Between 2003 and 2015, 3M Company provided the U.S. military with earplugs that were supposed to protect the hearing of service members. However, these earplugs were later discovered to be defective, and thousands of military veterans now suffer from hearing loss, tinnitus, and other hearing damage as a result.
Earlier this year, SUGARMAN announced that it would be representing veterans and service members who used these defective earplugs in their product liability claims against 3M and its related corporate entities. In April 2019, the US Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (“MDL”) centralized and consolidated cases that had been filed in various federal courts into a MDL in the Northern District of Florida before U.S. District Judge Casey Rodgers. It has only been a few months since the first cases were filed, but there are already at least 1,220 actions currently pending, according to a recent docket report of July 16, 2019. These lawsuits are now well underway, with three case management conferences held so far and a Science Day (a proceeding in which each side presents general information regarding certain scientific aspects of the litigation) scheduled to take place on August 26, 2019.
The SUGARMAN team is proud to represent service members in pursuing their claims and continues to work diligently to advocate for them. If you or a loved one was issued and used 3M Dual-Ended Combat Arms Earplugs and have been diagnosed with hearing loss or tinnitus, SUGARMAN’s personal injury lawyers can help. Fill out a Contact Form, call us at 617-542-1000 or email info@sugarman.com.