A former major league soccer player filed suit against team physicians and Oregon Outpatient Surgery Center, citing "breach of sterility" and saying the procedure was too risky.
The athlete, former Portland Timbers goalkeeper Jake Gleeson, underwent elective bilateral internal fixation with plates and screws as well as bone marrow harvesting on Aug. 15, 2018, performed by team physician Richard Edelson, MD, at Oregon Outpatient Surgery Center in Portland. In the lawsuit, he claims Dr. Edelson and the surgery center didn't properly sterilize the equipment used during surgery and didn't use FDA sterilization techniques for the surgical implants.
He also alleges Dr. Edelson selected an "aggressive and risky" procedure before attempting conservative therapies first and claims that there wasn't a clear necessity to implant orthopedic devices. Mr. Gleeson underwent a subsequent procedure on Sept. 14, 2018, and claims that his surgeon did not remove an infected implant from his right tibia, which caused additional injuries.
Mr. Gleeson is seeking about $10.2 million in the suit, including:
· $800,000 in damages
· $180,947 in medical expenses for surgical procedures
· $200,000 in anticipated future medical expenses
· $300,000 in past economic loss
· $1.5 million in loss of future earnings
· $8 million in non-economic damages
The lawsuit also names Jonathan Greenleaf, MD, who is an owner of the ASC, and Sports Medicine Oregon.