3M Earplugs Injury FAQThe knowledgeable legal team at Rosen Injury Lawyers has compiled this 3M Earplugs Injury

FAQ page to offer United States military members and their families all the info they need to know about the process of filing suit against a multinational corporation.

If you should have any further queries once you finish reading through it, please do not hesitate to give us a call.

What Are 3M Combat Arms Earplugs?

Almost all earplugs on the market today serve one purpose – to stop loud noises from entering the wearer’s ear canal and damaging their eardrums. However, products of this nature are not suitable for military use. Though service members do need to block out excessively loud noises, they also need to let certain sounds come through.

3M Company had the ideal solution to this dilemma – dual-ended Combat Arms Earplugs, Version 2 (CAEv2).

These devices have two sides. One side blocks out all noise and is a good option for military members working around aircraft.

The other side allows low-level sounds (like footsteps and commands) to come through. This side is ideal for use in combat situations.

Why Are 3M Combat Arms Earplugs Dangerous?

In theory, 3M’s dual-ended Combat Arms earplugs sound like the perfect solution to the military’s noise cancellation needs. However, to deliver the results service members require, these devices should form a tight seal in the wearer’s ear canal. Unfortunately, they did not.

Studies have shown that 3M’s earplugs would begin to fail after just a few uses. The product’s design defect meant that it would soon become loose in the wearer’s ear and would no longer form a protective seal. As a result, high levels of noise would enter the service member’s ear, causing severe damage to their eardrum.

Are you suffering from hearing loss or tinnitus after using a 3M earplug in the military? If so, you may be entitled to file suit against the company to recover compensation for your medical bills and other expenses. Contact Rosen Injury Lawyers today to begin your legal battle.

What Injuries Do 3M Combat Arms Earplugs Cause?

The defective design of the 3M Company’s Combat Arms earplugs can let an excessive amount of sound into the wearer’s eardrum.

As a result, they can sustain a wide range of ear injuries, such as:

Auditory Processing Disorders

EarUS service members who suffer from an auditory processing disorder can have a great deal of trouble understanding speech in places that have lots of background noise. In some cases, they can also struggle to distinguish between similar sounds.

Though this health problem is permanent, therapy and hearing aids can give patients the ability to lead normal lives.

Tinnitus

Individuals who suffer from tinnitus experience a constant buzzing or ringing in the ear. There is no known cure to this health issue. However, many patients find that medications and masking devices can help to lessen the extent of the problem.

Conductive Hearing Loss

People who suffer from conductive hearing loss have trouble hearing soft and loud sounds. This issue happens because noises cannot make it through their middle or outer ear and into their eardrum. Medication and surgery are both viable treatments for injuries of this nature.

Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Sensorineural hearing loss happens when a service member suffers damage to their cochlea or their inner ear. As a result, they can have a great deal of trouble hearing high-pitched noises like whistles. Patients can often remedy this issue using hearing aids and cochlear implants.

Did you develop one of these medical issues after using 3M Combat Arms earplugs while enrolled in the Navy, Marines, Army, or Air Force? Then you might be able to file suit against the manufacturer to recover some much-needed compensation. Call Rosen Injury Lawyers today to start your legal journey.

Which Members of the US Military Received Defective Earplugs?

The Department of Defense has never released a comprehensive listing of service members who received the 3M Company’s faulty CAEv2 earplugs. Indeed, it is not known whether such a list even exists.

However, the military has confirmed that these 3M products were given to thousands of service members from 2003 to 2015.

They were handed out in training facilities and in combat zones like:

As such, it is relatively safe to assume that anyone who served in the US Navy, Air Force, Army, or Marine Corps in one of these locations received a set of dual-ended Combat Arms Earplugs, Version 2 (CAEv2).

If one of these service members is now experiencing hearing loss, they may be able to file a compensation claim against the 3M Company.

Who is Entitled to Compensation from 3M?

Not everyone who served in a branch of the military between 2003 and 2015 is entitled to claim compensation from the 3M Company. To pursue damages, a service member must also:

The best way to find out for sure if you have a case against 3M is to reach out to an experienced personal injury attorney – like those at Rosen Injury Lawyers. We will be able to analyze your situation and let you know how you should proceed.

How Much Compensation is Available in 3M Earplug Lawsuits?

lawThe amount of compensation service members who experience problems like tinnitus and hearing loss are likely to receive when they file a lawsuit against 3M depends on a wide variety of factors, including:

People who lose their hearing entirely or develop problems that stop them from continuing in their careers are likely to get the most sizable awards.

At Rosen Injury Lawyers, we anticipate that the majority of injured service members will be able to claim compensation for their:

If courts rule that 3M acted with gross negligence, injured persons might also be able to claim punitive (or exemplary) damages.

To find out how much compensation you might be eligible to claim, all you need to do is reach out to Rosen Injury Lawyers. Our skilled 3M earplug injury attorneys will be happy to analyze your case.

Have Any Injured Service Members Received Compensation from 3M?

Over the past few years, hundreds of thousands of service members have filed lawsuits against 3M Company after suffering injuries because of their defective product. At present, these suits are making their way through an MDL (multidistrict litigation) in Northern Florida. As a result, veterans have yet to receive any compensation for their hearing issues.

However, there has been at least one notable verdict against 3M. In 2016, a whistleblower filed a lawsuit under the False Claims Act on behalf of the federal government in which they asserted that the manufacturer “caused thousands of soldiers to suffer significant hearing loss and tinnitus.”

At the conclusion of this lawsuit, a judge directed 3M to pay $9.1 million in damages. Unfortunately, these funds went directly to the government and did not end up in the hands of injured military personnel.

How Can a Personal Injury Law Firm Help with My 3M Earplug Case?

Hiring a knowledgeable personal injury attorney is one of the best ways to protect your health and your finances after defective 3M earplugs caused you to suffer hearing problems.

Your lawyer will help you pursue damages by:

Would you like to hire Rosen Injury Lawyers as your legal representatives? If so, please reach out to us today to start the process. We have offices in New York, Los Angeles, and Jenkintown.

3M Earplugs Injury FAQ – Call Rosen Injury Lawyers Today for More Info

We hope that this comprehensive 3M Earplugs Injury FAQ page has given you all the information you need to know about the claims process.

If you have any additional questions, however, you can always get in touch with the knowledgeable team at Rosen Injury Lawyers.

We would be happy to schedule a free consultation to discuss your queries and provide you with the answers you seek.