Overview
MELISSA WRIGHT is a partner in the firm’s Los Angeles office. Melissa specializes in complex litigation, particularly the prosecution of securities fraud and consumer class actions. Melissa is experienced in all facets of litigation with particular expertise in the discovery phase of litigation, including drafting and responding to discovery requests, preparing for, taking, and defending depositions, and negotiating protocols governing confidentiality and electronically stored information.
As sole lead counsel in In re: Alibaba Group Ltd. Securities Litigation, Case No. 20-cv-09568 (S.D.N.Y.), Melissa, along with partner Kara Wolke, secured an historic $433.5 million settlement that resolved investors’ claims that Alibaba (NYSE: BABA) violated the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 by allegedly misrepresenting its regulatory compliance and its use of monopolistic business practices during the period November 13, 2019 through December 23, 2020. The settlement is the largest securities class action settlement ever attained against a Chinese issuer and ranks among the fifty largest U.S. securities class action settlements of all time, as tracked by Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS).
Melissa also played an integral role on the firm’s litigation team in Christine Asia Ltd. v. Jack Yun Ma, et al. (the Alibaba matter) ($250 million settlement), and in particular was responsible for all facets of discovery strategy and management for the Firm. Melissa also played a role in other notable recoveries including In re Yahoo! Inc. Securities Litigation ($80 million settlement); In re Sesen Bio, Inc. Securities Litigation ($21 million settlement); In re Flowers Foods, Inc. Securities Litigation ($21 million settlement); In re Romeo Power Inc. Securities Litigation ($14.9 million settlement); In re Tenaris S.A. Securities Litigation ($9.5 million settlement).
In addition to her advocacy on behalf of aggrieved investors and consumers, Melissa maintains an active pro bono practice as a volunteer attorney with Kids In Need of Defense, where she works diligently to help safeguard the rights and well-being of immigrant and refugee children.
Melissa graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from Boston University and received her J.D. from U.C. Davis School of Law, where she was a board member of the Tax Law Society and externed for the California Board of Equalization’s Tax Appeals Assistance Program. Melissa also received her LL.M. in Taxation from NYU School of Law.