Aric H. Wu is a litigation partner in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. Mr. Wu has extensive experience in commercial and business litigation matters, with particular focus on securities litigation and corporate control contests.  He has represented clients across a variety of industries in class action lawsuits, mergers and acquisitions battles, shareholder derivative actions, commercial arbitrations and SEC and other regulatory investigations.  He has been recognized as a top securities litigator by Law360, U.S. Legal 500, and New York Super Lawyers.  In 2012, Mr. Wu was named by Crain’s New York Business as one of its “Forty Under Forty: New York’s New Generation of Leaders,” and selected as a recipient of the “2012 Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business Award.”

Mr. Wu received his law degree, with distinction as a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, from Columbia University School of Law in 1998.  He received his undergraduate degree in political economy, magna cum laude, from Princeton University in 1995.

Representative Matters

• Currently representing Och-Ziff Capital Management Group LLC in putative class action asserting securities fraud claims.Obtained dismissal of multiple actions asserting putative shareholder derivative claims against Och-Ziff directors.
• Currently representing Susquehanna Growth Equity, LLC and SIG Growth Equity Fund I, LLLP in a suit concerning the sale of an e-commerce company to Great Hill Equity Partners.
• Currently representing UBS in an action brought by Royal Park Investments relating to alleged purchases of $434 million in mortgage-backed securities.
• Obtained dismissal of securities action filed against Royal Bank of Scotland in federal court relating to a $1.2 billion dollar offering of mortgage-backed securities. Obtained dismissal of securities action filed against Royal Bank of Scotland in state court relating to alleged purchases of $337 million in mortgage-backed securities.
• Represented Corvex Management and Related Fund Management in a dispute with CommonWealth REIT, a publicly traded real estate investment trust with billions of dollars in assets, and its trustees. Following a two-week trial, a three-member arbitration panel issued a ruling that created a clear path for the removal and replacement of CommonWealth’s entire board of trustees. Major media outlets described the outcome as a “big win” for Corvex and Related.
• Represented eight underwriter defendants in securities class action lawsuits involving more than $50 billion in mortgage-backed securities. Obtained rulings from district court and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit holding that the American Pipe tolling doctrine does not apply to the three-year statute of repose for claims under the Securities Act of 1933.
• Represented F-Squared Investments, Inc. in a putative class action filed in the wake of a company settlement with the SEC and the SEC’s filing of civil action against the company’s former CEO.Obtained the dismissal with prejudice of all claims.
• Represented The First American Corporation and its subsidiary eAppraiseIT LLC in a putative securities class action lawsuit.Defeated class certification.
• Represented Marsh & McLennan Companies in multiple securities actions. Obtained pre-trial dismissal of a number of actions.
• Represented Delcath in consent solicitation commenced by hedge fund to replace the company’s board of directors. Obtained injunctive relief preventing the hedge fund from replacing the board even though it had obtained sufficient shareholder votes to replace the board.
• Defended Parlux against consent solicitation commenced by the head of a multibillion dollar health and beauty products empire. Obtained stay of consent solicitation following application for injunctive relief based on violations of antitrust and securities laws. Parlux resolved battle without giving up control to insurgents.
• Defended the Canadian firm of Deloitte & Touche in multiple securities actions arising out of the demise of an entertainment company. Obtained dismissal of Section 11 claim in shareholder class action and denial of class certification for Section 10(b) claim in noteholder class action.
• Defended the Cayman Islands firm of Deloitte & Touche in multiple actions arising out of the demise of a risk retention group. Obtained dismissals of actions brought by liquidators and members of risk retention group.
• Chinese Accounting Firm: Represented a Chinese accounting firm in connection with a joint investigation by the SEC, U.S. Department of Justice and FBI. No action taken against accounting firm.
• Represented a coalition of over twenty private investment companies appearing as amicus curiae in a case involving issues of first impression relating to derivative markets.
• By special arrangement, served as Assistant to the International Claims Counsel of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu from April 2003 to June 2004.