3M is the subject of a number of lawsuits as a result of its Dual Ended Combat Arms Earplugs. The earplugs were defective in nature and did not provide ear canal protection. Armed Forces service members are seeking Military Hearing Loss Compensation across Tennessee. If you or a loved one experienced hearing loss joining the 3M Earplug Class Action lawsuit will be your best bet for payment, in addition to available VA benefits. Call 615-422-7171 or complete the contact form to see if Personal Injury Attorney George Angelopoulos can help you hold 3M accountable. Free consultations.
Military Hearing Loss Lawsuit
Dual Ended Combat Arms earplugs manufactured by 3M come loose in a military service member’s ears. This allows damaging sounds to enter the ear canal. As a result, the earplugs failed to protect against hearing loss and the product is deemed defective. This is the defective earplug lawsuit basis.
Between the 2003 and 2015, during which time the United States was at war with Afghanistan and Iraq, service members were provided 3m dual ended combat earplugs. The Department of Veterans Affairs show that more than 1,000,000 veterans in 2016 received Military Hearing Loss Compensation and 1.6 million service members received treatment for tinnitus (ringing in the ears). Statistics show a sharp rise in the number of military hearing loss claims at the same time that Dual Ended Combat Arms Earplugs were being used by the military.
3M United States Government Settlement
In 2018, 3M paid $9.1 million to the United States Government due to the defective earplugs. The settlement came as a result of a 2016 claim that 3M altered test results to make it seem as though the military ear plugs met government standards.
Over a period of several months, Moldex-Metric was able to establish before a court of law that 3M knew the earplugs were too short, and as a result were not capable of working properly. Moldex-Metric also established that 3M had falsified test results and marketing materials to meet government standards.
The compensation was for damages the United States currently faces for the costs of treating veterans who experienced hearing damage as a result of the faulty combat earplugs. This claim was brought under the False Claims Act, which allows private entities to initiate legal action on behalf of the government in cases of fraud.
Because this claim only compensated the government service members are still able to file individual lawsuits against 3M seeking Military Hearing Loss Compensation.
Veterans Suing 3M
In 2019, hundreds of veterans filed lawsuits against 3M claiming that the company knowingly sold defective earplugs that caused hearing loss. As of February 2019, there were 150 lawsuits initiated by service members pending in federal and state courts. In 2019, 640 veterans’ lawsuits were consolidated for Multi District Litigation in Florida despite 3M’s defense that the venue had been selected due to its large military presence.
Some of the service members who are most likely to have used 3M earplugs include those who held positions such as combat arms generalists, infantrymen, aviation air crewmen, field artillerymen, operations commanders and machinery technicians.
If you, or a loved one is a service member experiencing hearing loss and want to see if you qualify for Military Hearing Loss Compensation in Tennessee we want to listen. Call 615-422-7171 or complete the contact form to see if we can help.
