The U.S. District Court in Atlanta has granted a preliminary injunction against Assurant Inc. in connection with allegations that Assurant copied 4 Aflac Inc. supplemental insurance policies too closely.
The Jan. 11 ruling enjoined Assurant, New York, and subsidiaries Fortis Insurance and John Alden Life Insurance from selling the products, which the court said used "substantially similar" language to Aflac voluntary worksite policies covering cancer, accidents, hospital confinement and illnesses requiring hospitalization.
Aflac, Columbus, Ga., brought the copyright-infringement case June 3.
The company complained Assurant knew extensive details about its policies after hiring Mark Shaw, a former Aflac senior vice president.
The court order ruled that dozens of benefits in the Assurant policies, which were marketed under the VoluntaryMart brand, were almost identical to those in the Aflac products.
