Charles E. Davidow

A partner in the Litigation Department and co-chair of the Securities Litigation and Enforcement Group, Charles E. Davidow focuses his practice on securities enforcement proceedings, corporate internal investigations and private securities litigation and arbitration. Chuck has extensive experience representing board committees, institutions and individuals in connection with investigations, litigation and SEC enforcement proceedings under the federal securities laws. He also represents issuers of securities and their officers and directors, as well as financial services firms and accounting firms, in class action and shareholder derivative litigation.

Experience

Chuck is currently representing parties in numerous lawsuits and regulatory investigations under the federal securities laws. These include matters involving accuracy of disclosures and financial reporting, practices relating to auction rate securities, hedge fund losses, foreign exchange transactions and losses suffered by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. He has also represented parties in investigations into possible foreign corrupt practices.

Chuck has represented special board committees conducting investigations of financial misconduct at Enron and WorldCom, along with numerous other companies. He has conducted internal investigations of subjects including stock options backdating, use of special purpose entities, revenue recognition, timing of expenses and quality of corporate governance.

Chuck has represented companies and individuals in SEC and other regulatory investigations into most of the major Wall Street controversies of the last 30 years, including the insider trading scandal involving Ivan Boesky and others, the Salomon Brothers Treasury Auction scandal, the failure of Long-Term Capital Management, the collapses of Enron and WorldCom, and cases involving allegations of mutual fund market timing, stock options backdating and numerous less publicized inquiries.

He has represented financial institutions, accounting firms, corporations, and corporate officers and directors in defending class actions and shareholder derivative actions. In recent years, courts have granted motions to dismiss or for summary judgment in the following cases in which he represented moving defendants:

• In re Pfizer Inc. Securities Litigation, No. 04 Civ. 9866 (LTS), 2014 WL 3291230 (S.D.N.Y. July 8, 2014);
• Rentokil - Initial Pension Scheme v. Citigroup, Inc., No. 12 Civ. 6653 (SHS), 2014 WL 470894 (S.D.N.Y. Feb 6, 2014);
• Cucinotta v. Deloitte & Touche, L.L.P., 302 P. 3d 1099 (Nev. 2013);
• In re Citigroup Auction Rate Securities Litigation, No. 08 Civ. 3095 (LTS), 2011 WL 744745 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 1, 2011), aff'd, 471 Fed. Appx. 30 (2012);
• In re Fannie Mae 2008 Securities Litigation, 742 F. Supp. 2d 382 (S.D.N.Y. 2010);
• ECA Acquisitions, Inc. v. MAT Three LLC, 09 Civ. 590 (S.D.N.Y. Apr. 13, 2010);
• Mayor and City of Baltimore, Maryland et al., v. Citigroup, Inc., et al., No. 08 Civ. 7746 (BSJ), 2010 WL 430771 (S.D.N.Y. Jan. 26, 2010), aff'd, 709 F. 3d 129 (2d Cir. 2013).

Chuck speaks regularly on topics relating to corporate governance, on regulatory and litigation aspects of the credit market crisis, and on lessons to be drawn from the corporate scandals of recent years. He was named by Washingtonian Magazine as one of its top securities enforcement lawyers in DC (2009-2014) and he has been recognized by Chambers USA as one of the country's leading lawyers in Securities Regulation/Enforcement (2008-2015), by Benchmark Litigation as a National securities and DC litigation "Star" (2009-2016) and a Tier 1 individual nationally for Securities Litigation, by his peers for The Best Lawyers in America in securities litigation and securities regulation (2011-2015), by The Legal 500 in Financial Services: Litigation and Securities: Shareholder Litigation (2012-2014), and by Super Lawyers as a DC securities litigator (2010-2014).

Chuck served as editor and treasurer of the Harvard Law Review.

Practices

• Litigation
• Anti-Corruption & FCPA
• Internal Investigations
• Professional Liability
• Securities Litigation
• White Collar Crime & Regulatory Defense
  

Education

• J.D., Harvard Law School, 1979
• magna cum laude
• B.A., Amherst College, 1976
  magna cum laude

Clerkship

• Hon. Walter R. Mansfield, U.S. Court of Appeals, 2nd Circuit

Bar Admissions

• New York
• District of Columbia

See Library Tab for articles, publications and presentations by Charles Davidow