Jury Orders St. Jude to Pay Rival $140 Million

St. Jude Medical Inc., a maker of devices used to treat heart disease, said a jury ordered the company to pay rival Guidant Corp. $140 million in a patent dispute.

St. Jude, of St. Paul, Minn., said it will ask a judge to set aside the verdict or reduce the award.

Guidant sued St. Jude in 1996, claiming the company infringed four patents related to implantable defibrillators, which are used to restore normal heart rhythm. Guidant dropped claims on one patent, and the court dismissed another, though Guidant has appealed.

The federal court jury in Indiana ruled St. Jude infringed one of the remaining patents, though the infringement wasn’t found to be willful, St. Jude said. That patent has expired, so the ruling won’t affect St. Jude’s defibrillator sales or product introductions, the company said.

Guidant, based in Indianapolis, had asked for $313 million in damages, St. Jude said.

The verdict was announced after the close of U.S. markets. Shares of St. Jude closed off 12 cents to $60.28, while Guidant fell 15 cents to close $35.90, both on the New York Stock Exchange.