A Delaware judge dismissed UnitedHealth Group's defamation lawsuit against the Guardian, the U.K. news outlet that published a May 2025 story alleging the Eden Prairie-based health giant made secret payments to reduce costly hospital transfers. In a ruling Monday, Delaware Superior Court Judge Calvin L. Scott, Jr., dismissed all six defamation claims in the lawsuit. In one count, the judge wrote that UnitedHealth Group's lawsuit "cherry picks" language to allege the Guardian was making claims that weren't actually part of its report. The report cited several instances of nursing home residents who needed immediate hospital care but failed to receive it following interventions by UnitedHealth staff. On the DNR issue, the judge wrote: "Nothing in the article states that United was approaching [patients] and telling them to change their code status so [United] could save money."