If you or someone you love served in the military and suffered permanent hearing loss or tinnitus despite wearing earplugs, you may be entitled to significant compensation. Our Lawyers Want to Help Military Hearing Loss Victims Our defective product lawyers are now pursuing cases on behalf of military service members who suffered hearing complications due to their defective earplugs. 3M and Aearo then manufactured test results to falsely claim the earplugs met the government’s standards for hearing protection.Īs a result of the lawsuit, 3M agreed to pay a $9.1 million settlement to the United States Department of Justice. According to evidence filed in a government whistleblower lawsuit, Aearo was aware of defects in the earplug design as early as 2000. Government Whistleblower Lawsuit Settles for $9.1 MillionĬombat Arms earplugs were first manufactured by a company called Aearo Technologies, which was later purchased by 3M. Thousands of military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan were issued 3M dual-ended Combat Arms earplugs between 2003-2015 and, as a result, may now face permanent hearing loss and/or tinnitus-a condition that causes noise or ringing in the ears.
Evidence shows that, due to the length of the stems, the ends of the earplugs cannot be inserted far enough into the ear to provide proper hearing protection. In fact, the Dual-Ended Combat Arms Earplugs (version 2) failed to provide adequate hearing protection causing both hearing loss and tinnitus in many. To accomplish this dual functionality, the cone-shaped earplugs are connected by a central stem. Earplugs Placed Thousands of Military Service Members at RiskĬombat Arms earplugs are known as “selective attenuation” earplugs because they can be inserted into the ear in one direction to hear speech or in the opposite direction to offer greater noise protection. Millions of dollars in compensation may be available to service members and veterans like you. military since 2003 and suffered permanent hearing loss or tinnitus, your earplugs may be to blame. If you or someone you love served in the U.S. The lawsuit alleged that 3M falsified test results and covered up the fact that the dual-ended earplugs could loosen, allowing hearing damage to occur in the. One particular model-known as the 3M Combat Arms earplug-is shown to be defective, which places service members at unnecessary risk of permanent hearing loss and/or tinnitus.
#DUAL ENDED COMBAT ARMS EARPLUGS FREE#
If you believe that you may have a claim, please contact us for a free consultation by telephone at (816) 471-4881 or by email using our convenient online contact form below.The government issues earplugs to help protect military service members from hearing loss during combat and training. Those current or former military personnel should seek immediate advice from an experienced attorney as statutes of limitation dictate the amount of time they have to file a lawsuit against the manufacturer of the Combat Arms Ear Plugs to seek financial compensation.Īn article on the jury verdict can be found at Those suffering from hearing problems as a result of the earplugs not working while in combat or training may be eligible for compensation as the manufacturer recently has come under fire for failing to disclose a design flaw that had been known as early as 2000.
#DUAL ENDED COMBAT ARMS EARPLUGS FULL#
The failure of the dual-ended Combat Arms Ear Plugs (version 2) to protect service members’ ears has resulted in high incidences of tinnitus (ringing or buzzing of the ears) as well as partial or full hearing loss. The plugs were supposed to provide two levels of ear protection: one side was intended to block all noise and the other was intended to protect the eardrums from gunfire and explosions while still allowing military personnel to communicate freely. This included those who were deployed to combat zones, including Iraq and Afghanistan. A jury returns a $6 million punitive verdict ($7.1 million overall) against 3M for defective Combat Arms Ear Plugs.īetween 20, the dual-ended 3M Combat Arms Ear Plugs (version 2) were standard-issued equipment for service members.
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