Hearing is an essential ability that supports your body balance as well as helps in communication. Hearing loss can be one of the worst issues you can encounter. Nowadays, the younger generation uses headphones, earphones, earbuds, and so on extensively, which has caused many of them to have problems with their hearing.
While this is the case with the younger generation, the US military personnel extensively used earplugs from a company known as 3M that promised protection from loud noises. In this contract, 3M offered the government earplugs to protect the military personnel from hearing damage caused while training and in combat. These earplugs did not serve their purpose and somewhat contributed to the harm caused to their hearing. All those army personnel who suffered losses to their hearing started filing lawsuits against the company to compensate for their loss.
If you are one of them, you should consult 3M Combat Arms Earplugs Lawsuit Attorneys to make it easier for you to handle the case. Only those who have confidence in fighting the case can tell you what is required and how much compensation you can get.
What Is The 3M Earplug Lawsuit?
Source: taylormartino.com
Many veterans filed the 3M Earplug Lawsuit for getting defective earplugs which caused them severe hearing loss and tinnitus. The faulty ear plugs were only noticed in one model, CAEv2, stating that it didn’t give the protection it offered. The lawsuit was being filed on the basis that the 3M company did this knowingly to gain a huge amount of money and popularise their product.
As the said device did not protect them, it resulted in hearing impairment which further caused them significant discomfort and medical trips. About 250,000 veterans have filed lawsuits for compensation for the medical issues they have faced. The ineffective combat plugs caused many veterans to leave their jobs or develop problems later.
How Are You Eligible For The 3M Lawsuit?
Just any military serving personnel cannot file the 3M lawsuits. They need to fulfill specific criteria that would make them eligible for the compensation. Anyone that wants to apply for the lawsuit must have served in the US military between 2003- 2015 and wore the earplugs. During this time, veterans extensively used the CAEv2 model of the 3M earplugs to protect their ears in combat and training.
One must ensure that even if they wore the earplugs, they were exposed to loud noises during their military service and have a proof for the same. Lastly, you should have a medical report of when you were exposed to loud noise, stating that you have hearing damage or tinnitus. All of these together make you eligible for filing the compensation 3M lawsuit.
How Can An Attorney Help You For The 3M Lawsuit?
Source: therussofirm.com
The lawsuit states that 3M has been marketing the CAEv2 earplugs and other similar ones from early on, knowing they aren’t effective. Many veterans used these earplugs near aircraft, missiles, shooting in combat, and training to protect their ears and listen to orders and instructions at the same time. The company failed to block the damage by not sealing the earplug carefully, which caused many veterans ear damage. This information was not available to a single veteran but was collected from various sides and people who faced the same issue.
Such proper investigation, details, and gathering facts that state that the harm caused is legit and caused due to the inefficiency of the earplugs is the company’s fault and cannot be done without an attorney. An attorney could study your case better and gather unbiased facts to protect you and help you claim compensation. An attorney would be able to clear out your paperwork, collect the much-needed points, and figure out options that you can choose. After collecting the information and facts, the attorney would have better knowledge about the compensation you can get and what more you can do.
What Compensation To Expect From The 3M Lawsuit?
Source: ifspb.com
Many military personnel having permanent and temporary hearing damages along with different issues has divided the compensation across tiers depending on the severity of the injury. Previously the average payout was $1400 a day for those who had permanent damage to their eardrums. But when the number of people and the severity of this issue grew, people got an average compensation of $38 million as well.
A huge problem was caused when recently bankruptcy was announced by a subsidiary of the 3M company causing a ruckus and leaving the veterans perplexed about their compensation. After a few more hearings of the lawsuit, an average of $25,000 to $300,000 per person was estimated for the compensation. Though this is considered the average compensation payout, the severity of the hearing damage plays an important role.
According to the severity of the hearing damage, the company has been previously asked to payout $77,500,00 to $55,000,000 per individual. Though this was before the bankruptcy of the subsidiary of 3M got announced, this figure has stayed the same for those who had severe hearing issues.
Conclusion
The loss of hearing for an individual will not only restrict the scope of their job but also make them unable to perform regular tasks. There is also a significant shift in their lifestyle and the various gadgets that they have to use, which causes considerable discomfort and monetary loss. Hearing is as important as eyesight, and its loss can cause issues even when engaging in a simple conversation. The 3M earplugs not only caused the veterans to be unable to perform well in combat and training but also disabled them from doing other jobs to support their families.
Contacting an attorney to file a compensation claim should be a priority to ensure that you get compensated for the medical issues. Irrelevant to the severity of the case, you should file for compensation if you are eligible for it, as it might not be an issue right now, but it can cause problems when you are of age.
