

These damages include the monetary damages directly associated with the cost of the earplugs and also a substantial amount of ongoing medical expenses that are associated to helping veterans who suffer from hearing loss or tinnitus affected by these defective earplugs.ģM™ agreed to pay $9.1 million to the US Government to resolve these matters, though the company has admitted no wrongdoing and accepted no liability. These fraudulent activities and false claims resulted in damages that 3M has to pay to the U.S. The 3M™ lawsuit also includes a complaint that 3M™ and Aearo Technologies, who was acquired by 3M™ in 2008, manipulated the test results of the earplugs to meet the U.S. The company failed to disclose that defect, and a result. It is estimated that more than two million pairs of 3M Combat Earplugs where manufactured and used. Gradually, the earplugs will loosen and be completely useless to the user. 3M Dual-Ended Combat Arms earplugs were knowingly manufactured with a design defect for years. Understanding the 3M Combat Arms military earplug lawsuit.

The claims against 3M™ state that their device did not function as described, and were, in fact, not long enough to be properly inserted into a service member's ears. These symptoms can appear or worsen over time.3M™'s Dual-Ended Combat Arms™ were designed to be used as either standard earplugs or they could be turned around to provide the user with normal hearing while at the same time, protecting the eardrums from gunfire or explosions. Dual-Ended Combat Arms Earplugs, now no longer in production, were given to thousands of men and women in the armed services, without knowing their defects. The 3M Combat Arms Earplugs cause tinnitus, or continuous ringing in the ear, significant hearing damage and permanent hearing loss for United States veterans. 3M and Aearo Technologies, Inc., 3M’s predecessor, were aware that the earplug was not long enough to ensure necessary protection, but sold them anyway without proper disclosure to the government or users.ģM’s defective product and lack of disclosure caused physical harm for servicemembers, who now have the opportunity to be compensated for their injuries. These earplugs failed to protect servicemembers because they did not reach far enough into the ear to protect it.īecause the earplugs do not insert properly into all ears, they loosen and shift during use, allowing destructive sounds to enter the ear canal. The ear plugs were standard issued dual-ended Combat Arms brand that was issued to branches of the military service during times of combat. The opposite end was intended to block out loud. One end is intended to block out all sound. Please don’t wait trials in similar cases are ongoing, and you have limited time to bring your claims and file a lawsuit before statutes. The dual-ended design was meant to provide two different types of ear canal protection – one side for blocking out all sound, and one side for blocking sound only known to significantly affect hearing, like explosions and gunfire. When they sold the earplugs to the military, 3M and Aearo claimed the unique dual-ended design allowed soldiers to insert the olive side to protect against all. The 3M Dual-Ended Combat Arms earplugs have plugs on both ends. If you may have been affected by 3M’s CAEv2 earplugs during your military service, call 1-88 or 1-28 to talk with The Spencer Law Firm today, or click here to contact us by email. The nonlinear dual-ended Combat Arms Earplug Version 2 (CAEv2) was supposed to protect users by filtering peak-level noises. Military for use by service members to protect their hearing when their duties took them near small.

military between 20 with the purpose of suppressing noises up to 190 decibels. 3M Dual-Ended Combat Arms earplugs were sold to the U.S. military from 2003 to 2015 without disclosing defects that limited the effectiveness of the hearing. The second side of the dual ended earplugs also. The 3M Combat Arms Earplugs Version 2 were issued to the U.S. Paul, Minnesota, paid 9.1 million to settle a whistleblower lawsuit alleging that it knowingly sold the dual-ended Combat Arms earplugs, version 2 (CAEv2), to the U.S. Dual-Ended Combat ArmsTM Earplugs, Version 2 (CAEv2) were used as typical earplugs blocking and reducing noise.
