Whistleblower Group

A Culture of Silence in Sports & A Call to Strengthen Whistleblower Protections

In 2016, the media sent shockwaves through the nation when it broke the story of the USA Gymnastics sex abuse scandal. Over 500 athletes bravely disclosed the abuse they faced at the hands of coaches, gym owners, and doctors associated with USAG for over two decades. Disgraced national team doctor Larry Nassar was charged with assaulting at least 265 children and young women over more than 14 years, revealing a...

In Their Own Words ... David Lochridge, Former OceanGate Operations Director

“The whole idea behind [OceanGate] was to make money, that’s it…there was very little in the way of science” . . . “I didn't want to lose my job. I wanted to do the Titanic. But to dive it safely. It was on my bucket list, too....” —David Lochridge, former OceanGate operations director and whistleblower testifying before U.S. Marine Board of Investigation.  Watch here.

CFTC Makes Four Whistleblower Awards — Relatively Small But Notable

On Monday (September 23), the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) announced four whistleblower awards under the CFTCs Whistleblower Program. They are the latest in a string of awards — all relatively modest — the commodities regulator has made since the Spring. This includes awards made on August 30 ($4 million); August 8 ($1M); June 17 ($8M); June 3 ($4.5M); and March 14 ($1.25M).

The awards this...

Third Place Winner of Constantine Cannon’s Whistleblower Essay Contest: Leah Bechtold

The Constantine Cannon whistleblower team is pleased to share with you the Third-Place Winner of the firm’s Third Law School Scholarship Essay Contest on the importance of whistleblowers. That award (and the $400 prize) goes to Leah Bechtold, a first-year student at Indiana University McKinney School of Law.

In her compelling essay, Leah details the heroic efforts of  Rachael Denhollander, one of the...

Fourth Place Winner of Constantine Cannon’s Whistleblower Essay Contest: Grace Chisholm

The Constantine Cannon whistleblower team is pleased to share with you the Fourth-Place Winner of the firm’s Third Law School Scholarship Essay Contest on the importance of whistleblowers. That award (and the $300 prize) goes to Grace Chisholm, a first-year student at Yale Law School.

In her essay, Grace narrates the role of whistleblowers in shaping American press freedom, focusing on Gar Alperovitz’s...

Missouri Mortgage Lender Agrees to Pay $2.4M to Settle Allegations It Defrauded Senior Mortgage Program  

Yesterday, the DOJ announced that James B. Nutter & Company, a former mortgage lender from Kansas City, Missouri, agreed to pay $2.4 million to settle allegations it violated the False Claims Act by knowingly underwriting Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECM) that did not meet eligibility requirements.

The HECM program is essentially a reverse mortgage product for homeowners aged 62 and older that allows seniors to...

South Dakota Surgical Hospital Agrees to Pay $12.7 Million to Settle Kickback and Stark Law Violations

The DOJ announced Dunes Surgical Hospital in South Dakota and United Surgical Partners International (USPI) and its subsidiary, USP Siouxland, have agreed to pay $12.7 million to settle a False Claims Act case alleging the hospital engaged in illegal financial relationships with two physician groups. These arrangements spanned from 2014 to 2019 and involved payments that led to improper patient referrals to Dunes in...

Fifth Place Winner of Constantine Cannon’s Whistleblower Essay Contest: Chana Deitsch

The Constantine Cannon whistleblower team is pleased to share with you the Fifth-Place Winner of the firm’s Third Law School Scholarship Essay Contest on the importance of whistleblowers. That award (and the $250 prize) goes to Chana Deitsch, a first-year student at Fordham University Law School.

In her essay, Chana details her journey from a passion for writing to a growing concern for the harmful effects of...

Constantine Cannon Announces Winners of Whistleblower Essay Contest

Updated October 22, 2024

Earlier this year, Constantine Cannon launched its Third Scholarship Essay Contest on the Importance of Whistleblowers. The goal of our contest is to hear what law school students have to say about the importance of whistleblowers and to reinforce the critical role whistleblowers play in our society.

Specifically, we ask for an essay between 250 and 750 words that addresses one or more of...

Walgreens to Pay $106.8M to Settle Whistleblower Case Alleging it Billed the Government for Prescriptions it Did Not Dispense

Walgreens has agreed to pay $106.8 million to settle false claims allegations that between 2009 and 2020 it billed government healthcare programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, for prescriptions that it never dispensed because they were not picked up by patients. The government alleged that Walgreens received tens of millions of dollars to which it was not entitled for prescriptions that it never actually provided...