Commitments and Contingencies

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2012

Commitments and Contingencies [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies

14. Commitments and Contingencies

Other than as described below, there have been no significant developments relating to the information previously reported in Note 19 to our Consolidated Financial Statements in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011.

On a quarterly and annual basis, we review relevant information with respect to loss contingencies and update our accruals, disclosures and estimates of reasonably possible losses or ranges of loss based on such reviews. We establish liabilities for loss contingencies when it is probable that a loss has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. For matters where a loss is believed to be reasonably possible, but not probable, no accrual has been made.

Litigation

Durom ^® Cup-related claims: On July 22, 2008, we temporarily suspended marketing and distribution of the Durom Acetabular Component (Durom Cup) in the U.S. Subsequently, a number of product liability lawsuits and other claims have been asserted against us. We have settled some of these claims and the others are still pending. Additional claims may be asserted in the future.

Since 2008, we have accrued estimated losses of $388.2 million for Durom Cup-related claims. With respect to the periods covered by this report, our estimate of our total liability for these claims as of March 31, 2012 remains consistent with our prior estimate, and, accordingly, we did not record any expense during the three month period ended March 31, 2012. During the three month period ended March 31, 2011, we recognized $1.1 million of expense in SG&A.

Our understanding of clinical outcomes with the Durom Cup continues to evolve. We rely on significant estimates in determining the provisions for Durom Cup-related claims, including the number of claims that we will receive and the average amount we will pay per claim. The actual number of claims that we receive and the amount we pay per claim may differ from our estimates. Among other factors, since our understanding of the clinical outcomes is still evolving, we cannot reasonably estimate the possible loss or range of loss that may result from Durom Cup-related claims in excess of the losses we have accrued.

Margo and Daniel Polett v. Zimmer, Inc. et al.: On August 20, 2008, the Poletts filed an action against us and an unrelated third party, Public Communications, Inc. (PCI), in the Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania seeking an unspecified amount of damages for injuries and loss of consortium allegedly suffered by Mrs. Polett and her spouse, respectively. The complaint alleged that defendants were negligent in connection with Mrs. Polett’s participation in a promotional video featuring one of our knee products. The case was tried in November 2010 and the jury returned a verdict in favor of plaintiffs. The jury awarded $27.6 million in compensatory damages and apportioned fault 30 percent to plaintiffs, 34 percent to us and 36 percent to PCI. Under applicable law, we may be liable for any portion of the damages apportioned to PCI that it does not pay. On December 2, 2010, we and PCI filed a Motion for Post-Trial Relief seeking a judgment notwithstanding the verdict, a new trial or a remittitur. On June 10, 2011, the trial court entered an order denying our Motion for Post-Trial Relief and affirming the jury verdict in full and entered judgment for $20.3 million against us and PCI. On June 29, 2011, we filed a Notice of Appeal to the Superior Court of Pennsylvania and posted a bond for the verdict amount plus interest. Oral argument before the appellate court in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was held as scheduled on March 13, 2012. A ruling has not yet been issued. We have not accrued an estimated loss related to this matter. Although we believe we have strong grounds to reverse the jury’s verdict, the ultimate resolution of this matter is uncertain. We could in the future be required to record a charge to our consolidated statement of earnings that could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations in any particular period.

NexGen ^® Knee System claims: Following a wide-spread advertising campaign conducted by certain law firms beginning in 2010, a number of product liability lawsuits have been filed against us in various jurisdictions. The majority of the cases are currently pending in a federal Multidistrict Litigation in the Northern District of Illinois. Other cases are pending in other state and federal courts, and additional lawsuits may be filed. As of March, 31, 2012, discovery in these lawsuits was underway and no trial dates had been set. We have not accrued an estimated loss relating to these lawsuits. Although we intend to vigorously defend these lawsuits, their ultimate resolution is uncertain.

Intellectual Property-Related Claims

Royalty arrangements: We are involved in certain ongoing contractual and other disputes pertaining to certain royalty arrangements. We intend to defend ourselves vigorously against these claims. These matters are in varying stages of dispute resolution processes. In the three month period ended March 31, 2012, we accrued an estimated loss related to one of these matters. With respect to the other matters, we cannot reasonably estimate the possible loss, if any, we may incur or predict the likely outcome of the matters. An adverse result in any of these matters could have an adverse effect on our results of operations in any particular period.

Government Investigations

FCPA investigation: In September 2007, the Staff of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) informed us that it was conducting an investigation regarding potential violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) in the sale of medical devices in a number of foreign countries by companies in the medical device industry. In November 2007, we received a letter from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) requesting that any information provided to the SEC also be provided to the DOJ on a voluntary basis. In the course of continuing dialogues with the agencies, we have voluntarily disclosed information to the SEC and DOJ relating to sales of our products by independent distributors in two South American countries. In the first quarter of 2011, we received a subpoena from the SEC seeking documents and other records pertaining to our business activities in substantially all countries in the Asia Pacific region where we operate. We are in the process of responding to the subpoena. We cannot currently predict the outcome of this investigation. If the result of the investigation is that we are found to be in violation of the FCPA, we could face significant monetary penalties or be required to take other remedial actions.

Regulatory Matters

In July 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conducted an inspection of our Warsaw, Indiana manufacturing facility, following which it issued a Form FDA-483 (Form 483 notice). The Form 483 notice identified certain inspectional observations regarding the facility’s quality systems. We responded in writing to the observations and met with representatives of the district office of the FDA to discuss our response and action plans. We have been executing our action plans and communicating on a regular basis with representatives of the district office of the FDA on the status of our execution of the action plans. As anticipated, in April 2012, the FDA commenced a re-inspection of our Warsaw, Indiana manufacturing facility and this matter is on-going. At this time, we do not know whether the FDA will take additional actions following the completion of the re-inspection and, therefore, we are unable to estimate the impact, if any, these matters may have on our financial position, results of operations and cash flows.