3M Combat Arms Earplugs Contracts

Our Eligibility & Screening Criteria in 3M Earplugs Cases

At Atraxia Media, we have built a reliable method for supporting your law firm in attracting and signing potential Plaintiffs. From their first interaction with our team until they sign an engagement letter, we understand that client intake is an entire process focused on their problems. Therefore, the various stages of our marketing strategy help us efficiently onboard potential claimants injured by 3M Earplugs:

• Pre-screening is an essential step in the process. To minimize the problems that might come with clients who aren't suitable for your law firm, our intake specialists thoroughly pre-screen potential claimants based on your criteria.
• Screening each case. We've developed a solid system for screening clients based on your criteria to ensure they're a good fit for your campaign.
• Following up with people qualified by our intake department. We know that it's critical to follow up with potential clients to move them closer to being a client.
• Delivering signed contracts to your law firm. From the initial screening to delivering signed contracts, Atraxia Media is there for you.
• Connecting you with prospective 3M Earplugs claimants. We can help your law firm increase the number of cases, according to your focus and budget.
• Running in-house case-generating marketing campaigns. We ensure that no potential claimants are ignored.
• Signing potential Plaintiffs exclusively for your law firm.

Veterans and current military service members may be eligible to file a 3M military defective earplug lawsuit if:

• They were in the U.S. military between 2003 and 2015
• Used the black and yellow Combat Arms earplugs, which are dual-sided and issued by the military
• Now suffer from hearing loss, tinnitus, or other related symptoms caused by defective earplugs

Veterans exposed to continuous high-level sound are particularly vulnerable to hearing loss due to the 3M military malfunctioning earplugs.

Atraxia Media's marketing strategy focuses on more than just getting potential new clients to fill out an intake form: it's a whole process of recruiting and signing new clients tailored to your specific needs. We do everything in-house, from the first interaction to the moment they sign an engagement letter: ad development, social media buying, screening, and onboarding. To start your campaign our in-house team just needs to know how many cases you require.

3M Combat Arms Earplugs Facts & History

Currently, 3M Company faces about 239,020 claims that are pursued by veterans with hearing loss following military service. The claims are centralized in the Northern District of Florida in the 3M Earplugs MDL established in April 2019. As lawyers continue to review potential claims on behalf of veterans, case filings will, most likely, increase.

Claims in the 3M MDL allege that 3M Company dual-ended earplugs were defective and the company knowingly sold them to the U.S. military between 2003 and 2015. Veterans claim that 3M earplugs caused hearing issues such as hearing loss and tinnitus. The U.S. Veterans Administration has identified over 400,000 post-9/11 veterans as having incurred a service-connected hearing loss.

3M COMBAT ARMS EARPLUG PRODUCTS LIABILITY LITIGATION, MDL NO. 2885

Location: The Northern District of Florida

MDL Court

• U.S. District Judge - M. Casey Rodgers
• U.S. Magistrate Judge - Gary R. Jones
• Judicial Assistant - Kathy Rock
• Law Clerk - Tevenia Jacobs
• Clerk of Court - Winston E. Arnow
• Courtroom Deputy - Susan Simms
• MDL Coordinator, Clerk's Office - Donna Bjzik
• Official Court Reporter - Donna Boland

Defendants

• 3M Company

Products

• 3M Combat Arms Earplug

Plaintiff Allegations

The suits seek compensation for hearing loss, tinnitus, and other injuries in US veterans who used 3M's Combat Arms earplugs. According to allegations, the earplugs had dangerous design defects that left military service members without adequate hearing protection, resulting in painful hearing injuries. The suits say 3M knew the Combat Arms earplugs contained design flaws and still knowingly sold them to the U.S. military for over a decade.

History

2021:

• May:
• A second bellwether trial is set to begin in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, following a $7.1 million jury award decided in April in favor of three veterans left with hearing loss, in the first federal trial over problems with 3M Combat Arms earplugs. The award included punitive damages designed to punish the company for withholding warnings and safety instructions about the ear protectors.
• March:
• The U.S. District Judge presiding over all 3M Combat Arms earplug lawsuits scheduled the next two bellwether trials to begin in the coming months after the first jury trial.

2020:

• December:
• The U.S. District Judge presiding over all federal 3M Combat Arms earplug lawsuits agreed that the first bellwether trial involves three separate claims brought by veterans left with hearing loss.
• Plaintiffs asked the U.S. District Judge presiding over the litigation to combine a group of five claims for one bellwether trial, which will help the parties gauge how juries will react to certain evidence that will be repeated throughout the trials.
• October:
• The U.S. District Judge presiding over the 3M earplug MDL has issued an order establishing the process for conducting hearing tests and medical examinations for the small group of military veterans selected for the first bellwether trials.
• September:
• The Honorable M. Casey Rodgers outlined the process for handling case-specific depositions in a small group of claims that are being prepared for early trial dates in the litigation
• July:
• The date of the first bellwether trial was set by the Honorable M. Casey Rodgers as April 5, 2021
• The Judge held a second "Science Day", designed to educate the court about other potential causes of hearing loss and tinnitus at issue in the litigation;
• The Honorable M. Casey Rodgers rejected 3M Company's government contractor defense, ruling that 3M Company can not avoid liability for failing to warn about design defects
• May:
• The Honorable M. Casey Rodgers indicated that it may be necessary to bring in an independent, court-appointed expert to help the Court define what a representative case would look like in a complex litigation
• April:
• Attorneys previously appointed to serve in various leadership positions in the federal 3M Combat Arms earplug lawsuits who were seeking reappointment for a second-year term have been directed by the Honorable M. Casey Rodgers to reapply for those positions
• Veterans urged the Honorable M. Casey Rodgers to reject 3M's government contractor defense
• M. Casey Rodgers directed parties involved in the litigation to submit proposed protocols for taking remote depositions over the coming months, to keep discovery moving forward
• March:
• The Honorable M. Casey Rodgers, the U.S. District Judge presiding over all federal 3M earplug hearing loss lawsuits, identified 25 earplug hearing loss lawsuits eligible for early bellwether trial dates in federal MDL
• February:
• The Honorable M. Casey Rodgers set a discovery schedule meant to prepare a small group of cases for a first bellwether trial set to begin April 2021

2019:

• June:
• There were nearly 1,000 lawsuits already filed in MDL
• April:
• 3M combat arms earplug lawsuits were centralized as MDL in the Northern District of Florida
• January:
• A lawsuit filed against 3M alleged that the company knowingly sold defective earplugs to the Defense Logistics Agency for more than a decade, causing widespread hearing impairment for military service members