Finkelstein, Thompson, and Loughran Files Class Action Lawsuit Against UnitedHealth Group, Inc., William W. McGuire, and Stephen J. Hemsley

9 May 2006

The law firm of Finkelstein, Thompson & Loughran has filed a class action lawsuit in the District Court for the District of Minnesota on behalf of investors who purchased the publicly traded securities of UnitedHealth Group, Inc. ("UnitedHealth") (NYSE: UNH) between May 4, 2001 and April 7, 2006.

The complaint alleges that, throughout the Class Period, Defendants misrepresented and omitted material facts concerning UnitedHealth's backdating of stock option grants to defendants William W. McGuire and Stephen J. Hemsley. Specifically, Plaintiff alleges that at all times during the Class Period, UnitedHealth represented that the exercise price of all stock options would be no less than the fair market value of UnitedHealth's common stock, measured by the publicly traded closing price for UnitedHealth stock on the day of the grant.

However, in reality, those options were backdated so their exercise price correlated to a day on or near the day UnitedHealth stock hit its low price for the year, or directly in advance of sharp increases in the price of UnitedHealth stock. Defendants McGuire and Hemsley have collectively earned over $500 million by exercising these backdated options.

As the truth concerning United Health's practice of backdating option grants became known to the market from a variety of sources, the price of UnitedHealth stock fell $6.76, or 12%, over several trading sessions.

If you are a member of the class, you may, no later than July 7, 2006, request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff of the class. A lead plaintiff is a class member appointed by the Court to direct the litigation on behalf of the class. Although a class member need not be appointed as a lead plaintiff to receive a proportionate share of any proceeds of the litigation, lead plaintiffs make important decisions that could affect the prosecution of the class claims, including decisions concerning settlement. The securities laws create a rebuttable presumption that the plaintiff with the largest financial interest in the litigation is the most adequate to serve as a lead plaintiff.

With offices in Washington, DC and San Francisco, CA, Finkelstein, Thompson & Loughran has spent almost three decades delivering outstanding representation to institutional and individual clients in connection with securities and other finance-related litigation, and has been appointed as lead or co-lead counsel in dozens of shareholder class actions. Indeed, in the past ten years, the firm has served in leadership roles in cases that have recovered over $1 billion for investors and consumers.

If you have any questions concerning this press release or your rights or interests, please contact Finkelstein, Thompson & Loughran's Washington, DC office at (877) 337-1050, or by email at mgm@ftllaw.com.

Source: prnewswire

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