GDT Guidant Corp

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas, Jan. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- The New York Times today at 10:30 a.m. CST plans to appear in a Texas courtroom to request the release of documents that may show whether heart defibrillator manufacturer Guidant Corp. (NYSE:GDT) knew its devices had a potentially fatal flaw before selling them to patients without proper warning. The newspaper has filed a lawsuit in Judge Jack Hunter's 94th District Court in Nueces County, Texas, seeking disclosure of potentially damaging documents produced by Indianapolis-based Guidant in preparation for an upcoming Texas trial. On Feb. 20, Judge Hunter's court will be the scene of the nation's first trial against Guidant resulting from revelations about potential defects in its heart devices. Guidant defibrillators were recalled in July 2005, when the FDA found that potential electrical flaws could create "a reasonable likelihood of serious injury or death." "These documents are not trade secrets, only evil secrets," says attorney Bob Hilliard of Hilliard & Munoz in Corpus Christi. "They directly affect the public health and safety, and Guidant has wrongfully attempted to hide them from the public's view." Mr. Hilliard represents plaintiffs Louis Motal and Beatrice Hinojosa in the underlying lawsuit scheduled for February, as well as hundreds of other individuals who say they have been injured by Guidant defibrillators. "Sunshine is the best disinfectant, and now that the media are involved, hopefully the truth will come to light that these devices can kill people, and that Guidant doesn't seem to care," Mr. Hilliard says. For more information on today's hearing or the upcoming Guidant lawsuit, please contact Alan Bentrup at 800/559-4534 or . First Call Analyst: FCMN Contact: DATASOURCE: Hilliard & Munoz, L.L.P. CONTACT: Alan Bentrup, +1-800-559-4534, or , for Hilliard & Munoz

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