Skip to main content

Jury Orders Another Mediation To Settle 3M Earplugs Cases

Jury Orders Another Mediation To Settle 3M Earplugs Cases

Jury Orders Another Mediation To Settle 3M Earplugs Cases

Introduction

The U.S. District Judge presiding over all 3M earplug lawsuits has ordered the parties to participate in a multi-day mediation to discuss settling the litigation, after a bankruptcy judge cleared the way for cases to proceed against 3M Company, despite its Aearo Technologies subsidiary's recent bankruptcy filing.

Nearly 250,000 claims have been filed against 3M Company and its Aearo Technologies branch by US military veterans, each alleging that its Combat Arms earplugs were defectively built and did not offer proper ear protection. Despite being aware of the issues, lawsuits say that 3M continued to sell the earplugs to the United States military, which issued them as standard issue equipment to all service members between 2004 and 2015.

Over the last year, 3M Company has been forced to pay millions of dollars in damages in a series of early trial dates conducted to assist the parties judge how jurors would respond to particular facts and testimony that will be repeated throughout the case. However, with an increasing number of new claims being filed by former military members, estimates predict that 3M Company may be responsible for tens of billions of dollars in damages if each individual case is heard by a jury.

Claims filed throughout the federal court system have been centralised as part of a multi-district lawsuit (MDL) before a U.S. District Judge in the Northern District of Florida, who has been presiding over coordinated discovery and preparing several big "waves" of claims for trial next year.

Prior to "flooding" U.S. District Courts around the country with individual cases that need a jury trial, the jury scheduled a series of 3M earplug settlement meetings this summer, directing the parties to engage in a serious and good faith attempt to resolve the claims. Those efforts, however, were derailed a few days later when 3M's Aearo Technologies business declared bankruptcy.

Comments

Restricted HTML

  • Allowed HTML tags: <a href hreflang> <em> <strong> <cite> <blockquote cite> <code> <ul type> <ol start type> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd> <h2 id> <h3 id> <h4 id> <h5 id> <h6 id>
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
  • Web page addresses and email addresses turn into links automatically.

Latest News

Study Finds Toxic Metals in E-Cigs and U-Cigs Vapors

Categories: E-Cigarette: JUUL

As health concerns about e-cigarette use escalate, emerging research suggests that a newer class of vaping products—ultrasonic cigarettes or u-cigarettes—may pose even greater risks.

A study published in Environmental Health Perspectives in…

Appeals Court Upholds $611M Roundup Verdict

Categories: Roundup

A Missouri appeals court has upheld a massive Roundup verdict originally totaling $1.5 billion, but significantly reduced the final amount Bayer and its Monsanto unit must pay to $611 million.

The case involved three plaintiffs from New…

Valsartan “Wave 2” Bellwether Trial Schedule Set by Court

Categories: Valsartan

As the first Valsartan bellwether trial approaches in September 2025, the federal judge overseeing the multidistrict litigation (MDL) is preparing a second set of trials.

This move comes in anticipation of the possibility that parties may…

✍️ FREE—3000 Pages Medical Record Review Trial!                
No Contract. No Risk—Fully Customized, Free!

Only 10 Firms Accepted—Offer Ends June 30!