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 pre-trial 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 Corporation Customer Data Security Breach Litigation; case number 02522, U.S. District Court, Minnesota. (Reporting by Supriya Kurane in Bangalore; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier)