Two Minneapolis doctors who were the first to speak out about a potentially deadly defect in a popular model of heart defibrillator made by the Guidant division of Boston Scientific Corp. have asked a federal judge to reject a $296 million plea agreement that would settle the case. In an April 12 letter, Minneapolis Heart Institute doctors Barry Maron and Robert Hauser urged U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank to reject the proposed plea "on behalf of the patients who died or suffered pain and mental anguish as the direct result of Guidant's illegal and unethical behavior," the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.