Charles Malaret brings experience in insurance and prosecution of substantial claims to his litigation practice. Focusing on complex commercial and policyholder insurance coverage, Charles often serves as lead attorney. He has recovered more than $1 billion for clients, and has secured hundreds of millions of dollars in insurance assets through coverage-in-place agreements. Charles also successfully litigates noninsurance complex commercial matters, which have resulted in favorable multimillion-dollar verdicts, court decisions, and settlements for his clients.
In addition to assisting policyholders with insurance coverage and resolving pending claims, Charles advises clients on ways to obtain, maximize, and preserve their insurance assets. He also helps policyholders analyze risk, obtain proper coverage prior to loss, and obtain the benefits of coverage when a loss occurs.
As lead counsel to manufacturing, chemical, and consumer product companies in insurance coverage disputes, Charles has handled cases involving benzene, asbestos, dioxin, solvents, wood-preserving materials, and alleged contamination of soil, groundwater, and waterways. For pharmaceutical and medical device companies, he has provided advice on alleged product liability claims involving prescription drugs, vaccines, latex gloves, heart valves, and pain pumps.
Charles also counsels companies on insurance issues surrounding mergers, reorganizations, and bankruptcy proceedings to deal effectively with present and future catastrophic liabilities. On multiple occasions, he has been approved as special insurance counsel in bankruptcy proceedings, including in several cases where debtors have sought 524(g) protection under the bankruptcy code for asbestos liabilities.
As part of his complex litigation work in noninsurance matters, he has tried cases throughout California in state and federal courts to verdict. His successes include obtaining a multimillion-dollar judgment in a breach of contract/breach of lease case that was tried in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. He also successfully defended a utility company in a breach of contract and recession case in which the requested damages exceeded $40 million dollars.
Charles has handled cases and insurance claims throughout the United States and in Latin America.
INSURANCE
Insurance—Asbestos Coverage Matters
Insurance—Environmental, Toxic Tort Litigation and Medical Device Coverage Matters
Insurance—Directors’ & Officers, Errors & Omissions Coverage Matters
Insurance—Fidelity/Political Risk/International
COMMERCIAL LITIGATION
Member, Practice Group of the Year, Insurance, Law360 (2020)
Member, State Bar of California
Member, Central, Southern, Northern and Eastern Districts of U.S. District Courts of California
Member, Moot Court Board Recipient, National Moot Court Team and American Jurisprudence Award