Military-Issued Earplugs found to be DEFECTIVE Leading to Hearing Loss for US Troops & Veterans

From 2003 to 2015, the United States Military issued combat earplugs made by 3M to troops to protect their hearing. These earplugs were sold and marketed as “Dual-Ended Combat Arms Earplugs, Version 2 (CAEv2)” and have been found to be defective. Because 3M may have known about the defect, but did not notify the U.S. Military or its service members, you may have a claim for compensation. In July of 2018, 3M paid $9.1 million to resolve a U.S. Department of Justice investigation that the company knew that their earplugs were defective but sold them to the military anyway.  According to the court documents, 3M was aware that the dangerous Dual-Ended Combat Arms™ Earplugs, Version 2, were defective when they were sold to the military. Specifically, the earplugs, which were supposed to protect ears from excessive noise levels during combat or training, were too short and came loose or fit improperly in certain users’ ears. This allowed the vibrations from dangerous noise levels to damage the small filaments in the ears that affect hearing quality. 3M did not tell the military about the defective plugs and may have altered test results to make it seem like the earplugs met government standards, the government’s court filings say. 3M Combat Arms Earplugs were standard issue for US Troops deployed between 2003 – 2015, including these conflicts:

• Operation Enduring Freedom: Afghanistan
• Operation Freedom’s Sentinel: Afghanistan
• Operation Iraqi Freedom: Iraq
• Operation New Dawn: Iraq
• Islamic State-Operation Inherent Resolve: Syria & Iraq

These earplugs were never recalled by 3M and may still be in use. If you served in the U.S. Military between 2002 and 2016 and suffer from tinnitus (ringing in your ears), partial or complete hearing loss, or hearing-related complications to your Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or Traumatic Brain Injury, you may be eligible for compensation. Our experienced Personal Injury Attorneys are here to review your case in order to determine if you have a valid claim. We look forward to hearing from you.