Lawsuits brought by veterans of the U.S. Military against 3M Company have been ordered consolidated into a multi-district litigation (MDL) in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida. As discussed in a previous SUGARMAN blog post, the cases were being considered for consolidation into an MDL in the District of Minnesota, where 3M Company’s corporate headquarters are located. In a surprising outcome, as reported by law.com, the Judicial Panel on Multi-District Litigation transferred the cases to Florida rather than keeping them in Minnesota.
The cases subject to transfer into the Florida MDL involve 3M’s Dual-Ended Combat Arms Earplugs which were designed and manufactured for military use and issued to members of the U.S. armed forces from 2003-2015. As discussed in greater detail on our website, the earplugs were defective in that they loosened while being worn, allowing harmful sounds into soldiers’ ears causing hearing loss and other related problems.
The transfer will put the cases – over 600 have been filed to date – in front of the Honorable M.C. Rogers, District Chief, who herself, is a veteran of the United States Army. Judge Rogers is experienced and well qualified to handle cases like the ones involved in this new multi-district litigation. Most recently, she oversaw claims brought by patients who suffered injury as a result of their use of the antipsychotic drug Abilify. A confidential settlement of the Abilify claims was reported to the Court in February of this year.
SUGARMAN attorneys have extensive experience handling claims involved in federal court MDLs across the country. If you were a member of the U.S. armed forces between 2003 and 2015, and were issued the defective 3M Company earplugs, you should speak to a SUGARMAN personal injury attorney regarding your potential claim by contacting either Attorney David McCormack or Attorney Rosa Guambana, emailing us at military.earplugs@sugarman.com or by calling us at (617) 542-1000.