The MDL judge is considering whether to impose sanctions that prevent 3M Company from introducing new arguments years into the litigation, that it is not independently liable for hearing loss caused by the defective earplugs
Judge expects to make a decision over 3M's liability in the Combat Arms earplug litigation "promptly."
3M Company has seen a sharp drop in stock value since 2017, under the weight of enormous liability from military earplug lawsuits and PFAS water contamination, according to new analysis
Federal judge has been asked to determine whether 3M Company can now argue it is not fully and independently liable for injuries caused by Combat Arms earplugs
Additional mediation sessions will be held by October 3, to discuss 3M earplug settlements that may resolve thousands of claims being pursued by veterans with hearing loss.
3M earplugs settlement talks ordered in the MDL will also include state court claims filed in Minnesota, where 3M Company's headquarters are located and a number of claims are pending
The order comes after a federal judge refused to halt 3M earplug lawsuits due to a recent bankruptcy filing by Aearo Technologies
Judge has rejected an attempt by 3M company to prevent more than 250,000 earplug hearing loss cases from going forward by placing its Aearo Technologies subsidiary into bankruptcy.
Court questioned whether 3M was acting in good faith during court-ordered mediation and unilaterally cancelling depositions after it's Aearo subsidiary filed for bankruptcy
With nearly 250,000 veterans pursuing earplug hearing loss lawsuits, the settlement fund has already been dismissed as inadequate compensation to resolve the litigation.
