Wednesday, March 18, 2020 - Connecting Vets is the US military's website of choice to share information that potentially can improve lives and recently told readers that: "It's not too late to receive compensation if you wore faulty 3M earplugs." 3M, the maker of the defective Dual-Sided Combat Army Earplugs, are defendants in more than one thousand lawsuits against them that have been filed by veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars that have suffered hearing damage and tinnitus, a maddening, constant ringing in the ears. The lawsuits stem from a 2018 settlement paid by 3M by employee whistleblowers and the US Department of Justice lawsuit that accused 3M of knowingly selling a defective hearing device and in effect defrauding US taxpayers. 3M paid only $9.1 million to settle the claim and did not admit guilt. It is alleged that the earplugs were too short or too narrow to fit in some soldier's ear canals. The earplugs were touted to soldiers as being effective enough to block out the loudest of battlefield explosions and simultaneously allow essential low decibel battlefield communications to be heard. Funds collected in the settlement were used to reimburse US taxpayers and also to compensate the whistleblowers who uncovered the company's deception. Now its service members turn to collect lump-sum compensation for their unnecessary injuries that have permanently adversely affected their lives. Combat Earplug lawyers are at the ready to provide veterans with free consultations in anticipation of filing a claim which will not impact their current military disability income and insurance benefits. 3M Army Earplug lawyers are helping families and individuals nationwide and offer a free consultation with no obligation to file a claim.
Servicemembers from 2003 and 2015 may have suffered from the earplug in question and may be eligible for reimbursement of medical expenses, lost wages, loss of future earning capacity, and also loss of family consortium. Many hearing-impaired soldiers find it impossible to work in the occupation of their choosing and also have difficulty engaging in family and spousal relationships. Soldiers with 3M Combat Army Earplug hearing report a decrease in the general quality of life, hearing-loss-related depression leading to anxiety and many other unnecessary challenges participating normally in everyday life as one would expect. Thousand of lawsuits have been filed that claim that all these difficulties could have been avoided had 3M simply acknowledged what they knew and took action to pull the defective hearing protection device from the military and replace it with one that actually worked. Lawsuits aim to hold 3M accountable for the fraud they committed by doing nothing and burying the earplug contract amongst hundreds of other military contracts from which the company is a benefactor.
The Star Tribune told readers the other day that thousands of soldiers lawsuits have been moved to Federal court and will proceed to be heard in late 2020 or early 2021. "At least 635 veteran lawsuits making similar allegations against 3M and Aearo Technologies, which 3M bought in 2008, ... and represent more than 1,700 individuals, according to documents 3M filed with U.S. regulators in April (2019)." "More lawsuits are expected, plaintiff attorneys said."
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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.