The defects may have caused significant hearing loss and tinnitus in thousands of soldiers and an increased risk of hearing damage in millions of others. Operation Ocean Shield in the Indian Ocean.War in North-West Pakistan (part of War on Terror).The CAEv2 earplugs were standard issue in certain military branches during the following foreign conflicts from the year 2002 to 2016: Under the False Claims Act, private parties are allowed to sue on behalf of the United States government if they believe false claims were submitted to receive government funds. Department of Justice against 3M, alleging the company violated the False Claims Act by selling (or causing to be sold) the defective earplugs to the Defense Logistics Agency and not disclosing the design defect to the military despite knowing about it.

The 3M Combat Arms Earplugs lawsuit was filed by the U.S. To find a John Foy office near you What Are the Details of the Lawsuit? The earbuds were too short to properly insert into the car canal, which made them become imperceptibly loose when worn by the user.Įach of these defects left the user vulnerable to hearing damage or loss. It was also discovered that the 3M Combat Arms Earplugs Version 2 contained a defect in their design. In reality, the earplugs had an average NPR of 10.9, which doesn’t even come close to meeting the standards for hearing protection. The company had also claimed its earplugs allowed users to hear commands from fellow soldiers, as well as hear enemies approaching, as if nothing had been in their ears while also offering protection from damaging noises. Poor Noise Reduction RatingĪero Technologies (now 3M) claimed the earplugs had a noise reduction rating (NPR) of 22, which is high enough to protect military members from harmful levels of noise.

There were two main ways this certification by the company turned out to be false: 1. How Were the 3M Combat Arms Earplugs Found to Be Defective?Īero Technologies, which is now 3M, certified that their 3M Combat Arms Earplugs Version 2 (CAEv2) were on par with designated standards in 2003. If you or a loved one suffered a hearing loss injury as a result of using 3M Combat Arms earplugs, an attorney can help you seek damages for your losses. However, a lawsuit was settled in July 2018 wherein 3M agreed to pay $9.1 million after selling defective versions of the earplugs between 20. The purpose of the earplugs was to provide better hearing protection in outdoor exposures and greater situational awareness to armed force members than regular foam earplugs. However, if you feel that you have any questions about other defective medical devices, dangerous drugs, recalls, or any additional legal concerns that we may help you with, please call us or fill out the evaluation form.ģM Combat Arms Earplugs are dual-sided earbuds that were created by the company 3M for U.S. At this time we can no longer take 3M Earplugs cases. Notice: Thank you for visiting our informational page regarding 3M Earplugs cases.

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