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How Many Lawsuits Have Been Filed?
Following the announcement in July 2018 that 3M had paid the U.S. Department of Justice $9.2 million to settle lawsuits alleging that the company sold defective earplugs to the Army, thousands of veterans who had suffered hearing damage and tinnitus began filing complaints against 3M.
The federal lawsuits were soon consolidated into multidistrict litigation (MDL) before Judge M. Casey Rogers in the Northern District of Florida (3M Prod. Liab. Lit., MDL No. 2885 – Master Docket No. 3:19-MD-2885).
As of July 2022, there were at least 233,883 plaintiffs in the litigation.
What is the Average Payout in Military Earplug Claims?
The compensation paid to plaintiffs in 3M lawsuits ranges from $50,000 to $400,000. In addition to filing lawsuits, veterans who were injured by 3M Combat Arms earplugs can also file a claim with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), as they also offer money in the form of disability compensation.
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What is the Average VA Rating for Hearing Loss?
Once a service connection is established, the VA will assign a disability rating based on the severity of the service member's hearing loss. Essentially, the more severe the hearing damage, the higher his or her hearing loss VA rating will be. In most cases, veterans receive a 10% rating for hearing loss.
What is the Average Payout for Tinnitus Claims?
There is no payout calculator where you can punch in your injuries and get a settlement amount. However, the average 3M Earplug settlement compensation payout range for tinnitus or hearing loss claims ranges from about $50,000 to $250,000.
How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit?
Under the discovery rule, the statute of limitations on a lawsuit claim would begin when 2 things happen: (1) the plaintiff discovers that they have hearing loss or tinnitus, and (2) the plaintiff should have realized that their hearing loss might have been caused by 3M’s defective earplugs.
Have There Been Any 3M Earplug Settlements?
To date, no plaintiff has settled a lawsuit. Thousands of individual plaintiffs have filed claims against 3M over the allegedly defective Combat Arms Earplugs. As of October 2022, none of these claims have been settled.
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