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The 3M Combat Army Earplug Malfunctioned Causing Permanent Disability

Army Earplug Lawsuit News

Combat soldiers are returning from the wars abroad with severe hearing damage

Thursday, July 25, 2019 - Ironically, the cheapest, lightest and most overlooked piece of essential military equipment needed to protect and save a soldier's life and the lives of those relying on them is the simple combat earplug that weighs but a few grams. Standard issue 3M Combat Army Earplugs malfunctioned because they simply did not fit snug enough and failed combat soldiers when they needed the hearing protection the most; during aggressive combat engagements with the enemy. 3M fraudulently sold the earplugs to military higher-ups and guaranteed that the earplugs would protect their soldier's hearing from gunfire and explosions but were designed to simultaneously allow lesser decibel communication that is essential to fighting in urban environments effectively. The failure of the 3M Combat Army Earplugs causes soldiers to suffer every level of hearing disability from slight hearing loss all the way to being rendered profoundly deaf. There have been no known statistics kept as to the number of deaths in combat that could be directly related to explosive, instantaneous hearing impairment, but the number must be significant given the injuries attributed to the device. The 3M Combat Army Earplug caused more soldiers to become disabled from hearing loss than from any other specific combat injury costing you, the taxpayer hundreds of millions of dollars in disability income benefits that are to be paid out for a soldier's entire lifetime.

What is worse is that the US Department of Justice let 3M off the hook for payment of a mere $9.1 million to settle their corporate malfeasance and fraudulent behavior. If you have suffered hearing loss from military combat duty you should speak with an Army Earplug lawyer to see if you qualify to seek compensation and recovery from the damages they have suffered. 3M knew of the defects of the earplugs for years but sold them to the military anyway, burying the order deep in a multi-billion-dollar defense contract. According to The Military Times, "Hundreds of veterans are filing lawsuits against (3M), a government contractor that manufactured and sold defective combat earplugs to the military. The earplugs didn't maintain a tight seal and allowed dangerously loud sounds to slip through without the wearer knowing. The lawsuits allege that Minnesota-based 3M Company designed the earplugs in a defective manner and failed to warn users of the defect or to provide proper instructions for their use, according to a copy of one lawsuit provided to Military Times."

Tinnitus is a form of army earplug hearing loss that is often described as a loud constant, and maddening ringing in one's ears. Such noise competes with other sounds and makes it difficult for a tinnitus sufferer to understand the conversation they are having. Tinnitus also makes sleeping impossible unless a TV or a fan is left on because the tinnitus ringing is the loudest when there is no other sound, like when you are in bed asleep. Tinnitus sufferers face permanent and total disability and few are able to find meaningful work outside the military.

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