BROOKLYN, NY – A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a New Jersey plastic surgery practice against insurance giant Aetna, ruling the clinic’s claims over a disputed breast reduction surgery payment were preempted by federal benefits law and failed to state a valid claim.

Rowe Plastic Surgery of New Jersey, LLC, and its affiliate Norman Maurice Rowe, M.D., M.H.A., LLC, sued Aetna in 2022, alleging the insurer unlawfully underpaid and delayed reimbursement for a bilateral breast reduction procedure performed on a patient insured through Aetna. The lawsuit, originally filed in New York state court and later removed to federal court, claimed breach of contract, unjust enrichment, promissory estoppel, and violations of New York’s Prompt Pay Law.

But in a decision filed Monday, U.S.

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