A partner in the Litigation Department, Andrew J. Ehrlich has experience representing clients on a broad variety of complex commercial litigation matters, specializing in securities litigation and regulatory defense. Deputy Chair of the Litigation Department’s Securities Litigation Group, Andrew has expertise in representing clients in complex, and often high-profile, matters involving federal and state regulatory inquiries, as well as civil litigation in multiple jurisdictions. Andrew has significant high-stakes trial experience in state and federal courts, as well as before arbitration tribunals.
Experience
Andrew has represented clients in a wide range of their most demanding contested matters; recently, Andrew:
- Served as trial counsel to Paramount Pictures in October 2014, in a securities fraud trial concerning a film financing, in which the court dismissed the claims at the conclusion of plaintiffs' case.
- Was part of the trial team for Pfizer in a securities litigation asserting misstatements and omissions concerning the drugs Celebrex and Bextra. In June 2014, we obtained summary judgment and dismissal of all claims following exclusion of plaintiffs' damages expert just weeks before trial.
- Obtained summary judgment, in 2013, for Citigroup Inc. in a case alleging breaches of fiduciary duty in connection with the sale of limited partnership interests in a feeder fund, and in September 2014 successfully argued the appeal of the dismissal
- Obtained summary judgment in a defamation and tortious interference claim against Deloitte & Touche LLP, which was in 2013 affirmed by the Nevada Supreme Court in an opinion that established the standards for speech privileges in Nevada.
- Has represented a major credit rating agency in numerous matters arising out of the 2008 credit crisis, including state and federal regulatory investigations related to ratings of mortgage-backed securities, and in a major multi-district civil litigation.
- Argued and won summary judgment, in 2012, in New York Supreme Court, of a claim for tortious interference with contract on behalf of Eton Park Capital Management.
- Obtained dismissal, on a motion to dismiss, in 2011, of a securities fraud class action in the Southern District of New York on behalf of Liz Claiborne Inc.
- Argued and won, in 2011, a motion to dismiss an ADEA claim asserted against Apollo Investment Corp. in the Southern District of New York.
- Argued and won, in 2010, a motion to dismiss a claim for breach of a guarantee agreement against Apollo Investment Corp. in New York Supreme Court.
- Has represented numerous hedge fund and private equity fund clients in sensitive regulatory matters involving the Securities & Exchange Commission, the New York Attorney General, the New York Department of Financial Services, and the Department of Justice.
- Has represented numerous bondholder and creditors' committees in contested restructuring matters, including as lead trial counsel in two contested confirmation hearings.
Andrew has substantial trial experience in very significant contested commercial matters. In addition to the matters mentioned above, Andrew:
- Served as lead trial counsel in a confidential employment arbitration for an investment manager that resulted in a favorable settlement following the claimant's testimony.
- Successfully represented Oaktree Capital Management, L.P., in connection with contested sale hearings for maritime cargo vessels in various bankruptcy proceedings.
- Served as lead trial counsel to the bondholder committee that, following a 17-day trial, led to the groundbreaking "reinstatement" plan in the bankruptcy reorganization of Charter Communications.
- Successfully defended Citigroup, in New Jersey state court, against claims arising out of the collapse of Parmalat, defeating claims worth more than $10 billion and achieving a $365 million counterclaim jury verdict for Citigroup, following a six-month jury trial.
- Successfully defended Citigroup and Salomon Smith Barney against a $900 million fraud and breach of fiduciary duty claim, the second-largest arbitration case ever filed with the NASD. After a three-week hearing in Denver, the arbitrators ruled for Citigroup and Salomon Smith Barney, and dismissed all claims in their entirety.
Andrew maintains an active pro bono practice. Most recently, he was part of the Paul, Weiss team that represented Edith Windsor in the landmark case United States v. Windsor, in which the United States Supreme Court struck down a key provision of the Defense of Marriage Act. He has, for eight years, served as lead counsel in a post-conviction proceeding on behalf of an individual on Alabama's death row, recently securing a reversal in the Alabama Supreme Court of a lower court's dismissal of the post-conviction petition. Andrew is a director of Volunteers of Legal Services.
Andrew served as the articles and commentaries chair of the Harvard Law Review and was an oralist on the winning team of the Ames Court Competition at Harvard Law School in 2000.
Practices
Education
- J.D., Harvard Law School, 2000
magna cum laude
- A.B., Harvard College, 1996
magna cum laude
Clerkships
- Hon. Stephen Reinhardt, U.S. Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit
- Hon. Naomi Reice Buchwald, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
Bar Admissions
See Library Tab for articles, publications and presentations by Andrew Ehrlich
Related Resources
Dec 22, 2015 | Publications
15-Year-Old Publishes Account of His Parents’ Challenge to Mississippi Adoption Ban
Dec 09, 2015 | Publications
United States v. Litvak: Second Circuit Overturns Conviction, Holds Defense Is Entitled to Put Forward Expert Evidence on Materiality
Oct 28, 2015 | News
Apollo Affiliated Funds Acquire OM Group
Oct 05, 2015 | Publications
Supreme Court Declines To Consider Second Circuit’s Landmark Insider Trading Ruling
Oct 01, 2015 | Publications
Southern District of New York Ruling Highlights That Materiality Is a Meaningful Pleading Obstacle in ’33 Act Cases
Sep 17, 2015 | Publications
Southern District of New York Issues Ruling in AIG Securities Litigation That Increases the Hurdles for Opt-Out Plaintiffs
Aug 11, 2015 | News
Pro Bono Clients Challenge Mississippi's Gay Adoption Ban
Aug 04, 2015 | News
Fitch Wins Dismissal of Fraud Claim in New York Supreme Court
Jul 27, 2015 | Publications
Litigation Partners Co-Author Bloomberg BNA Article on Confidential Witness Allegations in Securities Fraud Complaints
Jul 09, 2015 | News
Paul, Weiss Helps CSE Achieve Full Marriage Equality in Mississippi
Jun 11, 2015 | News
Jun 15, 2015 | Publications
New York Court of Appeals Holds That Claims for Breaches of Representations and Warranties Accrue When RMBS Contracts Are Executed
May 31, 2015 | News
Apollo Affiliated Funds to Acquire Certain OM Group Segments
Apr 28, 2015 | Publications
Second Circuit Issues Decision Establishing Comprehensive Framework for Adjudicating Preclusion Issues Under SLUSA
Apr 17, 2015 | News
Apr 20, 2015 | Publications
Second Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Securities Fraud Suit on Materiality Grounds, Embracing SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 99’s Quantitative and Qualitative Factors as Criteria for Materiality at the Motion to Dismiss Stage
Mar 30, 2015 | Publications
Second Circuit Rejects Investor Suit Against Auditors, Adhering To High Standard for Alleging Scienter
Mar 25, 2015 | Publications
United States Supreme Court Limits Investor Suits for Misleading Statements of Opinion
Feb 24, 2015 | Publications
California District Court Clarifies the Appropriate Terms of Securities Class Action Bar Orders and Holds That Nonsettling Class Action Defendants Are Entitled to Judgment Reduction Measured by Settling Defendants’ Liability on Securities Act Claims
Jan 14, 2015 | Publications
Second Circuit Holds That Omissions Regarding “Known Trends” May Support a Section 10(b) Claim, but Imposes Limitations on Such Claims
Jan 05, 2015 | News
The New Yorker and USA Today Discuss Paul, Weiss Work on Marriage Equality in Mississippi Since Windsor
Jan 05, 2015 | Publications
Ninth Circuit Adopts the Heightened Pleading Standard of Rule 9(b) for the Element of Loss Causation in Securities Fraud Actions
Dec 16, 2014 | Publications
Third Circuit Holds That Parties to Arbitration Agreements Can Compel Arbitration of Dodd-Frank Whistleblower Claims
Dec 11, 2014 | Publications
Second Circuit Rules for Defendants in Landmark Insider Trading Case
Nov 26, 2014 | News
Mississippi Judge Strikes Down State Laws Banning Same-Sex Marriages
Oct 26, 2014 | News
Paramount Pictures Achieves Major Trial Victory
Of Note
Dec 15, 2015
LA Times Critic Names Robbie Kaplan’s Book Among Top 10 of 2015