Judge considers class-action status in Target suit

A federal judge in St. Paul is expected to rule this month on whether a suit against Target by financial institutions can proceed as a class action.

The suit seeks to recover the costs incurred by banks, credit unions and other institutions after hackers gained access to confidential consumer information. Some banks have reached settlements on their own.

The judge heard arguments about the plaintiffs' request for class-action status Thursday. Target attorney Douglas Meal maintained that banks do not share the common actions and injuries that are prerequisites for a class action. He said some banks took no action, and some suffered no harm, after hackers attacked the retailer in late 2013.

But attorney Karl Cambronne, who represents banks, contended all banks endured fraud and other losses. "Target would like to leave the world with the impression that what banks did was ... wrong, and [that] they didn't have to do anything, which is disingenuous," he said.

The judge took the matter under advisement.