Minnesota court to hear all Target data breach cases

(Reuters) — The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation ordered that the many lawsuits that accuse Target Corp. of failing to protect customers from a data breach will be consolidated in the retailer's home state Minnesota.

The order brings together 33 lawsuits across 18 districts, and potentially many more tag-along actions, before the U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson in Minnesota.

The centralization will eliminate duplicative discovery, prevent inconsistent pretrial rulings, and conserve the resources of the parties and the judiciary, according to the transfer order.

Target, the third-largest U.S. retailer, faces several class action lawsuits and action from banks that could seek reimbursement for millions of dollars in losses due to fraud and the cost of card replacements.

The case is In re: Target Corp. Customer Data Security Breach Litigation, No. 02522, U.S. District Court, Minnesota.