UnitedHealth ex-CEO's pact is uncertain

A federal judge put the $420 million settlement reached between UnitedHealth Group Inc. and ousted Chief Executive William McGuire temporarily on hold to ask how broadly Minnesota state law allows him to review the deal. U.S. District Judge James Rosenbaum said he would keep the injunction in place while he awaits clarification from the Minnesota Supreme Court on whether he has the power to examine the merits of the settlement. Late last year, McGuire was forced to leave the company after an internal probe concluded that stock options granted to UnitedHealth executives were likely backdated on his watch.