A law firm representing some of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit against Medtronic for sales of faulty heart devices has been removed from a plaintiff steering committee by the presiding judge.

The decision by U.S. District Judge James Rosenbaum was made after he learned an attorney for Milberg Weiss Bershad & Schulman did not inform the court about a criminal investigation of the firm, including indictments May 18 against two of its partners for charges they paid kickbacks to clients in more than 100 lawsuits.

"The government's allegations of wrongdoing have been categorically denied by the indicted partners, and the firm intends to join with them in vigorously defending against the charges," Milburg Weiss said in a statement posted on its website.