CORAL GABLES (May 6, 2002) — The law firms of Ness, Motley and Colson Hicks Eidson announced that they filed a lawsuit in Miami’s U.S. District Court, Southern Division, on behalf of the family of slain Argentine pop star Rodrigo Bueno against Ford Motor Co. and Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc. in Rodrigo’s death two years ago. The pop music icon died on June 24, 2000 after his 1998 Ford Explorer rolled over.

“To see the face of Rodrigo’s girlfriend and realize that their lives have been irreparably damaged as a result of the negligence of Ford and Firestone and knowing that this tragedy could have been prevented is very disturbing,” said Paul Hulsey of Ness and Motley, P.A., co-lead counsel on the case.

During the tragic rollover, Rodrigo and his friend, Fernando Leon Olmedo, an Argentinean actor, were thrown from the Explorer and killed. Rodrigo’s girlfriend and two-year old son were also in the car when it rolled over, as was personal assistant Aldo Alberto Pereyra. All three sustained injuries.

On June 24, 2000, Rodrigo, his girlfriend, son and three other passengers, including his friend Olmedo, were driving on Highway La Plata in Buenos Aires, Rodrigo maneuvered to avoid an impact with another car when his Ford Explorer rolled over. Rodrigo was killed instantly.

“I am dismayed that Ford and Firestone continue to knowingly sell defective Ford Explorers in foreign countries like Argentina and elsewhere in the world without warning consumers in those countries about the danger of driving an Explorer,” said Mike Eidson, partner at Colson Hicks Eidson, who serves as co-lead counsel for the plaintiffs’ personal injury and wrongful death cases in the Firestone/Ford Federal Multi-District litigation now pending before the U.S District Court in Indianapolis, Indiana. “This is yet another accident and another loss of life that demonstrates what I’ve said many times before—the Ford Explorer is an unsafe, unstable vehicle equipped with defective tires made by Firestone/Bridgestone.”

“Ford and Firestone designed and manufactured defective Ford Explorers with Firestone tires while knowing that such vehicles would be used by the general public for transportation of human lives,” said Adrian Campos and Aldo Spicacci Citarella of Campos & Spicacci Citarella, P.A. in Argentina, “They did this without warning users of the inherent risks associated with using the Explorer in normal operation, including reasonably foreseeable emergency maneuvers. Ford and Firestone must be held accountable for the tragic loss of human life caused by their products.”

Rodrigo, who was only 27 when he died, became a pop music sensation in 1991 with his brand of folk music known as cuarteto. He released his first solo album “Aprendiendo Vivir” that year after parting ways with his band Manto Negro. Rodrigo released many albums including a compilation album called “El Potro”. In his lifetime, Rodrigo’s record sales included 6 gold albums, 3 platinum albums and 2 triple platinum albums.

The law firm of Ness, Motley, P.A. is one of the nation’s premiere “plaintiffs’ only” law firms and is known for combining new technologies and pioneering legal strategies in courtrooms across the nation on asbestos, tobacco, personal injury, bankruptcy, lead poisoning, health care fraud, auto defect (including Ford Explorer and Firestone tire defect cases) and dozens of other kinds of cases.

The law firm of Colson Hicks Eidson is one of South Florida’s oldest and most prestigious trial and appellate law firms specializing in personal injury and wrongful death practice, commercial business tort, insurance, professional liability litigation, white-collar criminal defense aviation, class action and domestic and international arbitration.

The law firm of Campos & Spicacci Citarella, is a Argentinean Law firm dedicated to energy and environmental law, torts, toxic torts, product defect domestic and international litigation.

EDITORS NOTE: To view a copy of the complaint online, go to www.nmlrp.com.