CLASS-ACTION SUITS AGAINST GUIDANT CONSOLIDATED

A panel recently ruled that five class-action lawsuits filed against Guidant over its recent heart device recalls should be consolidated for discovery and pretrial motions. The involved cases include two in Minnesota and one each in California, Florida, Indiana and New York. The Judicial Panel on Multi-District Litigation said the cases had enough in common to be consolidated, and doing so would prevent inconsistent pretrial rulings. The combined motions will be heard by a federal judge in Minneapolis.
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