Eric R. Havian

Eric R. Havian is a partner in the San Francisco office of Constantine Cannon LLP. He has extensive experience representing whistleblowers in qui tam lawsuits. He has also represented numerous local governments in False Claims Act matters, including the County of Los Angeles and the City of San Francisco. In 2010 California Lawyer Magazine named Mr. Havian a “California Lawyer of the Year.” In 2008 the National Law Journal named him as one of the Top 10 “Winning” Attorneys in the nation. He has been selected as one of the top 500 lawyers in America by Lawdragon and one of the top lawyers in Northern California by Superlawyers from 2005 through 2016. He was named to “Who’s Who in America” for 2014 and named by Corporate International as a “Global Awards Winner 2017 for Whistleblower Lawyer of the Year in California.”

Mr. Havian was lead counsel for the whistleblower in a 2019 case that settled for $362 million in criminal and civil fines, the largest ever antitrust whistleblower case. The case involved a ten-year bid-rigging scheme by the largest oil companies in South Korea, and resulted in criminal guilty pleas by five companies and the indictment of seven individuals. Mr. Havian was also lead counsel for the relator in a case that concluded in 2014 with the largest stand-alone kickback settlement ever, $400 million, against one of the largest dialysis companies in the country, DaVita. The case accused DaVita of paying kickbacks to doctors around the nation in exchange for patient referrals to DaVita clinics. He also led a 2009 action that resulted in the largest settlement ever paid by a defense contractor in a whistleblower case, $325 million, against Northrop Grumman for selling defective components for government satellites. In 2007 he was lead counsel representing a whistleblower and several schools and other public agencies, in a trial that resulted in a $225 million verdict against an electric utility for overcharging its government customers. He also represented a whistleblower and dozens of public agencies as lead counsel in a 13-year litigation that resulted in the 2009 payment of $90 million by companies selling high-lead waterworks parts to California municipalities. That case also resulted in several groundbreaking appellate decisions favoring whistleblowers. In 2013 Mr. Havian was lead counsel representing a whistleblower, several states, and numerous municipalities in a two-month jury trial, which resulted in a verdict that the largest PVC pipe manufacturer in the world had defrauded its customers over a ten-year period.

He is currently one of the lead attorneys representing a whistleblower in a suit against UnitedHealth Group involving allegations the company knowingly obtained inflated risk adjustment payments based on untruthful and inaccurate information about the health status of beneficiaries enrolled in UnitedHealth Group’s Medicare Advantage Plans.

Mr. Havian is a frequent speaker at conferences on the False Claims Act and qui tam lawsuits. He also has published articles about whistleblowing and government contract fraud as well as how the False Claims Act applies to fraud in the environmental field. He was actively involved in the legislation to enact a whistleblower law for securities law violations, and has written several published articles on the subject. Mr. Havian graduated cum laude in 1981 from Harvard Law School, where he was an oralist for the team that won the Ames Moot Court Competition. He was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in San Francisco from 1987 through 1994. In 1994, he opened the San Francisco office of Phillips & Cohen. He joined Constantine Cannon in March 2015. Mr. Havian has taught fraud seminars at Stanford Law School and Berkeley Law School. He is a former co-chair of the American Bar Association Health Law Litigation Committee.

Interviews

Eric R. Havian's Publications & Speeches

Jul12023
A guide on when, where, and how to blow the whistle safely

Whistleblower attorneys Eric Havian and Chris McLamb were published in Journal of Accountancy, A guide on when, where, and how to blow the whistle safely...

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May232023
CFPB Whistleblower Rule Key To Warding Off Bank Crises

Whistleblower attorneys Eric Havian and Ari Yampolsky were published in Law360, CFPB Whistleblower Rule Key To Warding Off Bank Crises (May 23, 2023). (subscription required)

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Jun232022
A recent case could undermine the rules that have been protecting taxpayer money from fraud since the time of Lincoln

Whistleblower attorneys Eric Havian, Mike Ronickher, and Ari Yampolsky were published in Fortune, A recent case could undermine the rules that have been protecting taxpayer...

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Jun302020
Constantine Cannon Attorneys Provide Comments on Model Whistleblower Award and Protection Act

The North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) has proposed a Model Whistleblower Award and Protection Act that would serve as a guide for states across...

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Oct242019
Strengthen The Intel Community’s Whistleblower Act

Whistleblower attorney Eric Havian published in BreakingDefense.com. Click here to read the article.

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Sep202019
The cost-benefit calculus for whistleblowers just took a turn for the worse

Washington Post publishes Op-Ed by Eric R. Havian.  Click here to read more.

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May282019
Espionage Act should exempt journalists — whether Assange is a 'real' reporter or not

The Hill published the article by partner Eric Havian on the subject of charging whistleblowers with violation of the Espionage Act.  Click here to read...

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May32019
Eric Havian Video Interview by Brian Ross

Partner Eric Havian was interviewed by Brian Ross on his segment--Brian Ross Investigates --The $100 Million Dollar Whistleblower:  Bradely Birkenfeld.  Click here to watch the video.

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Apr222019
The Need for Whistleblowers in AML Enforcement

Banking Exchange publishes article by Eric Havian and Michael Ronickher.  Click here to read the article.

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Jan72019
BankThink: AML enforcement needs more whistleblowers

Whistleblower attorneys Eric Havian and Michael Ronickher published in the American Banker (Jan. 7, 2019).

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Dec62018
Why We Need Anti-Money Laundering Whistleblower Awards

Whistleblower attorneys Eric Havian and Michael Ronickher published in Law360 (Dec. 6, 2018).

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Nov162015
DOJ Scores Big With Record-breaking Alstom FCPA Sentence -- Who's Next On the DOJ'S FCPA Hit List?

Offshore Alert (November 16, 2015) Click here to read the article.

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Oct222015
How to Punish Corporate Fraudsters

The New York Times (October 22, 2015) Click here to read the article.

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Sep292015
Whistleblower Showdown Heads to Supreme Court

CFO (September 29, 2015) Click here to read the article.

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Jan262015
The Whistleblowers Are the Heroes

Wall St. Journal (January 26, 2015) Click here to read the letter.

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Oct162013
Snowden's Actions Shouldn't Deter Whistleblowers From Stopping Fraud In Classified Projects

Homeland Security Today (October 16, 2013) Click here to read the article.

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Feb262011
Whistle Stop

New York Post (February 26, 2011) Click here to read the article.

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Dec152010
The SEC whistleblower program: How to avoid killing a good idea

Truthout.org (December 15, 2010) Click here to read the article.

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Dec132010
SEC whistleblower program worth protecting

The Washington Post, "Capital Business" (Dec. 13, 2010) Click here to read the article.

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Nov222010
Whistleblower program (Corporations are right to fear the power of the whistleblower program)

National Law Journal (11/22/10)

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Aug112010
Most whistleblowers have "clean hands"

Financial Times (8/11/2010)

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Oct12001
Blowing the Whistle on Fraud

Contract  Management  (October 2001) Subscription required

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Sep142000
Environment is new target of qui tam lawsuits

Toxics Law Reporter, No. 36 (September 14, 2000)

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