Recently, on April 3, 2019, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) created a new MDL (“multidistrict litigation”) for the federal lawsuits brought by military veterans and service members with hearing loss against the earplug manufacturer, 3M Company. The MDL is in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida before Judge M. Casey Rodgers. An MDL is a type of legal proceeding that helps federal courts efficiently manage many similar cases filed in many different courts across the U.S. by allowing the temporary transfer of all of the federal civil lawsuits to one district court for pretrial consolidation or coordination. Although consolidated, each 3M case in the MDL still maintains its own individual identity. (For more information about MDLs, contact Borgess Law.)
To date, more than 600 federal actions against 3M have been filed across the country by military veterans and/or service members. Previously, in July, 2018, the Department of Justice announced that 3M Company “agreed to pay $9.1 million to resolve allegations that it knowingly sold the dual-ended Combat Arms Earplugs Version 2 (CAEv2) to the U.S. military without disclosing defects that hampered the effectiveness of the hearing protection device.” Specifically, the U.S. alleged that 3M and its predecessor, Aearo Technologies, Inc., knew that the CAEv2 was too short for proper insertion into users’ ears and that the earplugs could loosen imperceptibly and therefore did not perform well for certain individuals, putting service members at risk for hearing loss and tinnitus (i.e. ringing or other noise in the ears). The U.S. further alleged that 3M did not disclose this design defect to the military.
Lawsuits continue to be filed against 3M Company by veterans and service members who have suffered partial or total hearing loss as a result of the Combat Arms Earplugs.
HOW WE CAN HELP:
Borgess Law, LLC is representing veterans and service members nationwide who suffered partial or total hearing loss as a result of the Combat Arms Earplugs. If you, or a loved one were active in any branch of the military at any time from 2003 to 2015 and suffered hearing loss, you may have a potential claim against the ear plug manufacturer.
Borgess Law, LLC, has extensive experience with numerous national high-profile defective consumer product cases and will happy to discuss your legal options. For more information about the 3M Combat Arms lawsuits or to discuss a potential claim, contact Borgess Law at (567) 455-5955. You can also contact Borgess Law by submitting an online inquiry. Borgess Law never charges for initial consultations. We welcome any questions you may have.