An article in last week’s issue of the Hedge Fund Law Report detailed a ruling by the New York State Supreme Court permitting a lawsuit by funds managed by Aris Capital Management (Aris) to proceed against hedge funds in which the Aris funds had invested and the managers of those investee funds.  See “New York Supreme Court Rules that Aris Multi-Strategy Funds’ Suit against Hedge Funds for Fraud May Proceed, but Negligence Claims are Preempted under Martin Act,” Hedge Fund Law Report, Vol. 2, No. 51 (Dec. 23, 2009).  That lawsuit is one of various suits brought by Aris and its managed funds against hedge funds or managers in which the Aris funds have invested.  The Aris suits allege a variety of claims in a variety of circumstances, but collectively are noteworthy for their mere existence.  In the hedge fund world, there has been a conspicuous absence during the past two years of legal actions by hedge fund investors against hedge fund managers, despite the coming-to-fruition of circumstances that industry participants thought, pre-credit crisis, would augur an uptick in litigation: the imposition of gates, suspensions of redemptions, mispricing of securities, large losses, etc.  Jason Papastavrou, Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Aris, appears to have broken ranks with what seems like an unspoken agreement in the hedge fund world to avoid the courthouse steps, and he has done so with a considerable degree of thoughtfulness, for specific reasons and with particularized goals.  In an interview with the Hedge Fund Law Report, Papastavrou and Apostolos Peristeris, COO, CCO and GC of Aris, discuss certain of their lawsuits, why they brought them, what they seek to gain from them and what the relevant managers might have done differently to have avoided the suits.  They also discuss: seven explanations for the reluctance on the part of most hedge fund investors to sue managers; the fund of funds redemption process; how their lawsuits have affected their due diligence process; in-house administration; background checks; the importance of face-to-face meetings; side letters; how Aris investors have reacted to the lawsuits; and Aris’ transition to a managed accounts model from a fund of funds model.