Yesterday, third-year Washington and Lee law students Christine Shepard and Christopher Alexion presented their winning law review notes during the annual event recognizing the best student articles produced by Washington and Lee Law Review staff writers.
Shepard, winner of the Roy L. Steinheimer Law Review Award, presented “Corporate Wrongdoing and the In Pari Delicto Defense in Auditor Malpractice Cases: A New Approach.” Shepard is Editor in Chief for Volume 69 of the Law Review.
Shepard’s article examines how courts have addressed auditor malpractice claims using imputation in conjunction with the in pari delicto defense to insulate auditors from suit. She argues that these doctrines do not work together and that, in order to allow auditors to use the in pari delicto defense, courts should examine whether a corporation can fairly be considered to be a wrongdoer.
Alexion, winner of the Washington and Lee Law Council Law Review Award, presented “Open the Door, Not the Floodgates: Controlling Qui Tam Litigation under the False Claims Act.” Alexion is a Senior Articles Editor for Volume 69 of the Law Review.
Alexion’s article discusses lawsuits under the False Claims Act, which allows whistleblowers to receive a portion of the damages recovered from private contractors who cheat the government. The Note looks at the Affordable Care Act’s recent impact on whistleblower actions and suggests an approach that will maximize the value of these actions while minimizing frivolous lawsuits.
Congratulations to both Jost and Sims for their impressive work.
