PITTSBURGH — The state's largest insurance company says its former CEO was fired for willful misconduct that injured the company's reputation and business.

Highmark says in a statement Wednesday that former CEO Ken Melani repeatedly denied that he was having a sexual relationship with a junior company employee.

Melani was fired after he got into a fight last week with the husband of an employee with whom he was having an affair.

Melani's attorney, Sam Cordes, says Highmark is just looking for pretexts for what he contends is a retaliatory firing.

PITTSBURGH — A coalition of oil and gas industry companies is challenging a group of municipalities who are suing the state of Pennsylvania over a new law that aims to regulate gas drilling.The Pennsylvania Oil and Gas Association, the Marcellus Shale Coalition and several companies filed a legal petition Thursday morning, seeking to intervene in the lawsuit filed by municipalities last week.The municipalities want an injunction stopping the law from taking effect and, ultimately, for it to be struck down.