According to an April 23rd Case Management Order, for all federally-filed 3M Earplug lawsuits, a "Science & Technology Day" has been scheduled for June 18, 2019, to educate the court on the scientific aspect of the litigation. The presentations used in the court will not be used for any other purposes in the litigation.
The day will begin at 9:00 a.m and all parties counsel should submit the agenda to the Court by June 7th. It also indicates that plaintiffs might soon be able to file their 3M Earplugs lawsuits directly in the Northern District of Florida. There are around 600 military veterans who have filed for Combat Arms Earplugs claiming they suffered from design defects which left them unprotected during combat, resulting in permanent hearing loss and/or tinnitus. 3M Company acquired Aearo Technologies Inc. who developed Combat Arms Earplugs, Version 2, knew about these defects but failed to provide any solution or warning. Also, the U.S. Department of Justice had announced a $9.1 million settlement in the case last July, but the company did not compensate and denied the allegations on faulty earplugs.
The reversible earplugs featured a yellow end that blocked damaging impact sounds typically encountered on the battlefield but allowed the user to hear commands and other low-level noises. The earplugs’ green end performed like traditional earplugs and blocked all sounds.
