Hearing Loss From Defective Army Earplugs On The Frontlines and The Practice Range

Soldiers are coming forward and suing 3M for failing to warn them that the earplugs they were issued were defective

Wednesday, May 1, 2019 - The number of US military veterans that have come forward to join lawsuits that claim that the military supplied the army's Defense Logistic's Agency with defective 3M's Dual-Ended Combat Arms has grown to over 1000. The device's manufacturer, 3M has been accused of knowing that the earplugs would not fit each soldier's individual ear canal size and that they would be difficult to insert in the heat of combat engagements. Losing one's hearing during combat only adds to the risks a soldier faces of being wounded since the soldier will be cut off from vital communications with his fellow combatants. This is especially true in modern urban warfare where small groups of soldiers go from building to building seeking to draw out the enemy. Army Earplug lawsuits represented by national attorneys can answer questions to your answers before filing a lawsuit claim. Every day the soldier's local news carries stories of those who have been injured on the battlefield and lost their hearing as a result of trusting the equipment that they have been supplied with.

A typical story of catastrophic hearing loss was written the other day on Fox 17 Online.com. The article tells the story of Gale Jugovich who was deployed to Iraq in 2005 and 2006. According to the report, "soldiers were in close proximity to rocket and ammunition fire, both in combat and in training. Jugovich claims that he has suffered severe tinnitus and partial hearing loss." The catastrophic effects of hearing loss are not limited to the battlefield. Most soldiers, even those with years of experience, are exposed to the deafening sounds of gunfire every three months when they are required to re-qualify by testing their shooting skills. Chief warrant officer Jay Garbus, a 36-year army veteran never fought in combat but is considered disabled because of the hearing loss that occurred on the gunfire practice range over the years. He told WSOCTV.com that he and hundreds of his fellow soldiers relied on the 3M army earplugs to protect his hearing and assumed that it would.

3M has been accused of manipulating test data that was presented to the Army that claimed the earplugs would block out all higher decibel noises such as the ones described above while continuing to allow vital communications between soldiers in urban areas. 3M paid $9million dollars to the Department of Justice to reimburse taxpayers for having to fraudulently pay disability income related to soldier's hearing loss. The charges were brought by an anonymous 3M employee using the False Claims Act whereby employees of companies that use government contracts to come forward and report fraud when they find it. Whistleblowers can be compensated up to 25% of the amount of money the company winds up paying as a fine. The whistleblower in the 3M army earplugs case was paid over one million dollars for their efforts. the False Claims Act Resource Center (FCARC ) was formed online to make it easier for those on the inside to anonymously come forward and report fraud when and where they find it and to do so in a timely manner.

More Recent 3M Earplug Lawsuit News:

• 3M May Settle Army Earplug Cases For Tens of Billions of Dollars | 4/6/2021
• 3M Combat Army Earplug Trial To Begin In Two Weeks | 3/17/2021
• Whistleblower Lawsuit Alerted The Military To Army Earplug Malfunction | 2/20/2021
• 3 Cases Selected For Army Hearing Loss Trial | 1/29/2021
• Military Veterans Tell the Stories of Their Hearing Loss Nightmare | 1/8/2021
• Military Veteran Hearing Loss Trials to Start in Spring 2021 | 12/26/2020
• Hundreds of Veterans Continue To Sign Up To Sue 3M For Defective Earplugs | 12/14/2020
• 3M's Greed Contributed To Thousands of Military Deaths and Injuries | 12/6/2020
• Taxpayers Foot The Bill For Army Earplugs That Turned Out To Be Defective | 11/21/2020
• Tinnitus Sufferers May Have Difficulties For The Remainder of Their Lives | 11/14/2020
• Aearo Inc. and 3M Took Shorcuts And Did Not Properly Redesign The Combat Army Earplugs | 11/3/2020
• US Military Alleges 3M Fraudulently Represented The Army Earplug | 10/27/2020
• Large Numbers of Soldiers Are Filing 3M Army Earplug Lawsuits Against 3M Inc. | 10/15/2020
• Soldiers Thought Their Hearing Protection Was Adequate | 9/28/2020
• Army Veterans Are Preparing For Court Over Hearing Loss | 9/24/2020
• Details Are Starting to Emerge About The 3M Army Earplug | 9/22/2020
• 3M Faces an Uphill Challenge in Defense of The Army Earplug | 9/18/2020
• 3M Faces an Uphill Challenge in Defense of The Army Earplug | 9/9/2020
• 200,000 Military Veterans Suing 3M For Defective Hearing Protection | 8/31/2020
• Thousands of Military Veterans Suing Over Hearing Loss | 8/26/2020
• Federal Judge Rules 3M Is Responsible For The Army Earplug Design | 7/28/2020
• Army Testing Points To The Need For Improving Hearing Protection Equipment | 7/14/2020
• Trials By Plaintiffs Alleging Hearing Damage From 3M Army Earplugs To Begin in the Spring of 2021 | 7/10/2020
• Army Veterans With Tinnitus Are Unable To Live Normal Lives | 6/29/2020
• Soldier's Lawsuits Bring Needed Attention To Developing Hearing Protection | 6/12/2020
• US Army Will Use 3D Printing To Create Individual Custom Fitting Ear Protection Devices | 6/3/2020
• Unsealed Court Documents Show 3M Made Nearly 1000% Profit Selling Combat Earplugs | 5/26/2020
• The US Army Is Training Soldiers to Protect Their Hearing | 5/7/2020
• Billions of Dollars Will Be Needed To Reimburse Taxpayers For Veterans Hearing Loss Disability Payments | 5/1/2020
• The US Military Prioritized Soldier's Hearing Protection Needs In Iraq and Afghanistan | 4/17/2020
• 3M Thinks Army Earplug Lawsuits Against Them May Be Thrown Out of Court Before They Begin | 4/6/2020
• Hearing Protection May Have Been Overlooked By Some During Combat Operations | 3/30/2020
• There Is Still Time To File An Army Earplug Hearing Loss Claim | 3/18/2020
• Naval Flight Deck Workers Also Experienced Hearing Damage Due To Defective 3M Earplugs | 3/11/2020
• Army Veterans With Hearing Damage Are Filing Lawsuits Against The Maker of Their Defective Earplugs | 3/5/2020
• Army Earplug Trials Against 3M Could Start Early Next Year | 2/18/2020
• Improvised Explosive Devices Caused More Serious Army Injuries Than Any Other Enemy Weapon | 2/6/2020
• Aereo Inc, maker of 3M Earplugs May Have Known The Combat Safety Device Would Not Work | 2/3/2020
• 3M Corporation Could Be Forced to Pay Veterans For Their Hearing Damage | 1/24/2020
• There Are Resources Available To Help Military Veterans Cope With Their Hearing Loss | 1/7/2020
• The False Claims Act Settlement Against 3M Proides Ammunition to Lawsuits Filed By Soldiers With Hearing Damage | 12/31/2019
• Faulty Combat Earplug Cost Taxpayers Billions | 12/24/2019
• Hearing Damage May Effect More Than 60 percent of Military | 12/20/2019
• Military Veterans Returning Home Tell Stories of Hearing Loss In Spite of Wearing Hearing Protection | 12/9/2019
• Hearing Loss Effects Servicemen From All Branches of The Military | 11/20/2019
• Lawsuits Pile Up Alleging 3M Earplug Negligence | 11/14/2019
• Service Members Claim 3M's Defective Combat Army Earplug Caused Permanent Hearing Damage | 11/11/2019
• Soldiers Can Fight For Compensation In Court For Their Hearing Loss | 10/31/2019
• Whistleblowers Can Save Taxpayers Money and Military Servicemember Lives | 10/15/2019
• New Army Earplug Lawsuit Accuses 3M of Fraud | 10/11/2019
• Military Veterans Are Suing 3M For Making Faulty Earplugs | 10/7/2019
• Military Personel Suffering From Tinnitus Have Found Ways To Alleviate Their Suffering | 9/26/2019
• Hearing Loss is Now Recognized For The Debilitating Service Injury It Is | 9/17/2019
• US Service Members Are Spreading The Word About The Faulty And Defective 3M Combat Army Earplug | 9/12/2019
• 3M Vows to Fight Lawsuits Alleging The Faulty Design of the 3M Combat Army Earplug | 8/28/2019
• Faulty 3M Earplugs Cost Thousands of Soldiers Their Hearing | 8/23/2019
• The Army's Hearing May Be Improving Soon | 8/13/2019
• CBS Interviewed Returning Servicemen As To The 3M Combat Army Earplug Experiences | 8/8/2019
• The Army's Tactical Communication and Protective System (TCPS) May Replace The Ineffective 3M Combat Army Earplug | 8/6/2019
• Soldiers Should Be Checked For Hearing Loss | 8/1/2019
• The 3M Combat Army Earplug Malfunctioned Causing Permanent Disability | 7/25/2019
• 3M Army Earplug Failure Can Cause Post Traumatic Stress Disorder | 7/18/2019
• Military Veterans May Be Unaware That They Have Hearing Loss | 7/11/2019
• Today’s Enclosed Gun Battles Can Increase Hearing Injuries | 7/8/2019
• 3M Army Earplug Lawsuits Are Moving Forward To Discovery in Multi-District Litigation | 6/27/2019
• Service Members Continue To File Army Earplug Lawsuits | 6/24/2019
• 3M Failed Soldiers By Selling Earplugs They Knew Were Defective To The Military | 6/20/2019
• Service Members Have Needlessly Lost Hearing Due to 3M's Fraud, Deceit, and Deception | 6/11/2019
• Hearing Loss Should Be Taken More Seriously | 6/4/2019
• Hearing Loss Has Many Serious Permanent Psychological Implications for Service Members | 5/28/2019
• Soldiers With Hearing Damage Are Blaming Their Earplugs | 5/22/2019
• Service Members Experience Hearing Loss From Defective Earplugs | 5/14/2019
• Army Servicemen Are Filing Hearing Loss Claims Against Earplug Maker 3M | 5/9/2019
• Hearing Loss Can Be A Deadly Battlefield Injury | 4/26/2019
• Servicemen Describe Hearing Loss Caused By The 3M Army Earplug | 4/22/2019
• The False Claims Act website helps whistleblower anonymously come forward easily and without fear of reprisals by their superiors | 4/15/2019
• Hundreds Of Army Earplug Lawsuits Consolidated in Federal Court | 4/9/2019
• Soldiers Are Filing Claims Against 3M Army Earplugs | 4/8/2019
• Army Veterans Have Suffered Hearing Loss From Defective Earplugs | 4/5/2019
• Whistleblower Reports Defective 3M Army Earplugs | 4/2/2019
• Service Member Suffer Tinnitus From Defective 3M Army Earplugs | 3/29/2019

Let Our Army Earplug Attorneys Help You

Our attorneys specialize in holding large corporations accountable when they’ve placed profits ahead of safety. Through settlements and winning verdicts, our attorneys have obtained millions for our clients. Let us help you today.

Lawsuits for Defective 3M Earplugs

Filing a lawsuit will allow you to hold 3M accountable for damage it has caused you or a loved one, while also providing real compensation for your medical expenses, suffering and loss. Contact us today for a free consultation.