150 South Wacker Dr., Suite 2300
Chicago, Illinois 60606
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Email pcharnetzki@natomapartners.com
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For more than 30 years, Paul has performed demanding forensic accounting, financial, economic, and statistical analyses and presented these to a variety of audiences including juries, judges, arbitration panels, and subject matter experts. He has assisted counsel both as a consultant and as an expert in litigation matters involving a range of issues inclusive of damages assessment, valuation, market analysis, and application of accounting and auditing principles.

Before joining Natoma Partners, Paul was a partner Grant Thornton LLP in their disputes practice. Prior to that he was a founder and managing director at Huron Consulting Group, where he provided dispute and investigation services. Paul began his career at Arthur Andersen, where he was a partner and led the central region litigation practice.

Representative examples of Paul’s engagement experience include the following:

Financial

• Special Purpose Accounts Receivable Corporation and Canadian Imperial Bank & Commerce vs. Prime One Capital, LLC, Signature Automotive Group Inc. and Thomas Borzilleri – testified for CIBC as to damages from fraud conducted by defendants. Defendant had diverted funds meant to repay rental car financing.
• Member of the Huron’s Forensic Accounting Investigative team that assisted the select committee of the Board of Fannie Mae in its investigation of accounting matters.
• Conticommodity Services vs. Prescott Ball and Turben - Explained to a jury how a broker in Houston used ‘paper’ trades, prearranged trades and the late allocation of trades to move cash to favored customers, his relatives and himself. A Houston jury returned a $100 million judgment against a brokerage firm who facilitated the fraud.
• In re: Soybean Futures Litigation – testified on Ferruzzi’s behalf in administrative proceedings alleging market misconduct. Damages expert in follow-on class actions.
• Consulted on mispricing of options, mortgage backed securities, improper trading and improper handling of customer accounts.
• Consulted with international bank on valuation of hedge fund client.

International

• Oceanic Bank and Trust Limited vs. MJ Select Global Limited – testified in the Bahamas Supreme Court Law and Equity division as to damages resulting from the failure of a hedge fund.
• Consulted with Bermudan administrator as to measures of damages from the failure of a hedge fund.
• Kuwait Public Authority for the Assessment of Compensation – supervised damage claims for over 100 Kuwaiti companies damaged by the Iraqi invasion and occupation.

Telecommunications

• PenneCom B.V. vs. Elektrim S.A. - testified in ICC arbitration for Elektrim on disputes arising from the failed acquisition of a Polish telecommunications company.
• Telstra Corporation Limited vs. AADT Limited – consulted with Telstra on the resale of telecommunication services.
• Consulted with a state owned telecommunications carrier in Central America as to privatization.
• Teleglobe vs. BCE – deposed and testified for Teleglobe as to damages arising from BCE’s decision not to fund.
• US WATS vs. AT&T – testified as to damages under communications act and antitrust laws.
• Cingular Wireless vs. Platnumtel – deposed as to damages in reseller case.

Insolvency and Bankruptcy

• In re Petters Company, Inc. – testified on issues involving substantive consolidation.
• Grede as Trustee for Sentinel vs. Bank of New York Mellon – deposed and filed affidavit with the court as to collateral for loan agreements.
• In re: Parmalat Securities Litigation – deposed for Grant Thornton as to fraud and deepening insolvency damages.
• Barry E. Mukamak as Trustee of Far and Wide Corporation vs. Ernst and Young – testified at arbitration for Ernst &Young on damages.
• James A. Gallagher as Managing Trustee for the Spiegel Creditor Trust vs. KPMG – deposed as to damages for KPMG.
• In re: Alterra Healthcare Corporation – deposed as to accounting for Alterra.

Intellectual Property

• Paxar Americas, Inc. vs. Zebra Technologies – testified for Paxar on damages arising from patent infringement.
• Original IFPC Shareholders Inc. vs. AT&T Wireless Services – refuted claim that it was mathematically impossible for AT&T not to have infringed in design of air phones.
• Bell Atlantic vs. AT&T – deposed and testified (in class cert hearing) as to damages involving products such as Caller ID.

Oil and Petrochemical

• In re Motor Fuel Temperature Sales Practice Litigation: testified on accounting practices for inventory.
• Consulted with petrochemical company as to damages resulting from damage to storage facilities.

Public Utilities

• Consulted with Latin American state owned enterprises as to valuation of nationalized stakes. Industries included electric generation, telecommunications, pipelines and aviation gas distribution.
• Consulted with public utilities in regulatory proceedings. Issues included deregulation of generation and transmission, re-regulation of generation, forecast test year, taxes and disposal of facilities.
• Consulted with Northeastern US utilities on forming region-wide transmission company.
• Designed phase-in plans for utilities adding large capacity.

White Collar

• United States vs. Lawrence Warner and George Ryan – testified for Governor Ryan in public corruption trial.