IN RE: 3M COMBAT ARMS EARPLUG PRODUCTS LIABILITY LITIGATION

  1. August 25, 2021

    3M Earplug Cases Sped Up Due To 'Unprecedented Backlog'

    A Florida federal judge ordered an acceleration of bellwether trials and other cases in multidistrict litigation over veterans' claims that 3M earplugs damaged their hearing, citing an "unprecedented backlog" of more than 250,000 cases.

  2. July 30, 2021

    Judge Refuses To Delay 3M Bellwether After Plaintiff Switch

    A Florida federal judge has refused to delay an upcoming bellwether trial in sprawling multidistrict litigation over allegedly faulty combat earplugs, saying 3M should be ready to face a new plaintiff after another dropped his case.

  3. June 25, 2021

    Top Product Liability Cases Of 2021: Midyear Report

    A U.S. Supreme Court ruling holding that Ford can be held liable for alleged defects in cars originally sold outside a plaintiff's home state and a ruling wiping out hundreds of cases alleging GlaxoSmithKline's anti-nausea drug Zofran causes birth defects are among Law360's top cases for the first six months of 2021.

  4. June 18, 2021

    Jury Says Service Member's 3M Earplug Injury Worth $1.7M

    A Florida federal jury said Friday that a service member sustained $1.7 million in hearing loss damages from 3M's combat earplugs, and that 3M was 62% responsible, handing the company its second loss in three rapid-fire bellwether trials.

  5. May 28, 2021

    3M Wins In 2nd Bellwether Trial Alleging Faulty Earplugs

    3M was cleared of liability Friday in the second bellwether trial in a 236,000-plaintiff class action over claims its combat earplugs didn't protect service members' hearing the way they were supposed to, according to counsel for both sides.

  6. May 11, 2021

    3M's Expert Nixed From Earplug MDL Bellwether Case

    A Florida federal judge on Tuesday excluded opinions from one of 3M's expert witnesses in an upcoming bellwether trial over whether its combat arms CAEv2s earplugs were defective and caused damage to a veteran's hearing, saying the expert cannot base his opinion entirely on other experts' findings.

  7. April 30, 2021

    3M Hit With $7.1M Verdict In Earplug MDL Bellwether Trial

    A Florida federal jury hit 3M with a $7.1 million verdict Friday, most of it punitive damages, in the first bellwether trial in a massive multidistrict litigation involving military members' claims that their hearing was irreparably harmed because the company's combat earplugs didn't work.

  8. March 26, 2021

    What To Watch As Trial Starts In Massive 3M Earplug MDL

    Service members who say 3M's combat earplugs failed to protect their hearing in ultraloud military environments will get their first trial outing starting Monday in the nation’s largest multidistrict litigation, a test of liability for products designed under the government's eyes for widespread use.

  9. March 19, 2021

    Service Members Seek Hearing On 3M Earplugs Site

    Service members and veterans on Friday told the Florida federal judge overseeing multidistrict litigation over allegedly defective 3M earplugs that the multinational company posted a website about the product that could sway potential jurors.

  10. February 11, 2021

    Experts' Views On Army Practices Limited In 3M Earplug MDL

    A Florida federal judge on Thursday said there's no support for experts' opinions that the U.S. Army's hearing program was either a complete success or a total failure at protecting military members' hearing in the multidistrict litigation over allegedly defective 3M earplugs.