Court Orders Centralization of Federal Baycol Lawsuits

MINNEAPOLIS - The administration of federal lawsuits filed against makers of the cholesterol-lowering drug Baycol will be headquartered in Minnesota, according to an order issued on Dec. 18.

In all, 36 Baycol lawsuits from 11 districts were transferred to Minnesota U.S. District Judge Michael J. Davis for coordinated or consolidated pretrial proceedings following an order by the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation. The decision also stated that more than 90 related court actions pending in 51 districts, and any other related actions, will be treated as potential "tag-along" cases and will likely be transferred to Minnesota.

According to Tuesday's order, …