these cases.
August 31, 2017	WilmerHale Renews Partnership With Alliance for Downtown New York WilmerHale has signed on for a sixth year of its partnership with the Alliance for Downtown New York and will remain the co-presenting sponsor, along with the Downtown Alliance, of the business district's free Wi-Fi program.
August 16, 2017	WilmerHale Lawyers Named Among the 2018 Best Lawyers in America®, Nine Recognized as Lawyers of the Year Best Lawyers in America®—the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal industry—recognizes 107 WilmerHale lawyers and names nine partners as Lawyers of the Year in its 24th edition.
June 13, 2017	WilmerHale Represents Hilton in Exclusive Co-Branded Credit Card Partnership Agreement With American Express WilmerHale client Hilton announced that American Express has been selected as the exclusive issuer for Hilton Honors co-branded credit cards in the United States, beginning January 1, 2018.
November 23, 2016	WilmerHale Team Wins Precedent-Setting Third Circuit Bankruptcy Case In a unanimous decision, a panel of the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit held that holders of first-lien notes represented by the firm were entitled to a make-whole payment that could amount to approximately $431 million, together with interest.
November 7, 2016	Life and Annuity Series: Focus on 403(b) Annuity Sales Practices The New York Times has been running articles sharply critical of annuities, especially 403(b) annuities sold to teachers.
August 15, 2016	WilmerHale Lawyers Named Among the 2017 Best Lawyers in America®, Six Recognized as Lawyers of the Year Best Lawyers in America®—a respected peer-review publication in the legal industry—recognizes 101 WilmerHale lawyers and names six partners as Lawyers of the Year in its 23rd edition.
July 15, 2016	Life and Annuity Series: Class Certified in an ERISA “Unreasonable Compensation” Case The Colorado federal court concluded last summer, in Teets v. Great-West Life & Ann. Ins. Co., that an insurer could be subject to ERISA liability for receiving unreasonable compensation in connection with a stable value fund, and that the fund was not exempt from ERISA as a “guaranteed benefit policy.”
July 12, 2016	WilmerHale Extends Sponsorship, Joins Alliance for Downtown New York’s Board of Directors The firm's New York office has bolstered its ties with the Alliance for Downtown New York, a nonprofit organization that promotes and supports businesses in Lower Manhattan.
April 19, 2016	The Price Of Mortality: Cost-Of-Life-Insurance Cases In this article published by Law360, Charles Platt outlines the most recent cases where plaintiff lawyers have challenged cost-of-insurance charges, with mixed results.

Speaking Engagements

July 11-13, 2018	ACLI 2018 Compliance & Legal Sections Annual Meeting	White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia
April 9-11, 2018	ACLI's 2018 Life Insurance Conference – Innovation in Insurance: New Tools for an Old Industry	Chicago, Illinois
October 15-18, 2017	2017 Society of Actuaries Annual Meeting & Exhibit	Boston, Massachusetts
February 18, 2015	Ethics for Corporate Lawyers: Multijurisdictional Practice and Other Current Issues	New York, New York
April 16, 2014	Practising Law Institute: Ethics for Commercial Litigators 2014	New York, New York
February 19, 2014	Ethics for Corporate Lawyers: Multijurisdictional Practice and Other Current Issues 2014	New York, New York

Recent Highlights

Mr. Platt is currently representing companies in shareholder derivative, securities, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, and ERISA class actions, as well as companies in the LIBOR litigation and in the Madoff-related cases. His recent appellate experience includes victories in the Ninth Circuit, Fourth Circuit, Fifth Circuit and Sixth Circuit in class actions alleging fraud in connection with the sale of financial and retirement products. His recent trials have litigated breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract, fraudulent conveyance, and indemnification issues.

Professional Activities

Mr. Platt serves on the board of directors of the Downtown Alliance and the Legal Aid Society. He is also a member of the board of advisors for the Center for Civil Justice Reform at New York University School of Law. In 1992, Mr. Platt was appointed as Special Assistant United States Attorney for the Banca Nazionale del Lavoro ("Iraqgate") Investigation by the US Department of Justice.