MELANI FIRED AS BOSS OF HEALTH INSURER HIGHMARK

Kenneth Melani, CEO of Pennsylvania-based health insurer Highmark, has been fired by the company following his arraignment last Thursday on charges of assaulting the husband of his alleged mistress, 28-year-old Highmark employee Melissa Myler, and of "defiant trespass", according to local reports. The incident was reported to have taken place at the Mylers' home the previous Sunday night. Robert Baum, Highmark chairman and now acting CEO, said that "the board has reviewed this situation thoroughly and has taken decisive action to address the matter". Mr Melani had been placed on unpaid administrative leave on Friday, the day after the charges were made, but local Pittsburgh news reports said that the Highmark board met Sunday morning and decided that Mr Melani needed to be dismissed. Mr Baum said that the board was "moving forward to identify a long-term successor to the CEO position". Highmark insures more than 4.8m members in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.