A U.S. District Court judge sided with the Justice Department Feb. 8 and blocked Indianapolis-based Anthem's proposed $54 billion acquisition of Bloomfield, Conn.-based Cigna, stating the combined payer entity would hurt consumers and hamper innovation.
Here are four key events that took place following Judge Amy Berman Jackson's order.
1. Judge blocks $54B Anthem-Cigna deal, Anthem plans to appeal order
Anthem said Feb. 9 it will appeal the District Court's order to block the payer's proposed acquisition of Cigna.
2. Cigna ends merger agreement, sues Anthem for $14.85B
Cigna motioned to terminate its merger agreement with Anthem Feb. 14 and filed a lawsuit against the insurer for roughly $14.85 billion.
3. Anthem sues Cigna to halt insurer from ending merger agreement
Anthem countersued Cigna Feb. 15 in an attempt to block the insurer from terminating their agreement.
4. Judge temporarily stalls Cigna from terminating merger with Anthem
A Delaware Chancery Court judge ruled in favor of Anthem Feb. 15, momentarily banning Cigna from motioning to end the two payers' merger agreement.