Charles E. Elder

Listed in Southern California Super Lawyers, Los Angeles Honored as an “Attorney for Justice” by the Tennessee Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission, 2022 Pro Bono Law Firm of the Year Award, L.A. Center for Law Justice Successfully represented a group of investors in a week-long bench trial regarding a disputed proxy fight to obtain control of a real estate investment company. The court ruled in our clients’ favor in all respects and held that they had been duly elected by a majority of the investors to take over management of the company. Represented publicly traded petroleum exploration and development company, and its directors and officers, in shareholder class and derivative actions arising from its sponsorship and management of oil and gas limited partnerships. Secured dismissal of the key fiduciary duty claims and settled case on terms highly favorable to the clients. Secured a seven-figure “courthouse steps” settlement on the first day of a jury trial, on behalf of the founder of a start-up company in a dispute regarding a merger of that company. Won a judgment of dismissal in a federal securities class action brought against a well-known, publicly traded electric car company, challenging its statements regarding the safety of its flagship performance electric sedan. The court held that the company’s statements about the car’s safety were neither false nor misleading. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously affirmed the judgment. Won a judgment of dismissal in a federal securities class action against a publicly traded agricultural and food packaging company in which the court rejected the plaintiffs' claims that the company intentionally applied the wrong accounting treatment to an earnout provision in a merger agreement. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously affirmed the judgment. Successfully represented the former chairman and CEO of a well-known mortgage lending company in multiple matters — including a civil suit brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, shareholder class actions and consumer lawsuits —arising from the well-publicized disruption of the mortgage banking industry in 2007-2008. Served as a senior member of the team that successfully obtained the settlement of all claims against the client in the shareholder class actions without any personal contribution and the settlement of the SEC's lawsuit on terms widely lauded by the media as favorable to the client.  Represented the officers and directors of a prominent hotel chain in a securities class action arising from a major construction project in Las Vegas. Obtained a settlement of all claims without any personal contribution by the clients. Defending a developer of plasma-based rocket technology and in-space transfer and service vehicles in various shareholder lawsuits in California and Delaware. Defending the majority investor in a closely held AI/software company in shareholder litigation brought by company’s cofounder and former CEO.