05:22 AM EDT, 09/06/2024 (MT Newswires) -- (Updates with UnitedHealth's ( UNH ) response in the sixth paragraph.)

UnitedHealth Group ( UNH ) 's United Behavioral Health unit won a significant legal victory on Wednesday in a case related to plaintiffs' denial of benefits claims.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit granted United Behavioral Health's request for a "writ of mandamus" - a rare legal order typically reserved for extraordinary situations, according to a legal filing Wednesday.

This decision overruled the lower district court's previous ruling that had certified the plaintiffs' claim for class treatment.

The appeals court found that the plaintiffs, who were seeking to form a class action lawsuit, didn't properly limit their proposed group to only those who were unfairly denied benefits review.

The U.S. Court of Appeals said that the district court erred in its earlier decision and directed the district court to issue a decision in favor of UnitedHealth ( UNH ).

UnitedHealth ( UNH ) declined MT Newswires' request for comment.