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3M Earplug Lawsuit

3M Combat Arms Earplug Lawsuit

It’s unimaginable. Would 3M knowingly sell defective ear protection to the U.S. military? Unfortunately, a recent whistleblower lawsuit alleged just that. And now U.S. service members from across the country are filing their own lawsuits against 3M after suffering unnecessary hearing loss or tinnitus.

What happened here?

Recently, an alarming trend has become increasingly evident. U.S. soldiers who used dual-sided 3M Combat Arms Earplugs (CAEv2) during their military service have been diagnosed with hearing loss or tinnitus. This trend is most evident among soldiers who served between 2002 and 2016.

Thanks to a recent whistleblower lawsuit, the cause for these issues has become clear. The U.S. Department of Defense recently brought a lawsuit alleging that 3M sold defective earplugs to the U.S. military for more than a decade. This lawsuit settled in July 2018 for approximately $9.1 million.

What is the defect at issue? The Department of Defense claimed that 3M has known that the CAEv2 earplug stem was too short. This made it difficult for some service members to insert the earplugs deep enough to block out damaging noise.

Unfortunately, there are serious allegations that 3M and another company, Aearo, have known about this defect since 2000, yet failed to disclose the issue to the military.

How many soldiers could be affected?

Unfortunately, the defective 3M earplugs were issued to millions of service members. The earplugs were used in many recent conflicts involving the U.S. military.

Where were these earplugs used?

Unfortunately, these defective ear plugs were used in many recent military conflicts, including:

• The War in Afghanistan
• The Iraq War
• War in North-West Pakistan (War on Terror)
• War in Somalia
• Operation Ocean Shield in the Indian Ocean
• American-led intervention in Libya (Libyan Crisis)
• American-led intervention in Syria
• Yemeni Civil War

How were these earplugs supposed to work?

These earplugs were designed with two different sides. If you’ve seen one before, then you will recognize that the olive-green side of the earplugs would block out most sounds. The yellow side of the plugs still blocked out major loud sounds, such as gunfire, but would allow a soldier to hear someone’s voice.

What should you do if you think you’ve been harmed by defective 3M earplugs?

Contact us today. We find it egregious that a company might have knowingly done harm to members of the United Stated Armed Forces. We have successfully handled defective product cases across the United States and have achieved national recognition for having done so. We stand by ready to investigate your claim against 3M today.

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You have nothing to lose by letting our attorneys advise you of your options. For a no-cost, confidential attorney review of your case, contact us using the form below or by calling us at (903) 597-6000.

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