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3M Defective Military Earplug Injury

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Cory Watson Is No Longer Taking These Cases

Cory Watson Attorneys Law Firm is Handling 3M Military Earplug Lawsuits

More than 230,000 3M defective military earplug injury lawsuits have been filed by veterans against 3M, alleging that the company provided faulty earplugs to service members from 2003 to 2016. These veterans claim the use of these defective earplugs during their military career led to hearing loss and tinnitus (ringing in the ears), and other related conditions. The veterans firmly believe that 3M was aware of the earplugs’ defects but still supplied them to the military.

If you’re a veteran who wore 3M earplugs during your military service and you experienced hearing loss or other related conditions, you may have grounds to file a 3M military earplug lawsuit against the company.

The 3M military earplug lawyers at Cory Watson Attorneys are investigating cases from veterans nationwide who suffered partial or total hearing loss as a result of defective 3M Combat Arms Ear Plugs. These earplugs were sold to the U.S. military and distributed to thousands, putting soldiers at risk for permanent hearing loss.

How Can 3M Combat Arms Ear Plugs Cause Hearing Loss?

Military Earplug Lawsuit - Personal Injury Attorneys

The defect with 3M Combat Arms Ear Plugs was that they were too short for proper insertion, causing them to gradually loosen in users’ ears until they were effectively rendered useless. According to the federal complaint, the earplugs “have likely caused thousands of soldiers to suffer significant hearing loss and tinnitus in addition to exposing millions to the risk caused by 3M’s defective earplugs.”

According to the VA, “hearing problems—including tinnitus, which is a ringing, buzzing, or other type of noise that originates in the head—are by far the most prevalent service-connected disability among American Veterans.”

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Defense Contractor Knowingly Put Millions of Soldiers at Risk

The Combat Arms Dual-Ended Earplugs version 2 (CAEv2)were standard issued equipment for military personnel in all branches from 2003 to 2015. In those 12 years, the earplugs were distributed to thousands in the U.S. military, putting service men and women at risk for permanent hearing loss or impairment.

A whistleblower alleged that 3M knew about design problems as early as 2000, when the earplugs failed to pass safety tests. However, they continued to market and manufacture the dual-ended earplugs. 3M failed to disclose this defect to the military when their contract was finalized.

In July 2018, the Minnesota-based 3M Company agreed to pay a $9 million penalty to the federal government to resolve these allegations, though the company has admitted no wrongdoing.

3M Military Earplug Lawsuit History

The payout to the government didn’t protect the company from lawsuits from veterans harmed by their defective earplugs. The number of claims grew to the point that on April 3, 2019, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) centralized hundreds of 3M Combat Arms Earplug lawsuits under U.S. District Judge M. Casey Rodgers of the Northern District of Florida.

In July 2022, 3M subsidiary Aearo, and maker of the defective military earplugs, filed for bankruptcy to help drive a global settlement for the mounting number of 3M military earplug lawsuits. 3M pledged $1 billion to fund Aearo’s liabilities stemming from the lawsuits, which name both 3M and Aearo. Plaintiffs said the move was an attempt by 3M to skirt the massive litigation.

In June 2023, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Jeffrey Graham in Indianapolis dismissed Aearo’s bankruptcy, ruling that the 3M subsidiary enjoys a “greater degree of financial security than warrants bankruptcy protection.”

Today, the 3M military earplug MDL has grown to become one of the largest in history, with nearly 330,000 3M military earplug lawsuits filed and at least 257,000 pending in Florida federal court.

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Cory Watson Stands with Our Nation’s Veterans

If you or a loved one served in the military at any time from 2003 to 2015 and suffered a hearing loss injury after using 3M Combat Arms Earplugs, you may be entitled to financial compensation through a 3M military earplug lawsuit.