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EX-99.2 - EX-99.2 - WESTERN DIGITAL CORPd538323dex992.htm
EX-99.1 - EX-99.1 - WESTERN DIGITAL CORPd538323dex991.htm
EX-4.3 - EX-4.3 - WESTERN DIGITAL CORPd538323dex43.htm
EX-4.2 - EX-4.2 - WESTERN DIGITAL CORPd538323dex42.htm
EX-4.1 - EX-4.1 - WESTERN DIGITAL CORPd538323dex41.htm
8-K - 8-K - WESTERN DIGITAL CORPd538323d8k.htm

Exhibit 5.1

 

LOGO   VICTOR I. LEWKOW   CARMINE D. BOCCUZZI, JR   JARED GERBER
  LESLIE N. SILVERMAN   JEFFREY D. KARPF   COLIN D. LLOYD
  LEE C. BUCHHEIT   KIMBERLY BROWN BLACKLOW   COREY M. GOODMAN
  THOMAS J. MOLONEY   ROBERT J. RAYMOND   RISHI ZUTSHI
  DAVID G. SABEL   SUNG K. KANG   JANE VANLARE

One Liberty Plaza

New York, NY 10006-1470

T: +1212 225 2000

F: +1212 225 3999

 

clearygottlieb.com

  JONATHAN I. BLACKMAN   LEONARD C. JACOBY   DAVID H. HERRINGTON
  MICHAEL L. RYAN   SANDRA L. FLOW   KIMBERLY R. SPOERRI
  ROBERT P. DAVIS   FRANCISCO L. CESTERO   AARON J. MEYERS
  YARON Z. REICH   FRANCESCA L. ODELL   DANIEL C. REYNOLDS
  RICHARD S. LINCER   WILLIAM L. MCRAE   ABENA A. MAINOO
  STEVEN G. HOROWITZ   JASON FACTOR   HUGH C. CONROY, JR.
  JAMES A. DUNCAN   MARGARET S. PEPONIS       RESIDENT PARTNERS
  STEVEN M. LOEB   LISA M. SCHWEITZER  
  CRAIG B. BROD   JUAN G. GIRALDEZ   SANDRA M. ROCKS
  EDWARD J. ROSEN   DUANE MCLAUGHLIN   S. DOUGLAS BORISKY
  NICOLAS GRABAR   BREON S. PEACE   JUDITH KASSEL
  CHRISTOPHER E. AUSTIN   MEREDITH E. KOTLER   DAVID E. WEBB
  SETH GROSSHANDLER   CHANTAL E. KORDULA   PENELOPE L. CHRISTOPHOROU
  HOWARD S. ZELBO   BENETJ.O’REILLY   BOAZ S. MORAG
  DAVID E. BRODSKY   ADAM E. FLEISHER   MARY E. ALCOCK
  ARTHUR H. KOHN   SEAN A. O’NEAL   HEIDE H. ILGENFRITZ
  RICHARD J. COOPER   GLENN P. MCGRORY   KATHLEEN M. EMBERGER
  JEFFREY S. LEWIS   MATTHEW P. SALERNO   WALLACE L. LARSON. JR.
  PAUL J. SHIM   MICHAEL J. ALBANO   AVRAM E. LUFT
  STEVEN L. WILNER   VICTOR L. HOU   ANDREW WEAVER
  ERIKA W. NIJENHUIS   ROGER A. COOPER   HELENA K. GRANNIS
  ANDRES DE LA CRUZ   AMY R. SHAPIRO   JOHN V. HARRISON
  DAVID C. LOPEZ   JENNIFER KENNEDY PARK   CAROLINE F. HAYDAY
  JAMES L. BROMLEY   ELIZABETH LENAS   RAHUL MUKHI
  MICHAEL A. GERSTENZANG   LUKE A. BAREFOOT   NEIL R. MARKEL
WASHINGTON, D.C. • PARIS • BRUSSELS • LONDON • MOSCOW   LEWIS J. LIMAN   PAMELA L. MARCOGLIESE   HUMAYUN KHALID
FRANKFURT • COLOGNE • ROME • MILAN • HONG KONG   LEV L. DASSIN   PAUL M. TIGER   KENNETH S. BLAZEJEWSKI
BEIJING • BUENOS AIRES • SÁO PAULO • ABU DHABI • SEOUL   NEIL Q. WHORISKEY   JONATHAN S. KOLODNER   ANDREA M. BASHAM
  JORGE U. JUANTORENA   DANIEL lLAN   LAURA BAGARELLA
  MICHAEL D. WEINBERGER   MEYER H. FEDIDA   SHIRLEY M. LO

D: +1 212 225-2680

skang@cgsh.com

  DAVID LEINWAND   ADRIAN R. LEIPSIC       RESIDENT COUNSEL
  DIANA L. WOLLMAN   ELIZABETH VICENS  
  JEFFREY A. ROSENTHAL   ADAM J. BRENNEMAN   LOUISE M. PARENT
  ETHAN A. KLINGSBERG   ARI D. MACKINNON       OF COUNSEL
  MICHAEL D. DAYAN   JAMES E. LANGSTON  

February 13, 2018                        

Western Digital Corporation

5601 Great Oaks Parkway

San Jose, California 95119

Ladies and Gentlemen:

We have acted as special counsel to Western Digital Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and the Guarantors (as defined below) in connection with the Company’s offering pursuant to a registration statement on Form S-3 (No. 333-222762) (as amended and including the documents incorporated by reference therein, the “Registration Statement”) and the prospectus, dated January 30, 2018 (including the documents incorporated by reference therein, the “Prospectus”), of $2,300,000,000 aggregate principal amount of its 4.750% Senior Notes due 2026 (the “Notes”). The Notes will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed by HGST, Inc., a Delaware corporation, WD Media, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, Western Digital (Fremont), LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, and Western Digital Technologies, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Guarantors” and, together with the Company, the “Registrants”). The Notes will be issued under an indenture, dated as of February 13, 2018 (the “Indenture”), between the Company, the Guarantors and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee (the “Trustee”). The Indenture includes the guarantees of the Notes by the Guarantors (the “Guarantees”).

In arriving at the opinions expressed below, we have reviewed the following documents:

(a) the Registration Statement;

(b) the Prospectus;

 

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP or an affiliated entity has an office in each of the cities listed above.


Western Digital Corporation, p. 2

 

(c) an executed copy of the Underwriting Agreement, dated January 30, 2018, between the Company, the Guarantors and the Representatives, on behalf of themselves and the several underwriters named in Schedule I thereto;

(d) facsimile copies of the Notes in global form as executed by the Company and authenticated by the Trustee;

(e) an executed copy of the Indenture; and

(f) copies of the certificates of organization or similar formation documents and the bylaws or operating agreements of each of the Company and Guarantors, as applicable, certified by the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware and the corporate secretary of the Company or Guarantor, as applicable.

In addition, we have reviewed the originals or copies certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction of all such corporate records of the Company and the Guarantors and such other documents, and we have made such investigations of law, as we have deemed appropriate as a basis for the opinions expressed below.

In rendering the opinions expressed below, we have assumed the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals and the conformity to the originals of all documents submitted to us as copies. In addition, we have assumed and have not verified the accuracy as to factual matters of each document we have reviewed.

Based on the foregoing, and subject to the further assumptions and qualifications set forth below, it is our opinion that (a) the Notes are the valid, binding and enforceable obligations of the Company, entitled to the benefits of the Indenture, and (b) the Guarantees are the valid, binding and enforceable obligations of the Guarantors, entitled to the benefits of the Indenture.

Insofar as the foregoing opinions relate to the validity, binding effect or enforceability of any agreement or obligation of any Registrant, (a) we have assumed that such Registrant and each other party to such agreement or obligation has satisfied those legal requirements that are applicable to it to the extent necessary to make such agreement or obligation enforceable against it (except that no such assumption is made as to any of the Registrants regarding matters of the law of the State of New York, the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware or the Limited Liability Company Act of the State of Delaware that in our experience normally would be applicable to general business entities with respect to such agreement or obligation), (b) we express no opinion with respect to the effect of any mandatory choice of law rules and (c) such opinions are subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency and similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and to general principles of equity.

We note that (i) the waiver of defenses contained in Sections 11.06 and 11.13 of the Indenture may be ineffective to the extent that any such defense involves a matter of public policy in the State of New York and (ii) the enforceability of indemnification provisions may be subject to public policy considerations.


Western Digital Corporation, p. 3

 

The foregoing opinions are limited to the law of the State of New York, the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware and the Limited Liability Company Act of the State of Delaware.

We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion letter as Exhibit 5.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K dated February 13, 2018. In giving this consent, we do not thereby admit that we are within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission thereunder. The opinions expressed herein are rendered on and as of the date hereof, and we assume no obligation to advise you or any other person, or to make any investigations, as to any legal developments or factual matters arising subsequent to the date hereof that might affect the opinions expressed herein.

 

Very truly yours,
CLEARY GOTTLIEB STEEN & HAMILTON LLP
By:  

/s/ Sung K. Kang

  Sung K. Kang, a Partner