The law firm of Class Action Coalition Lawyers is actively analyzing claims where both veterans and personnel that are on duty have suffered acute hearing damage after they wore faulty Version 2 — CAEv2, 3M Combat Arms Earplugs. If you have also used these 3M earplugs while you served at the U.S. military anyplace between 2003 to 2015, you are possibly eligible for receiving reimbursement in a San Francisco 3M Earplug lawsuit.
Minnesota established, 3M Company provided the United States military with those specially designed earplugs. They have been mainly used during combat to protect the hearing of soldiers on the area. 3M designed the earplugs to simply block out blasts, along with other extremely deafening noises if they were conducting tests on the foundations as well. On the other hand, the earplugs were still supposed to make certain that the soldiers could still hear anyone who spoke to them.
That said, 3M failed to notify the U.S. government that a number of those earplugs were defective. Due to this, users may suffer with complete or partial hearing loss since they functioned in the military. As such, our skilled class action attorneys believe that both veterans and active-duty staff ought to be paid for this disservice.
Why Are The Earplugs Believed To Cause Harm?
Military personnel who served in areas of high conflict such as Afghanistan and Iraq used the 3M product in question during the period between 2003 to 2015. As a result, this could have caused full hearing loss, partial hearing loss or tinnitus. 3M made the earplugs to allow free communication between soldiers while shielding against loud sounds and explosions. The earplugs were made by Aearo Tech and were obtained in 2008 by 3M.
It was only after 10 years that someone stepped forward and cautioned about the defects of the plan. After investigations, it was discovered that 3M compensated $9.1 million to the national authorities in order to solve any allegations. This was done to pay even though 3M provided the product while being fully conscious of design flaws. On a lighter note, all these earplugs are discontinued.
The earplugs had an alleged flaw which was centered around its symmetrical design. The fitting instructions provided could have resulted in the earplugs becoming loosened and readily allowing noise to get in.
How Do You File A 3M Earplugs Lawsuit?
If you’re interested in submitting a lawsuit, you must first be diagnosed with tinnitus by a health professional. You should also have been discharged by the U.S. military or have a loss of hearing impairment rating according to the United States Department of Veteran Affairs. Moreover, you should have also functioned from 2003 to 2015. Veterans and active staff could be reimbursed if they fit the criteria.
What Are The Earplugs Which Have Been Linked To Hearing Issues?
The earplugs in question would be the 3M dual-ended Combat Arms Earplugs. These plugs were used by service members involving 2003 to 2015 and exposed them to product design collapse. As such, they would have been exposed to the potential for suffering from partial or complete hearing loss.
Additionally, soldiers did file reports that indicated the earplugs were too brief to correctly match within their ear. This resulted in external sound being able to make its way into the inner ear causing damage.
However, 3M earplugs were created to be inserted in two manners. After the earplugs were worn in the first position, they claimed to protect the consumer from loud noises that came from vehicular sounds, heavy gear, roadside bombs, and gunfire tanks. Once worn in the second position, they claimed to reduce artillery fire and explosions to only a muffle.
The 3M product was supplied under contract and maintained that they’d protect the hearing abilities of those who wore them. Later on, several veterans came forward and made complaints that indicated that 3M wasn’t effective in disclosing the flaws and chance of wearers suffering seriously form hearing loss.
What Problems Were Reported By Critics?
The combat earplugs supplied by 3M were considerably briefer. This meant that they couldn’t effectively fit into an individual ear. This caused the earplugs to become very loose as time passed and exposed everyone to hearing loss.
3M made false claims about their products and left everybody to think that their product offered sufficient security. They also made them feel they would be protected from hearing hurts throughout their own training. But this wasn’t the situation.
Hearing loss is often reported by support members. They also occasionally suffer with tinnitus that creates a hissing, buzzing, or ringing sound inside their ears. When they are affected by this ailment, it gets quite difficult for them to listen to someone talking from 3 ft away.
Tinnitus is quite common and could have been reported by individuals who did not even know they had been wearing the earplugs from the 3M Company.
Just how Many Earplugs Can 3M Supply Under The Contract?
3M supplied more than 15000 bundles that contained 50 pairs of earplugs in each package. This was supplied each year from 2006 since they had a contract with the Department of Defense.
Have Any Lawsuits Been Filed Regarding Defective Earplugs By 3M?
In 2016, the supply company for 3M made claims of its concern to the government. However, a qui tam lawsuit was filed on account of the earplugs. They stated that it was alleged that 3M created deceptive and incorrect claims for its own product. Additionally, they did not disclose any of the flaws related to the plan of their earplugs.
Service members may qualify for compensation by taking their own legal action. Throughout the entire year of 2019, there have been hundreds of lawsuits filed against 3M for the faulty earplugs.
Who Can Participate In a San Francisco 3M Earplug Lawsuit?
The lawsuit against 3M by the government compensated only the government and not service associates. Users of the 3M earplugs who functioned in the U.S. army anywhere between 2003 to 2015 and diagnosed with hearing loss could be qualified to get compensation.
If you are wondering whether or not your hearing damages have been a result of the faulty 3M earplugs, you need to get in touch with any one of our specially trained product liability attorneys. Our liability attorneys are experienced in managing these cases. Speak to us at the Class Action Coalition Lawyers law firm to discuss your available options today.
