Serving Greater Danbury, Bridgeport, Hartford, Norwalk, & New York City
In 2003 the US military ordered The Dual-Ended Combat Arms™ Earplugs, Version 2 (CAEv2) from Aearo Technologies and in 2008 3M acquired Aearo Technologies and all its liabilities.
Between 2003 and 2015 3M supplied 2.2 million ear plugs to the US military, to use in war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan, as an exclusive supplier for the US military for ear plugs. This product was sold only to the military. In 2016 a Whistleblower lawsuit was filed under the “False Claims Act” by a competing Ear Plug manufacturer. The complaint states that 3M and Aearo Technologies both knew the Ear plugs were defective products and they setup fraud testing to comply with the US military standards that they promised when they accepted the order from the US military.
In 2018 a settlement is announced between 3M and DOJ for 9.1 Million dollars. See the US Government complaint here From the years 2003-2015 around 1,562,190 active infantrymen (20% of US Military) were deployed to US war zones and are potential victims.
You may be entitled to compensation from the makers of these earplugs if you or a loved one:
- Served in the military between 2003-2015
- Were issued earplugs during service
- Suffer from permanent hearing loss or tinnitus
Contact Ventura Law today for a free consultation. We have experience dealing with a wide range of complex ligitation cases. Even if you’re unsure which brand of earplugs were used during your service, Ventura Law may still be able to determine if you can take legal action.