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US: Judge orders Anthem, Cigna to produce merger-breach letters

By  |  October 17, 2016

Federal Judge Amy Berman Jackson has ordered insurance giants Anthem and Cigna to release documents and emails revealing the two companies’ charges and counter-charges about which is not living up to terms a proposed merger agreement.

The Department of Justice sued in July to block a proposed $48 billion purchase of Bloomfield-based Cigna by Anthem. The antitrust lawsuit, filed by the DOJ over concerns the deal could cause health care costs to rise, is expected to go to trial in November.

In an order issued Friday, Jackson agreed with an official who mediates disputes between government and insurance company lawyers in the pre-trial process. That official, known as a special master, recommended that 12 documents and emails and parts of 13 others be released.

Anthem argued that none of the documents should be disclosed because they were irrelevant to how Anthem CEO Joseph Swedish and other top managers will work to achieve savings after Cigna becomes part of Anthem.

Full Content: Hartford Courant

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