Dan Levine

A U.S. judge last week ruled the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional and said a federal government worker should be allowed to enroll her same-sex spouse in her health insurance coverage, the latest rebuke of a law reviled by gay rights activists.

California regulators subpoenaed MetLife Inc. and plan a hearing on the company's practices involving the payment of benefits after learning of an insured’s death.

A U.S. judge dealt a setback to a lesbian federal employee's bid to obtain health insurance for her same-sex spouse, according to a court ruling.