Zenimax Beats Ex-Worker’s Suit Over Gender-Affirming Benefits

Zenimax Online Studios LLC defeated a lawsuit by a former employee who says the company wrongly ended her COBRA-based health insurance coverage to interfere with her gender-affirming medical procedures.

Magistrate Judge Erin Aslan dismissed the worker’s claims for benefit interference under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, saying she offered only “subjective speculation” that the Microsoft Corp. unit was trying to avoid paying for procedures related to her transition. The record contains evidence that Zenimax was working to reinstate the worker’s coverage, which undercuts her claim that it intentionally interfered with her health benefits, Aslan said in an opinion docketed ...