3M Dual-Ended Combat Earplugs FAQ
Who did the defective earplugs injure?
Any of the 2.2 million military personnel in any capacity who were sent to the Middle East to take part in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom between 2003 and 2015 could have been issued with the defective ear plugs. At least 1.5 million will have been given the earplugs and will have used them. It is these people who may be eligible for compensation from the at-fault companies for compensation to cover the cost of their hearing injuries and any pain and suffering they needlessly had to endure due to the use of a product that should not have been defective.
If you were part of any of the following military units you may be suffering now.
- The 50,000 strong First Marine Expeditionary Force.
- The 16, 500 strong Army’s Third Infantry Division which was a mechanized unit with dozens of Kiowa Warrior scout and Apache attack and helicopters, as well M1A1 Abrams tanks & M2A2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles in their hundreds.
- The 19, 000 strong Army’s 101st Airborne Division, with 280 helicopters. This unit was mainly deployed from aircrafts in both southern and northern Iraq.
- The 173rd Airborne Brigade and the 82nd Airborne Division’s 2nd Brigade which fought in both northern and central Iraq.
- The Army’s V Corps, which had its base in Heidelberg, Germany.
Lt. Gen. William Wallace was the commander put in charge of all the Army units that took part in the offensive. There were 35,000 personnel in the V Corps which comprised of air defense, engineering, military police and helicopter attack units.
Who do the victims of defective ear plugs sue?
The lawsuit is filed against the private manufacturing companies Aearo Technologies and 3M Corporation that knowingly sold the defective ear plugs for nothing less than a healthy profit.
What do I gain from filing a lawsuit against 3M?
Filing a lawsuit probably won’t solve tinnitus or hearing loss. However, both these serious health conditions can be a financial burden on you and your family. Some of the best medical treatment isn’t necessarily available through Veterans’ Affairs. However, you can file a lawsuit to cover the cost of medical treatment and compensation for pain and suffering which you have had to endure due to your hearing loss or tinnitus. This gives you some help financially because you may have difficulties finding a suitable job because of your medical condition.
A secondary function of filing a lawsuit is that it forces the manufacturer of the defective ear plugs to be accountable for the injuries caused by selling defective ear plugs to the United States military. If your lawyer can prove 3M was negligent and deliberately sold the defective ear plugs you may also be able to claim punitive damages which can be quite a substantial amount of money.
Contact a 3M earplug lawsuit lawyer at Coffey McPharlin
If your physician has diagnosed you with tinnitus or hearing loss and you know it happened as a result of you being in the military when you were issued with dual-end earplugs provided by 3M, you should be eligible to file a lawsuit as 3M sold the earplugs to the United States government knowing that they were defective and could cause hearing damage. The lawyers at Coffey McPharlin provide free defective ear plugs case evaluations to help individuals and families determine whether they have a claim. There are no fees to hire our earplug lawsuit lawyers and we only receive compensation if a settlement is reached by us.
