New Order Issued For 3M Earplug Lawsuit

New Order Issued For 3M Earplug Lawsuit

Introduction

The adoption of Master Complaint and Short Form Complaint over all federal 3M Combat Arms earplug lawsuits, filed by the veterans alleging hearing loss and tinnitus following military service, is approved by the U.S. District Judge Casey Rodgers.

According to a pretrial order issued by Judge Rodgers on October 16, the Master Complaint and Short Form Complaint can be used to bring new military hearing loss claims. The Master Complaint includes various allegations and requests for relief brought in the claims, which allows individual plaintiffs to adopt relevant claims through a separate Short Form Complaint, which will be filed in each case. These were submitted for approval last month to prevent duplicative discovery into common issues, avoid conflicting pretrial schedules, and serve the convenience of the parties, witnesses, and the court system.

There are currently about 600 product liability lawsuits filed under MDL No. 2885 (In Re: 3M Combat Arms Earplug Litigation) in the Northern District of Florida against Minnesota-based 3M. The lawsuits are brought by military veterans who are left with hearing loss or tinnitus due to defective earplug distributed by the U.S. armed forces to all service members between 2003 and 2015.