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3M Lawsuit settled

by | Sep 1, 2023 | National News

EANGUS Needs Your Help to Spread the Word

3M has settled the most significant litigation in the U.S. court system history. We need our member’s help to spread the word about the impact of this on our enlisted servicemembers, not only in the National Guard but in all services.

If you have a personal story regarding earplugs and how they have impacted your life, please email legislative@eangus.org.

On Aug 29, 2023, 3M agreed to pay $6.01 billion to settle lawsuits by U.S. military veterans and service members who say they suffered hearing loss from using the company’s earplugs, the company and lawyers for the plaintiffs announced on Tuesday.

The deal comes after a failed attempt by 3M earlier this year to move the lawsuits, which had grown into the largest mass tort litigation in U.S. history, into bankruptcy court in the hope of limiting its liability.

About 240,000 people are expected to be eligible for the settlement, Chris Seeger, a lead lawyer for the plaintiffs, said at a press conference. 3M has the right to walk away from the deal if less than 98% of eligible claimants decide to participate, but Seeger said he was confident that the threshold would be met.

The company said in a statement that the money will be paid out from 2023 to 2029, and $1 billion will be in the form of 3M stock. The Minnesota-based company said it was not admitting liability and that the earplugs “are safe and effective when used properly.”

“This historic agreement represents a tremendous victory for the thousands of men and women who bravely served our country and returned home with life-altering hearing injuries,” Seeger and his co-lead attorneys, Bryan Aylstock and Clayton Clark, said in a joint statement.

3M’s shares were up more than 2% on Tuesday. They closed 5.2% higher on Monday on earlier reports that a settlement was imminent. Some analysts’ estimates of the company’s potential liability from the earplug litigation had been as high as $10 billion.

“In light of the recent 3M earplug lawsuit, which resulted in a settlement favoring the well-being of our nation’s Veterans and military members, EANGUS applauds the $6 billion settlement and stands ready to collaborate with 3M and other like-minded companies moving forward. By taking a proactive approach, we aim to create opportunities and establish protocols and pathways to ensure that incidents like this never happen again. Our nation’s heroes are our greatest asset, and the safety, quality of life, and well-being of our service members will always remain our top priority.” said MSgt (Ret) Daniel Reilly, President of EANGUS,

Kevin Hollinger focuses on legislation that advocates for national security and readiness of the Enlisted National Guard.  Mr. Hollinger served for over 22 years in the Army and National Guard and completed multiple deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Kevin has specialized in RC legislation for over 8 years.  He completed his Juris Doctorate from The John Marshal Law School and is currently an LLM student.  Mr. Hollinger can be reached at Kevin@eangus.org or 202-670-1826