Also

* A U.S. appeals court agreed to consider the tobacco industry’s challenge of a lower court ruling that declined to limit the $280 billion in penalties the government was seeking in its racketeering case against the industry.

* Secure Computing Corp. said its board had rejected an unsolicited buyout offer from CyberGuard Corp.

* Marvel Enterprises Inc. filed suit against Walt Disney Co. in Los Angeles County Superior Court, claiming Disney mishandled its distribution rights to popular Marvel characters such as the Incredible Hulk and Spider-Man and effectively cost Marvel millions in unrealized profit. A Disney spokesman said the company hadn’t seen the lawsuit and could not comment.