UnitedHealth has hired a defamation law firm to go after social media posts criticizing the company
Two months after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was killed, UnitedHealth Group has hired the defamation law firm Clare Locke to address what it claims are false and reckless social media posts, Bloomberg Law reported.
Clare Locke, a Virginia-based firm, describes itself on its website as being “dedicated to litigating complex defamation matters and representing clients facing high-profile reputational attacks.”
On January 7, plastic surgeon Elisabeth Potter posted a video on Instagram claiming that UnitedHealthcare called her while she was in the middle of surgery, demanding she justify an inpatient stay for a breast cancer patient undergoing a necessary procedure. Potter alleged the insurer later denied the patient an overnight stay and threatened her with legal action for speaking out.
In the video, Potter included what appeared to be a screen capture of a letter from Clare Locke dated January 13. “We are writing to demand you correct your knowingly false, misleading, and defamatory posts regarding UnitedHealthcare,” the letter read. The law firm stated she had made an error, adding that UnitedHealthcare would never expect a physician to step out during surgery. Clare Locke asked Potter to publicly retract her statements and issue an apology.
“I am a woman taking care of women affected by breast cancer,” Potter responded on X (formerly Twitter). “I do this work with all of my heart, and I will continue to speak up for my patients—because they deserve better.”
UnitedHealthcare denied Potter’s claims. “There are no insurance-related circumstances that would ever require a physician to step out of surgery, as doing so would create potential safety risks. We would never ask or expect a physician to interrupt patient care to return a call,” a UnitedHealthcare spokesperson told Fortune. “These allegations by a plastic surgeon that UnitedHealthcare denied coverage for the care a breast cancer patient received are false. UnitedHealthcare had previously approved coverage for the care, including an overnight stay.”
Potter isn’t the only one criticizing UnitedHealthcare on social media. Since Thompson’s murder, some users have glorified his alleged killer while slamming the insurer for denying claims.
Bloomberg also reported that UnitedHealth contacted the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) about a now-deleted post from billionaire investor Bill Ackman. In the post, Ackman alleged, “I would not be surprised to find that the company’s profitability is massively overstated due to its denial of medically necessary procedures and patient care.” Following his comments, UnitedHealth shares dropped 4.3% the next day.
Clare Locke, founded by husband-and-wife team Tom Clare and Libby Locke, is known for its work in high-profile defamation cases. The firm co-represented Dominion Voting Systems in its lawsuit against Fox News. Dominion accused Fox of damaging its reputation by falsely blaming it for switching votes from Donald Trump to Joe Biden in the 2020 election. The case resulted in a $787.5 million settlement paid by Fox.