HOLD ON TO YOUR HATS: After a month of deliberations, a jury in Tennessee federal court has reached a verdict in a complex patent case involving Fridley-based Medtronic Inc. and the inventor of some of its spinal fusion technologies. But the decision won't be known until later this morning. Michelson, a Los Angeles-based spinal surgeon, alleged in a countersuit that Medtronic shorted him in royalty payments and failed to properly market his inventions. He is seeking $1.7 billion in compensatory damages in addition to punitive damages.

I'll keep you posted . . .