IN RE: 3M COMBAT ARMS EARPLUG PRODUCTS LIABILITY LITIGATION

  1. January 26, 2023

    3M Earplug Unit's Bankruptcy Contrived, 7th Circ. Told

    A group of multidistrict litigation plaintiffs has urged the Seventh Circuit not to pause the sprawling litigation over injuries allegedly caused by faulty 3M Co. earplugs while a subsidiary's bankruptcy case proceeds, saying the companies tried to misuse bankruptcy law.

  2. January 19, 2023

    3M Earplug MDL Judge Ends Mediation After Impasse

    A Florida federal judge has halted mediation in the contentious multidistrict litigation over injuries allegedly caused by faulty 3M Co. earplugs provided to military service members, saying the company and plaintiffs were too far apart to make further settlement talks worthwhile.

  3. December 22, 2022

    3M Sanctioned For Using Ch. 11, Subsidiary To Duck Liability

    3M Co. can't avoid any part of its alleged liability in massive multidistrict litigation over injuries purportedly caused by its Combat Arms Earplugs, a Florida federal judge ruled Thursday, saying the company cannot shift the blame to its codefendant.

  4. November 02, 2022

    3M Asked To Justify New Defenses In Earplug MDL

    A Florida federal judge has invited 3M to justify its latest defense in massive multidistrict litigation over injuries allegedly caused by Combat Arms Earplugs, less than a week after criticizing the company's arguments that its codefendant and subsidiary Aearo Technologies LLC is solely responsible for those injuries.

  5. October 28, 2022

    Judge Calls Attys' MDL Criticism 'Deceptive Public Posturing'

    A Florida federal judge defended her oversight of the massive 3M Combat Arms Earplugs multidistrict litigation against attorneys' criticism that the process is "broken," calling those comments "overzealous and deceptive public posturing" in an order imposing a stay on the wave and transition process.

  6. October 26, 2022

    3M Can't Get New Trial After $50M Earplug Injury Verdict

    3M was denied a new trial after a jury awarded a veteran Green Beret $50 million in his suit alleging the company's Combat Arms earplugs gave him tinnitus and hearing loss, with a Florida federal judge ruling Tuesday the verdict is "substantially supported" by the trial evidence.

  7. October 24, 2022

    3M Experts Can't Blame Drugs For Hearing Loss, Judge Says

    The Florida federal judge presiding over multidistrict litigation against 3M over allegedly faulty earplugs on Monday excluded certain defense testimony from the company's experts ahead of trial, citing scientifically unsupported or irrelevant medical opinions regarding prescription or illegal drugs causing hearing loss.

  8. October 19, 2022

    3M Says Plaintiffs Can't Bar Defense In Earplug MDL

    A Florida federal judge has been asked by 3M Co. to reject a request that she block the company from arguing a now-bankrupt subsidiary is liable for damages caused by allegedly defective earplugs, saying the request ignores significant differences in state law.

  9. October 06, 2022

    3M Wants To Shake Veterans' Suit Over Spinoff Plans

    Veterans seeking to block 3M Co.'s spinoff of its health care business are engaged in a "rogue lawsuit" to try to "gain leverage over 3M" in separate multidistrict litigation, the company said.

  10. September 02, 2022

    Veterans Look To Block 3M's Planned Health Care Spinoff

    A pair of military veterans have asked a Florida federal court to shut down 3M's plans to spin off its health care assets, arguing that would give billions of dollars to shareholders while leaving tort claimants suing 3M over allegedly faulty earplugs hanging out to dry.