About Karl Gwaltney

Karl Gwaltney is an attorney at Maginnis Howard in North Carolina. His practice covers consumer protection, wage and hour law, unfair debt collection, Telephone Consumer Protection Act violations, consumer class actions, personal injury, and wrongful death.

Gwaltney earned his B.S. cum laude from Appalachian State University and his Juris Doctor from the University of North Carolina School of Law. He is admitted to practice in North Carolina state courts and the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern, Western, and Middle Districts of North Carolina.

He is a member of the North Carolina State Bar, North Carolina Advocates for Justice (Employment Law Section; Vice-Chair of the Products Liability, Class Action, and Mass Torts Section), the North Carolina Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Tenth Judicial District Bar Association, the National Association of Consumer Advocates, the North Carolina Guardian ad Litem Program, and the Susie L. Sharp Inn of Court.

He was named to Super Lawyers Rising Stars (2017-2021) and selected as a Super Lawyer (2022-2026). His notable case results include settlements and judgments ranging from $7+ million class actions to individual recoveries in unpaid wage cases, FDCPA violations, and consumer protection matters.

Proven verdicts and settlements

$7 millionSettlement

A class of North Carolina apartment tenants who were charged eviction-related fees that state law prohibited reached a $7,029,000 settlement with Southwood Realty Company in April 2020, part of a broader $8 million resolution against three property managers.

Cumberland County Superior Court, NC · 2020Read the full story →
$2.5 millionSettlement

Maginnis Howard secured a $2.5 million settlement for 6,858 North Carolina patients after proving that medical-records processor MRO Corporation systematically charged copying fees that exceeded the state statutory cap, entitling each class member to a full refund of unlawful charges plus a penalty of roughly $205 per violation.

Durham County Superior Court, NC (Case No. 22-CVS-3672) · 2024Read the full story →
View all 6 proven verdicts →

Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Each case is unique and depends on its own facts.

Practice areas

Education

Appalachian State University
Undergraduate

Bar admissions & credentials

State Bar of North Carolina
North Carolina State Bar
North Carolina Advocates for Justice (Vice-Chair, Products Liability/Class Action/Mass Torts Section)
North Carolina Bar Association
American Bar Association
Tenth Judicial District Bar Association
National Association of Consumer Advocates
North Carolina Guardian ad Litem Program
Susie L. Sharp Inn of Court

Awards & recognition

Super Lawyer (2022-2026)
Super Lawyers Rising Star (2017-2021)
B.S. cum laude, Appalachian State University

Other attorneys at Maginnis Howard Personal Injury Lawyer

View firm →

Proven verdicts and settlements from other Raleigh firms

Whitley Law Firm Injury Lawyers
Whitley Law Firm Injury Lawyers
$42.44 million · Fire Case Brings a $42.44 Million Settlement in North Carolina
Henson Fuerst, Attorneys at Law
Henson Fuerst, Attorneys at Law
$40 million · Henson Fuerst Wins Record $40 Million Drunk Driving Verdict, Affirmed as Largest in North Carolina History
Law Offices of James Scott Farrin
Law Offices of James Scott Farrin
$1.25 billion · Black Farmers Secure $1.25 Billion From USDA in Pigford II Settlement
Ricci Law Firm Injury Lawyers
Ricci Law Firm Injury Lawyers
$101 million (settled confidentially before punitives) · Valdez v. Hajoca: A Record $101 Million Verdict for a Hendersonville Wall Collapse
Martin & Jones
Martin & Jones
$31 million · $31 Million Settlement After Two-Point Lap Belt Paralyzed an 11-Year-Old in a Ford Escort