Charles E. Vilaró-Valderrábano joined CCS in 2008 as an associate attorney and is a member of its Litigation Department. Prior to joining CCS, Mr. Vilaró worked in private practice and in the Puerto Rico Department of Justice’s Office of Federal and General Litigation where he represented government agencies and officials in civil and commercial cases, having also participated as first chair counsel in federal civil jury cases.

Mr. Vilaró has over ten years of litigation experience and concentrates his practice in the areas of creditors’ rights, securities litigation, and commercial litigation in both state and federal courts, agencies and before arbitration and mediation forums. Charles has represented and advised financial and banking institutions, private investors, secured and unsecured creditors and government instrumentalities on a broad range of insolvency and creditor/debtor rights issues arising as a result of corporate reorganizations, bankruptcy proceedings, foreclosure and collection suits, and commercial litigation. He has also advised and represented corporate entities in expropriation cases, successfully reaching favorable out of court settlements with public corporations.

Recently, Mr. Vilaró obtained a favorable judgment from the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico, in which said court vacated a decision issued by the Court of Appeals in an Act 95 (P.R. Real Estate Broker Law) case on due process grounds. Also, after being briefed by Mr. Vilaró, the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico recently issued certiorari in another case of first impression involving the litigious credit redemption doctrine as it intertwines with various sections of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. The Supreme Court’s opinion is still pending.

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Published Opinions:

• RL Partners, LLC v. Godwin Aldarondo Girald, et al., 2016 PR App. LEXIS 1711 (2016 - KLAN2015-01252). The Puerto Rico Court of Appeals upheld a judgment entered by the Court of First Instance of Aguadilla after a four (4) day trial, by which a money judgment was entered in favor of Mr. Vilaró’s client as well as a dismissal of the totality of defendants’ counterclaims and affirmative defenses.
• Scotiabank de P.R. v. Pormag Real Estate, et al., 2016 PR App. LEXIS 600 (P.R. Ct. App. Feb. 19, 2016). The Court of Appeals granted a Motion to Dismiss Appeal filed by Vilaró under the grounds that the filer (defendants) did not toll the time to file appeal due to a faulty notification of the Motion for Reconsideration they filed at the lower court.
• Scotiabank de P.R. v. Godwin Aldarond Girald, et al., 2014 PR App. LEXIS 3538 (P.R. Ct. App. Sept. 11, 2014). The Court of Appeals confirmed a Resolution entered by the Court of First Instance of Aguadilla, by which said court denied a request from defendants for the application of the litigious credit redemption (“retracto de crédito litigioso”) doctrine.
• Scotiabank de P.R. v. R.T.S.E., 2014 PR App. LEXIS 2471 (P.R. Ct. App. June 30, 2014). The Puerto Rico Court of Appeals confirmed a summary judgment entered by the Court of First Instance of Bayamón in favor of Mr. Vilaró’s client, granting all remedies requested in the Complaint, and dismissing with prejudice the totality of defendants’ counterclaims and affirmative defenses, including the doctrine of rebus sic stantibus and litigious credit redemption.
• Antilles Cement v. Hon. Luis Fortuño, et al., 670 F.3d 310 (1st Cir.2012) upheld the constitutionality of Act No. 109 approved by the Puerto Rico Legislature, on July 12, 1985, as amended, under the market participant exception of the Dormant Foreign Commerce Clause, the first time said exception has ever been applied in the United States under said clause;
• Plaza Realty of Rio Piedras, Inc. v. Selcer,  755 F.Supp.2d 376 (D. Puerto Rico  2010) the District Court ruled in favor of his client, determining that a forum selection clause was inapplicable and therefore the District Court had jurisdiction to rule on the merits of the case. The case was subsequently settled favorably for his client;
• Western Holding Group, Inc. v. The Mayagüez Port Commission, 611 F.Supp.2d 149 (2009) successfully representing the private administrator of the Port of Mayagüez in a week long injunction hearing before the District Court. The Court denied the injunctive relief requested by a port user;
• Marine Express, Inc., et al. v. Holland Group Port Investment (Mayagüez), Inc., 2010 WL 3724492 (TCA Núms. KLRA0900773; KLRA1000143; KLRA1000345; KLRA1000474) vacating multiple fines imposed by the Mayaguez Port Commission against the Port of Mayagüez’s Private Administrator, not recognizing the Port Commission as an administrative agency under the meaning of “administrative agency” found in the local Uniform Administrative Procedure Act;
• Holland Group Port Investment (Mayaguez), Inc. v. Comisión del Puerto de Mayagüez, 2009 WL 5947240 (TCA Núm. KLAN0901213) vacating additional and frivolous fines imposed by the Mayaguez Port Commission against the Port of Mayagüez’s Private Administrator, and not recognizing the Port Commission as an administrative agency capable of imposing fines under the definitions contained in the local Uniform Administrative Procedure Act.;
• Metro Holdings, Inc., et al. v. Banco Popular de Puerto Rico, Inc., et al., 2010 WL 3960730 (TCA Núm. KLCE201000820) vacating the Court of First Instance’s denial of the injunctive relief requested by his client under the Puerto Rico Letters of Credit Act;
• Estate of Radames Tejada v. Flores, 596 F.Supp.2d 205 (2009) denying a new trial motion filed by the plaintiff after successfully representing a police officer, as first chair counsel, in a week long contested jury trial before the District Court.

Practice Areas

Corporate and Commercial Litigation; Act 75 and Act 21 Distribution Litigation; Securities Litigation; Construction Law; Government Contracts; Collections and Foreclosures; Torts; Contractual Disputes; Maritime Law; Bankruptcy and Creditors’ Rights; Expropriations and Eminent Domain; Constitutional Law; Civil Rights Litigation; Administrative Law; Estate Law; Animal Rights.