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Meet Our Professionals

Charles E. Raynal IV

Partner
Raleigh | 919.835.4511
Fax | 919.834.4564

Charles Raynal represents public and private companies and individuals in high stakes lawsuits throughout the United States. He has represented clients across many industries, including health care, financial services, securities, manufacturing, energy, public utilities, technology, real estate, and insurance. Charles has tried cases in federal and state courts, arbitrations, and government agency proceedings. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

Charles has successfully defended clients in class action lawsuits and multidistrict cases. These cases have included securities disputes, consumer class actions, products liability, and financial services litigation. Along with other Parker Poe colleagues, he currently serves as national counsel for chemical manufacturing companies in multidistrict litigation involving over 10,000 lawsuits and aqueous film forming foam PFAS claims.

Charles regularly defends public companies and their directors and officers, broker-dealers, and investment companies in a variety of cases alleging financial fraud, including purported violations of federal and state securities laws, Ponzi scheme lawsuits, FINRA arbitrations, and investment class actions.

Charles has litigated a range of unfair competition, intellectual property, and noncompete disputes. These cases have included alleged violations of state and federal trade secrets acts, copyright claims, claims under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, claims under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, and federal and state antitrust and unfair competition claims.

Charles also has significant experience representing clients in high stakes real estate disputes. He has tried and handled appeals in multimillion-dollar real estate cases. He has represented public utilities and municipalities in large eminent domain projects, and he has tried numerous real estate tax cases.

Representative Experience

  • Served as lead trial counsel in four-week federal jury trial, which included successful defense of trade secrets claim and alleged $400 million claim under Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and obtained counterclaim verdict for unfair and deceptive trade practices. Philips Medical Systems Nederland B.V. v. Transtate Equipment Company, Inc. (May 1, 2023). 
  • Successfully defended broker-dealer and Fortune 500 insurance company in over 120 claims relating to an alleged Ponzi scheme, including obtaining summary judgment in certain cases and successful resolution of other cases in connection with U.S. Bankruptcy Court and North Carolina Business Court proceedings (1999 to 2022).
  • Along with other Parker Poe colleagues, defeated motion for certification of nationwide class of millions of potential class members in health care pricing case (2023).
  • Serves as national counsel for two defendant chemical manufacturing companies in multidistrict litigation for aqueous film forming foam PFAS claims in the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina.
  • Served as national defense counsel in class action lawsuits asserting claims for consumer protection, fraud, civil conspiracy, and civil RICO, among others, and pending in more than 10 jurisdictions. See, e.g., Petruzzo v. Nat’l Union Fire Ins. Co. of Pittsburgh, PA, No. 5:12-CV-113-FL (E.D.N.C. May 22, 2015); Watson v. Nat’l Union Fire Ins. Co. of Pittsburgh, Pa., No. CIV.A. 14-1312 (E.D. La. Sept. 29, 2015).
  • Successfully defended a financial institution and its officers and directors in a putative class action lawsuit in federal court in South Carolina asserting breach of fiduciary duty claims and violations of the securities laws (2014).
  • Obtained $18.79 million federal court judgment, affirmed by the Fourth Circuit, on behalf of a global agrochemical company and against a Class I railroad company in a real estate and contract dispute. PCS Phosphate Company, Inc. v. Norfolk Southern Railway Company, Nos. 08-1266, 08-1285 (4th Cir. 2009).
  • Obtained a dismissal with prejudice of Rule 10b-5 securities claims asserted in a putative class action against a “Big Four” accounting firm. See In re aaiPharma Securities Litigation, 521 F.Supp.2d 507 (E.D.N.C. 2007).
  • Secured multiple defense verdicts for broker-dealers and financial institutions in arbitration proceedings, including in alleged $8 million wrongful termination, breach of contract, and defamation claim in a FINRA arbitration proceeding.
  • Represented banks, insurance companies, and other Fortune 500 companies in a range of business disputes that include Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) cases, unfair and deceptive trade practice cases, trade secret cases, and other business torts.
  • Represented companies and their officers and directors in litigation involving investment matters including private placement securities offerings.

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Honors & Awards

  • American College of Trial Lawyers, Fellow
  • The Best Lawyers in America in Commercial Litigation, Real Estate Law, 2013-2025
  • Benchmark Litigation, Future Star in North Carolina, 2015-2025
  • Triangle Business Journal's 40 Under 40, 2013
  • North Carolina Super Lawyers, 2023-2024; Rising Star, 2009-2013, 
  • Business North Carolina magazine's "Legal Elite" in Litigation, 2012; Young Guns, 2009
  • Martindale-Hubbell AV® Preeminent™ in Business Litigation; Real Estate Litigation; Arbitration; Eminent Domain; Property Tax; Government
  • Order of the Barristers

Memberships

  • North Carolina Bar Association, Board of Governors, 2019-2022; Executive Committee, 2019-2022
  • North Carolina Bar Foundation, Board of Directors, 2019-2022; Executive Committee, 2019-2022
  • Wake Forest University School of Law, Board of Visitors, 2019-present