Bridgewater Associates Sues Ex-Employees Who Allegedly Seek to Trade Off Its Name and Goodwill

Hedge fund giant Bridgewater Associates, LP (Bridgewater), recently filed a civil complaint against two former junior employees who allegedly misrepresented their former roles at the fund manager in an effort to promote a competing hedge fund business.  Bridgewater bills itself as “both a market- and thought-leader in the field of investment management.”  The crux of its complaint is that, in their efforts to start and promote their own hedge funds, former employees Wenquan Wu and Howard Wang and their affiliated companies lied to the market about their former roles and responsibilities at Bridgewater and sought to trade unfairly off of Bridgewater’s reputation.  This article summarizes Bridgewater’s factual allegations and legal claims.  Litigation often arises when principals or senior employees leave to form a competing fund.  See “Brevan Howard Co-Founder Sues Firm to Invalidate Non-Compete Provisions in Partnership Agreement,” Hedge Fund Law Report, Vol. 7, No. 31 (Aug. 21, 2014); and “Delaware Chancery Court, Criticizing Both Sides in Contentious Litigation, Awards $4.662 Million to Camulos Capital Hedge Fund Founder in Payment for His Fund Interest,” Hedge Fund Law Report, Vol. 5, No. 38 (Oct. 4, 2012).  Such disputes may also involve ownership of intellectual property, misuse of proprietary or confidential information, sloppy documentation of payments and sloppy drafting of governing documents.  Such actions are less common when, as here, junior employees are involved.

To read the full article

Continue reading your article with a HFLR subscription.