Defective 3M Earplug Lawsuits

Helping Victims in San Antonio Pursue Military Hearing Loss Claims

From 2003 to 2015, 3M provided Dual-Ended Combat Arms™ Earplugs to the United States military. The company pursued a contract with the U.S. government that guaranteed them at least $9 million per year in sales.

Unfortunately, the earplugs were defective. Instead of allowing users to hear commands and blocking dangerous sounds, the earplugs failed to create a seal and allowed all sounds to slip through – even those that were dangerously loud.

Hearing Problems Resulting from 3M Earplug Use

Due to the damaging exposure, many veterans were affected by:

• hearing loss
• tinnitus
• loss of balance

According to the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs, hearing problems are the most prevalent service-connected disability among American veterans. At the end of 2014, more than 933,000 veterans suffered from hearing loss and almost 1.3 million reported tinnitus, or the perception of noise or ringing in the ear.

If you suffer from hearing problems after using 3M earplugs, you may need to speak to an attorney. 

3M’s Military Ear Plug Negligence

So far, hundreds of veterans have filed lawsuits claiming their hearing problems were caused by 3M’s “gross negligence.” According to these lawsuits, 3M employees knew about the earplug defects as early as 2000.

Instead of heeding results of product testing, the company falsely claimed the earplugs complied with military standards. Because 3M purposely provided defective equipment to U.S. service members, they will likely be held liable for the health issues caused by their products.

Successful 3M Lawsuit Settlements

Last year, 3M agreed to pay $9.1 million to the United States military to settle accusations that they knowingly sold their defective earplugs to the government. The lawsuit was filed under the False Claims Act. With the success of this lawsuit, many other veterans are suing for compensatory and punitive damages to account for their losses. Some veterans have already filed suit.

For more information about filing your own 3M earplug lawsuit, check out our latest blog post on the subject:

• Defective 3M Earplugs Lawsuit: Everything You Need to Know

Get the Justice You Deserve

If you were in the military between 2003 and 2015 and remember using 3M’s trademarked combat earplugs, you may have a case.

Whether you have experienced hearing loss, difficulty balancing, or ringing in the ears, your ailment affects your quality of life and you deserve justice. At The Law Office of George P. Escobedo & Associates, PLLC, we want to help you hold 3M accountable for their appalling actions.

If you have served your country and suffered hearing loss as a result, you may be eligible to receive veteran hearing loss compensation. We offer free consultations and look forward to speaking to you at (210) 807-3178.