MIAMI (March 13, 2001) — Colson Hicks Eidson today announced that it has filed a lawsuit on behalf of Dr. J. Michael Forrest and his wife in Miami-Dade District Court against Sulzer Orthopedics Inc of Austin, TX for producing the “Inter-Op Acetabular Shell™”, a faulty hip implant that may have affected over 17,500 consumers—most of which live in Florida, Texas, California and Arizona.

As a result of the faulty Sulzer device implanted in May of last year, Dr. Forrest, a forty-nine-year-old Miami physician, has experienced great pain walking and moving about. He will have to undergo a second surgery to replace the defective implant.

So far, there have been 129 documented cases requiring the replacement of the “Inter-Op Acetabular Shell™”.

“Although Sulzer apologized to consumers and voluntarily recalled the faulty implants in December, there is evidence the company may have been aware of problems in early fall and failed to warn consumers,” according to Colson Hicks Eidson and President of the Dade County Bar Association. “Going through the initial operation is hard enough and having to undergo a second surgery is a serious concern to those unfortunate victims of Sulzer’s negligence.”

The lawsuit seeks damages for pain and suffering in addition to compensation for economic losses associated with medical bills and lost wages. The implant is defective as a result of the lubricant residue that prevents the device from bonding with the hipbone causing symptoms including severe groin pain and an inability to bear weight on the leg.

“It is difficult to estimate how many people will experience problems with the faulty implants in the future,” added Joseph Kalbac, Jr., a partner at Colson Hicks Eidson. “Patients and physicians will be saddled with the burden associated with monitoring Sulzer implants; as such the patient and the medical community are both victims.”