Military Veteran Hearing Loss Trials to Start in Spring 2021

Army Earplug Lawsuit News

Soldiers with tinnitus have been unable to assimilate back into society and seek compensation

Saturday, December 26, 2020 - The number of military veterans that have filed lawsuits against 3M for selling a faulty hearing protection device keeps growing. The number of military veterans suing 3M is now over 220,000 plaintiffs. Blast waves of sound punctured soldiers' eardrums like smashing a hammer through a snare drum and has caused many to suffer permanent hearing damage or even worse. Thousands of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have suffered tinnitus, a constant ringing in the ears. Soldiers with tinnitus have been unable to assimilate back into society. They also report being unable to continue a normal relationship with their spouse and children. Many are unable to find work due to their silent disability. Hearing damage is now the leading cause of military disability claims. Hearing damage could be causing a large percentage of the high number of military veteran suicides. The number of casualties caused on the battlefield by profound hearing damage can only be estimated. Army Earplug lawsuits nationwide is the only effective method to seek compensation for the harm resulting from 3M CAEv2 army earplugs.

According to The Post and Courier News, "Lawyers from across the country, following the findings in a Columbia settlement involving military earplugs, have organized one of the largest mass tort lawsuits in recent history, with more than 220,000 men and women in uniform alleging hearing damage from 3M's product." If you have served in the military from 2000 to around 2015, and have been diagnosed by an independent audiologist as having hearing damage, and have used the 3M Dual-Sided Combat Army Earplug, you may qualify to file a claim against 3M.

Several bellwether trials will begin in April 2021 that may pave the way for the hundreds of thousands of others to be combined in multi-district litigation. A lawyer in one of the first cases scheduled to be heard described the situation. "The sheer number of cases shows how much of an effect this has had on our service members," Aylstock said. "And it's not easy for them to bring that lawsuit. Many believe they took the risk and should suffer the consequences, but our service members were hoodwinked," according to the Courier. 3M has denied the charges brought against them. The company is accused of covering up its knowledge of the defective design of the 3M Dual-Sided Combat Army Earplug. Aearo Technologies was the original manufacturer of the earplugs in question, was acquired several years ago by 3M seeking to expand on their vast military contract contacts. An Aearo company executive turned whistleblower contacted the US Department of Justice and filed a complaint under the Fair Trade Act accusing 3M of failing to educate Army personnel in using the newly redesigned ear protection device. The device was shortened to fit into its carrying case. The smaller size caused an insecure fit in soldiers with larger ear canals and was required to be removed from the ear and the phalanges turned down in the opposite direction, lengthening the device. 3M settled the claim for $9.1 million without admitting guilt.

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