A Georgia insurance broker is suing UnitedHealthcare, saying the health insurance giant illegally cut it out of a deal to sell insurance to a group of African-American Baptist churches.
UNH 'case of greed' to be heard in Georgia court
Georgia insurance broker says UnitedHealthcare deprived it of commissions.
By CHEN MAY YEE, Star Tribune
Kingdom Insurance Group LLC alleges that UnitedHealthcare conspired with another insurance agency to deprive Kingdom of commissions on health policies sold to the National Baptist Convention, a group with more than 7.5 million members.
Originally filed in state court in Georgia a year ago, the suit has been mired in various procedural actions. Last week, it was moved to federal court, also in Georgia.
"This is a case of greed, a giant insurance company from Minnesota conspiring with a small insurance agency from Texas to swindle their partner from south Georgia that put the two together and steal the business for themselves," Michael P. Bruyere, an attorney for Kingdom, said in a written statement.
A UnitedHealth Group spokesman said the case was "without merit, as we have maintained since this litigation was filed," adding: "We anticipate a prompt dismissal when all the facts are presented in the court of law." UnitedHealthcare is a unit of Minnetonka-based UnitedHealth Group.
According to the lawsuit, Kingdom, UnitedHealthcare and another agency, Texas-based Protectors Insurance & Financial Services LLC, entered into an agreement in 2008. UnitedHealthcare would supply the health insurance policies, Kingdom would act as a sort of super-agent with the smaller Protectors as the "downline" agent.
Protectors may have been the smallest player in the deal, but it had exclusive rights to market certain insurance products to the National Baptist Convention, according to the lawsuit.
The deal soured, the lawsuit alleges, when all three parties met at a National Baptist Convention conference in Houston, Texas, and UnitedHealthcare and Protectors conspired to cut Kingdom out of the picture.
Kingdom is asking for more than $75,000 in compensatory and punitive damages, interest, attorneys' fees and costs.
Chen May Yee • 612-673-7434
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CHEN MAY YEE, Star Tribune
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