15.

Commitments and Contingencies

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 $403.2 million for Durom Cup-related claims. With respect to the period covered by this report, our estimate of our total liability for these claims as of March 31, 2013 remains consistent with our prior estimate, and, accordingly, we did not record any expense during the three month period ended March 31, 2013. With respect to the same prior year period, we also did not record any expense for Durom Cup-related claims.

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. On March 1, 2013, the Superior Court of Pennsylvania vacated the $27.6 million judgment and remanded the case for a new trial. On March 15, 2013, Plaintiffs filed a motion for re-argument en banc, and on March 28, 2013, we filed our response in opposition. Plaintiffs’ motion for re-argument is pending before the court. Although we are defending this lawsuit vigorously, its ultimate resolution is uncertain.

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, 2013, discovery in these lawsuits was underway and no trial dates had been set. We have not accrued an estimated loss relating to these lawsuits because we believe the plaintiffs’ allegations are not consistent with the record of clinical success for these products. As a result, we do not believe that it is probable that we have incurred a liability, and we cannot reasonably estimate any loss that might eventually be incurred. Although we are vigorously defending 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 are defending ourselves vigorously against these claims. These matters are in varying stages of dispute resolution processes. We accrued losses related to one of these matters in the year ended December 31, 2012. Our estimate of our total liability for this matter as of March 31, 2013 remains consistent with our prior estimate, and, accordingly, we did not record any expense during the three month period ended March 31, 2013. 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.

Patent infringement lawsuit: On December 10, 2010, Stryker Corporation and related entities (Stryker) filed suit against us in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, alleging that certain of our Pulsavac Plus wound debridement products infringe three U.S. patents assigned to Stryker. The case was tried beginning on January 15, 2013, and on February 5, 2013, the jury found that we infringed certain claims of the subject patents. The jury awarded $70.0 million in monetary damages for lost profits. The jury also found that we willfully infringed the subject patents. Final judgment has not yet been entered. We are currently preparing post-trial motions challenging the verdict. Following the trial court’s rulings on these post-trial motions and entry of final judgment, we intend to appeal the unfavorable verdict. We have not accrued an estimated loss related to this matter in our consolidated statement of earnings for the quarter ended March 31, 2013 or any prior period because we do not believe that it is probable that we have incurred a liability. Although we believe we have strong grounds to reverse the jury’s verdict, the ultimate resolution of this matter is uncertain. In the future we could be required to record a charge of up to $70.0 million that could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

Regulatory Matter

In September 2012, we received a warning letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) citing concerns relating to certain manufacturing and validation processes pertaining to Trilogy^® Acetabular System products manufactured at our Ponce, Puerto Rico manufacturing facility. We have provided detailed responses to the FDA as to our corrective actions and will continue to work expeditiously to address the issues identified by the FDA. As of March 31, 2013, the warning letter remains pending. Until the violations are corrected, we may be subject to additional regulatory action by the FDA, including seizure, injunction and/or civil monetary penalties. Additionally, requests for Certificates to Foreign Governments related to products manufactured at the Ponce facility may not be granted and premarket approval applications for Class III devices to which the Quality System regulation deviations are reasonably related will not be approved until the violations have been corrected.