3M Combat Arms Earplug Lawsuit

If you or someone you know served in the armed forces or has suffered ear problems from the 3M Dual-Ended Combat Arms earplugs, the professionals at Frankl & Kominsky Injury Lawyers can help you seek compensation. Our team is on standby, ready to fight for those who’ve served our country and faced the unfortunate consequences of using defective gear.

If you are interested to see if you are eligible to file a claim against 3M, let Frankl & Kominsky Lawyers help. Call us today at (561) 800-8000 or fill out our online form to set up your free consultation.

3M, otherwise known as Minnesota Mining and Manufacturer company, is a corporation that produces products for nearly every industry known to man. In the 1990’s, the company began working on their Combat Arms earplugs that would later damage the ears and hearing of over 250,000 service members who used the product between the years of 2003-2015.

The product was initially produced by Aero Technologies until 3M bought the company in 2008. The earplug contract was transferred over and became the sole responsibility of 3M.

The 3M Combat Arms earplugs was a special product made for the US military when Aero Technologies landed their contract back in 2003 after production of the earplugs began in the 1990’s. The earplug is dual-sided; one half is an olive color and the other is yellow. The yellow side, when inserted first, was supposed to block the sounds of explosions but still allow soldiers to hear spoken commands. The olive side, when inserted first, was supposed to omit all sound entirely.

Lawsuits against 3M are being filed for the Combat Arms earplugs after claims indicate the company committed fraud against the US Military by selling a defective product that resulted in the hearing loss and tinnitus of 250,000+ soldiers and for falsifying earplug tests.

The first lawsuit was filed in 2016 by a company that sells respiratory and hearing products. They claimed that 3M knowingly sold defective earplugs to the military, and it wasn’t long after that military personnel started filing their own claims.

It is said that the defect belongs to the stem of the earplug that is too short for soldiers to insert it in their ear and ensure a proper fit. Since the stem was too short and loosened in the ear, it did not provide the proper protection that 3M claimed it would. Because of this, tens of thousands of military servicemen and women are suffering from permanent hearing issues.

The 250,000 servicemen and women that are suffering from the lack of proper protection of the 3M Combat Arms earplugs were said to have to deal with hearing issues, tinnitus, and even deafness. While some problems may have treatments, it doesn’t erase the fact that health was negatively impacted by careless acts, failure of warnings, and not fixing the problem in the defect.

These earplugs caused significant damages to the inner portion of veterans’ ears that they now have to deal with for the rest of their lives.

Tinnitus is an incurable ear issue where a constant ringing or other noise sounds in one or both ears. It can muffle or completely silence external sounds.

While tinnitus causes a ringing in one’s ear, the sound is only able to be heard by the individual that’s experiencing it. This ear issue can be caused by an ear injury, and the best forms of treatment are noise-canceling headphones or cognitive-behavioral therapy. Essentially, when a person is diagnosed with tinnitus, they are stuck with the sound forever.

Sounds that a person may hear with tinnitus can include:

• Ringing
• Buzzing
• Hissing
• Humming
• Roaring
• And more

The level of the sound a person hears with tinnitus can vary. In the most extreme cases, the sound can be so loud and distracting it affects a person’s concentration and ability to hear other people or sounds. The sound may also be consistent or sporadic.

Depending on the level of effect the 3M Combat Arms earplugs had, there are possible treatments available to the veterans suffering from hearing loss. Those treatments can include:

• Surgery
• Hearing aids
• Cochlear implants

While these treatments can bring back a small percentage of sound, they can be costly. For veterans now facing these treatments for their unforeseen ailments, it is important to find a trustworthy lawyer in Florida to help you seek compensation to help cover the cost of surgery and make up for the unfortunate loss of hearing that could have been prevented.

There have been 3 bellwether trials held so far in the 3M mass tort, with over 240,000 claims still filed. Here are the results for the 3 Bellwether trials:

• $7.1 million verdicts for 3 plaintiffs
• $1.7 million verdict for a single plaintiff
• 3M cleared of liability

There are still plenty of trials already scheduled throughout the remainder of this year. In 2018, the company supposedly paid $9.1 million to settle a whistleblower lawsuit claiming it knowingly sold a defective product to the US military, although the company denied any wrongdoing.

Are you or a loved one suffering from hearing loss, tinnitus, or other hearing impairments due to the 3M Combat Arms earplugs? If so, you could be eligible to receive a monetary award for your damages.

The first step to filing a claim is researching and selecting the best lawyer in South Florida to fight for you and help you seek the justice you deserve. Most lawyers offer free consultations to review your case and guide you in what your next steps should be, as well as discuss how they can best serve you.

3M is a major corporation, which is why you should have the best of the best in the legal world on your side from the start.

At Frankl & Kominsky Injury Lawyers, not only do we understand and fight for the wrongdoings to your health, but we also fight for those who have fought for us. Our decades in legal practice have made us more than qualified to know how big companies work. We can anticipate their angles and develop the best strategy to help you seek compensation for your case.

To get started filing your claim with Frankl & Kominsky Injury Lawyers is simple. First, we want to know more about you, your situation, and how we can best serve you. In order to do that, you will need to call our office at (561) 800-8000 or fill out our online form.

Then, we will bring you in for your free consultation, where we will ask you questions about your case and what your expected outcomes are. If we seem like the right fit for you, we will then do our part by building your case against 3M.

If you are ready to fight back for what was taken from you, we are ready when you are. Give us a call today to get your case started.