UnitedHealthcare lawsuit accuses Guardian of trying to ‘capitalize' on CEO's killing
UnitedHealthcare is suing The Guardian for defamation over a story the publication ran related to its billing for nursing home residents.
In a May 21 story, The Guardian US alleged that the health care giant saved money at the cost of nursing home residents' health.
In a lawsuit filed on Wednesday, UnitedHealthcare said that The Guardian had knowingly published false information, and tried to capitalize on media interest in the killing of its then-CEO last year in New York. The health care company alleged that The Guardian cropped screenshots quoted in the article, taking the email out of its full context. It further disputed some of The Guardian's characterizations of medical events in the story.
'The Guardian knew these accusations were false, but published them anyway, brazenly trying to capitalize on the tragic and shocking assassination of UnitedHealthcare's then-CEO, Brian Thompson,' the complaint says.
UnitedHealthcare is being represented by the law firm Clare Locke, which has made a name for itself for aggressively pursuing defamation lawsuits against news media organizations.
In a fiery statement first shared with Semafor, The Guardian said it was not backing down from its reporting following the lawsuit, saying that the story was backed up by documents and on-the-record lawsuits.
'The Guardian stands by its deeply-sourced, independent reporting, which is based on thousands of corporate and patient records, publicly filed lawsuits, declarations submitted to federal and state agencies, and interviews with more than 20 current and former UnitedHealth employees — as well as statements and information provided by UnitedHealth itself over several weeks,' a spokesperson said. 'It's outrageous that in response to factual reporting on the practice of secretly paying nursing homes to reduce hospitalizations for vulnerable patients, UnitedHealth is resorting to wildly misleading claims and intimidation tactics via the courts.'
UnitedHealth has struggled in the months since the high-profile murder of its former CEO.
Last month, the company announced that it was replacing its now-former CEO, Andrew Witty, after reporting poor profits and shaky projections for the rest of 2025. And The Wall Street Journal reported that the company is at the center of multiple Department of Justice investigations for potential Medicare fraud.
Investors in UHC sued the company last month, alleging it had not adjusted its earnings outlook to account for the killing of Thompson.
Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing Thompson, has asked that his New York murder charge be dropped on the grounds that the ongoing federal case against him amounts to double jeopardy. His lawyers have also asked that he not be required to wear shackles or a bulletproof vest to court.
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