Overview

• UnitedHealth has sued The Guardian in Delaware Superior Court alleging the May 21 article falsely claimed the insurer made secret payments to nursing homes to limit hospital transfers
• The complaint contends the newspaper cropped internal emails and mischaracterized medical events to capitalize on the 2024 murder of CEO Brian Thompson
• UnitedHealth enlisted defamation specialist firm Clare Locke to seek damages and defend its clinician-patient relationships
• The Guardian stands by its investigation, citing thousands of corporate and patient records, publicly filed lawsuits and interviews with more than 20 current and former employees
• A separate Justice Department probe into potential Medicare fraud at UnitedHealth continues amid recent leadership changes, including the return of interim CEO Stephen Hemsley