Thursday, October 15, 2020 - Over 200,000 veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have contacted an Army Earplug Hearing Loss Attorney and filed suit against 3M, the maker of the allegedly defective hearing protection device. A local news outlet in Minnesota where 3M is domiciled describes the litigation over hearing loss allegedly caused by wearing the 3M Dual-Sided Combat Army Earplugs as "one of largest consumer mass torts ever," and that 3M is "mired" in the situation. The Star Tribune tells readers, "More than 200,000 people - mostly veterans and active duty soldiers - say that Combat Arms earplugs were knowingly defective, imperceptibly loosening and leaking in noise." 3M acquired Aearo Technologies in 2008 hoping to leverage its existing military contract connections with a badly-needed hearing protection device. Bellweather trials are scheduled to start soon. Army Earplug lawyers are interviewing veterans with hearing loss to determine if they qualify to join the suit against 3M. Soldiers are required to present paperwork that shows they have been examined by an independent audiologist to certify their hearing damage.
At issue is the allegedly faulty Army Earplug that has caused soldiers returning home from war, hearing loss and tinnitus, the maddening constant ringing in the ears. The majority of soldiers suffered hearing damage because they assumed their hearing protection device was the best money could buy and would protect them in battle. Since the wars ended more veterans have filed for disability benefits because of hearing loss than any other injury. Soldiers have complained that their hearing loss or tinnitus has caused them to be unable to assimilate back into normal civilian life, hold a job, or have a relationship with their spouse or children. Many soldiers with profound hearing loss or tinnitus have contemplated committing suicide rather than live a diminished life.
The Army Earplug was redesigned at the request of the military so that they would fit inside a standard-issue carrying case. Aearo Inc. agreed to shorten the earplugs. The Army discovered that the new device's one-size-fits-all design would not fit every ear canal and leave thousands of soldiers vulnerable to hearing damage. The earplugs were redesigned this time with phalanges on the ends that could fold outward to lengthen the earplugs and cause them to fit more snugly. The earplug was to be switched from one side to the other depending on the degree of hearing protection the situation required, an impractical maneuver in the heat of battle. One side was to block out the maximum amount of noise. The other side was when there was a need to hear voice communications yet still filter out some noise but not loud sounds. According to Bloomberg, "(Plaintiffs) say that that the earplugs were too short for some ears and did not provide a protective seal, and were faulty even as the company was marketing them."
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