![]() ![]() This Wall Street Journal article could be a flashpoint that leads to more publication of this important lawsuit.īetween 20, 3M Combat Arms Earplugs Version 2 were the exclusive hearing protection product used in numerous military conflicts by all branches of the United States military, including the: While this is the largest mass tort in history, with over 100,000 lawsuits consolidated in multi-district litigation and more to be added, there hasn’t been as much media coverage as is expected. This article is one of the most prominent pieces of journalistic criticism against 3M and provides an overview on the monetary cost incurred by the company. The Wall Street Journal published an article on the litigation: “ 3M Faces Potentially Billions in Liabilities Over $7.63 Earplugs“. The 3M litigation is ongoing and lawyers across the country are still accepting clients. Visit this page for more updates as they become available. The best source of specific information about the types of damages you may be entitled to is an attorney with experience in product liability litigation and knowledge of the 3M earplug litigation.The 3M Earplugs litigation is ongoing and lawyers across the country are still accepting clients.ģM announced that Aearo Technologies, the company that originally produced the Combat Arms Earplugs, is moving toward Chapter 11 Bankruptcy along with other 3M subsidiary companies.ģM is establishing a $1 billion trust to handle all legal proceedings related to the earplug defects. Punitive damages serve two purposes: to punish the defendant, and to protect society by discouraging the defendant and others from engaging in similar behavior in the future. Instead, they are like a penalty assessed against the defendant when the jury determines that the defendant’s conduct was so bad that additional damages are warranted. Punitive damages aren’t intended as compensation for the plaintiff’s losses. ![]() In at least one 3M earplug case, the jury also awarded punitive damages. Generally, damages in this type of case may include compensation for medical and other costs related to the injury, compensation for pain and suffering and other non-economic losses, and compensation for lost income or reduced earning capacity. The age of the service member when the injury was sustained.How clearly the injury can be tied to the use of 3M earplugs.The value of a claim will depend on factors such as: The exact damages available to a service member who suffered tinnitus or hearing loss after using the 3M earplugs varies. What Compensation is Available for 3M Earplug Hearing Loss? So far, the injured service members have won all but one of the bellwether trials, and juries have awarded millions of dollars in damages. This starts with a series of “bellwether trials”–cases chosen by the parties to try early in the process to test the waters. This saves the parties and the court from having to litigate the same questions thousands–or, in this case, hundreds of thousands–of times.Ĭonsolidating the cases can also help both sides learn about the strength and value of the claims, which can make it easier to settle many cases. That means that a large number of similar cases have been clustered together for purposes of pre-trial motions, discovery, and other elements of the cases. More than 250,000 claims against 3M have been consolidated into multi-district litigation (MDL) in Florida. And, plaintiffs say Aearo discovered that the problem could be solved or mitigated by folding back the flanges on the earplug, but did not warn the military or users of the need to do so. They further claim that 3M’s predecessor, Aearo, was aware of this problem and failed to disclose it. Complaints against 3M allege that the earplugs sold to the military were too short and could work loose without the wearer noticing.
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