Congratulations to our First Place Scholarship Winner, Ellen Matheson
Posted 03/20/20
Last September, Constantine Cannon announced a scholarship for law students, to be awarded based on essays addressing the importance of whistleblowers, the whistleblower experience, or whistleblower law and policy. We announced our five winners in February, and today are pleased to share the first place essay, submitted by Ellen Matheson.
Ms. Matheson is a graduate of the United States Military Academy, where she...
The COVID-19 Crisis, Whistleblowers, and the Constantine Cannon Whistleblower Team
Posted 03/19/20
As Constantine Cannon announced earlier this week, in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, we have implemented contingency plans to work remotely. While our work locations have changed, we remain dedicated to our whistleblower clients, and our team continues to provide whistleblowers with support and legal guidance.
With offices in New York, D.C., San Francisco, and London, the Constantine Cannon...
Another “Magic Pipe” Down the Drain: Whistleblower Tips Lead to Guilty Plea in Ocean Dumping Case
Posted 03/19/20
Whistleblowers and an alert Coast Guard examiner exposed the illegal ocean-dumping of unfiltered bilge water by Singapore shipping company Unix Line PTE. The company pleaded guilty to violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) after a conscientious crew member slipped a note reading “magic pipe” and “damage marine environment” to the examiner inspecting the ship M/T Zao Galaxy. Another crew...
Medicaid Drug Rebate Fraud: Should it be an Enforcement Priority?
Posted 03/10/20
Medicaid has one very intuitive approach to keeping drug prices in check. Drug companies, under a law called the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program, must rebate Medicaid programs any money that resulted from the increased drug prices outpacing inflation. Inflation is benchmarked to either 1990, or the first year a drug came to market, which ever is later.
As an example of how this works, imagine a pharmaceutical company...
Read the Second Place Winner’s Essay in Constantine Cannon’s Law School Scholarship Contest
Posted 03/10/20
Constantine Cannon is excited to share the second place essay in our first annual Scholarship Essay Writing Contest. The contest asked entrants to discuss the importance of whistleblowers. Our second place winner, Hannah Fitzmorris, wrote about the IRS Whistleblower Reward Program which “empowers ordinary citizens in positions of relative power disadvantage to utilize the tools of morality and duty of...
“Objective Falsity” Is Not Required Under the False Claims Act: A Legally False Opinion May Suffice
Posted 03/6/20
In a significant win for whistleblowers, a federal appellate court heldthis week that, in order to determine liability under the False Claims Act, a whistleblower need not prove that a claim is “objectively” false. Instead, the Court held that, consistent with common law, a claim can be false under the FCA if based not on objectively verifiable facts, but on non-compliance with statutory or regulatory...
Read the Essay Submitted by Will Powell Watson in the Constantine Cannon Law School Scholarship Contest
Posted 03/6/20
Constantine Cannon is excited to share the essay that placed third in our first annual Scholarship Essay Writing Contest. The contest asked entrants to submit an essay addressing the important role whistleblowers play, and steps that can be taken to support and protect them. Entrants were encouraged to relate a personal whistleblower experience or describe a whistleblower who inspired them. Our third-place...
Catch of the Week: Wells Fargo Pays $3 Billion, and another $35 Million, in Latest in Long Line of Government Enforcement Actions against the Bank
Posted 02/28/20
On February 21, 2020 the Department of Justice announced that Wells Fargo & Co. agreed to pay $3 billion to resolve civil and criminal allegations that Wells Fargo’s “cross-selling” practices led to millions of accounts being opened for customers under false pretenses and without consent. These practices allegedly led to Wells Fargo collecting millions of dollars in fees.
Less than one week later, two of...
Read the Essay Submitted by Katelyn Jackson in the Constantine Cannon Law School Scholarship Contest
Posted 02/28/20
Our whistleblower team received dozens of inspired essays from law students across the United States in our first annual Constantine Cannon Law School Scholarship. The contest asked entrants to submit an essay addressing the important role whistleblowers play, and steps that can be taken to support and protect them. Entrants were encouraged to relate a personal whistleblower experience or describe a whistleblower...
It’s Live: Constantine Cannon’s EU Whistleblower Directive Transposition Guide
Posted 02/27/20
After its presentation at the EU Parliament on February 4, 2020, Constantine Cannon’s transposition guide for journalists on the 2019 EU Whistleblower Directive is now available for public view. This guide, published by the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), represents a collaborative effort by the Whistleblowing Team in London to clarify the Directive’s provisions for EFJ’s members and analyze its...