Cigna Group Online Tracking Suit Shrinks to Fiduciary Duty Claim

Cigna Group couldn’t convince a federal court to dismiss a breach of fiduciary duty claim filed by insured people who said its use of third-party tracking technologies impermissibly disclosed their medical information.

The plaintiffs argued that by providing their medical info through Cigna, they relinquished control over how that data would be handled, creating a fiduciary relationship, Judge Wendy Beetlestone of the US District Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania said.

Insurers generally do not owe consumers such a duty, but Pennsylvania law says lack of control can create a fiduciary relationship if demonstrated through a fact-specific analysis. The ...