Army veteran awarded $22.5 million in latest trial over military-issued earplugs

[rangerrebew]

 Army veteran awarded $22.5 million in latest trial over military-issued earplugs
by Rose L. Thayer
• Stars and Stripes • December 13, 2021
 

A federal jury on Friday awarded $22.5 million to an Army veteran in a lawsuit claiming earplug manufacturer 3M’s military-issued product caused damage to his hearing. It was the eighth such case to reach a verdict and involved the largest amount of damages to date.

Theodore Finley filed a lawsuit under Texas law against 3M in January 2020 that stated he used the company’s combat arms earplug version 2 during his service from 2006 to 2014. He now suffers from noise-induced hearing loss and bilateral tinnitus, or a ringing in the ears.

There are more than 272,000 similar cases pending as part of multidistrict litigation assigned to U.S District Court in the Northern District of Florida.

So far, seven other cases have gone to trial, with three juries siding with 3M. The combined total of damages awarded by four other juries is about $30 million. There are two other cases ongoing in Florida.

 https://www.stripes.com/veterans/2021-12-13/military-earplugs-lawsuits-trials-veterans-3959503.html

[rangerrebew]

My work station on my carrier was on the o-9 level, directly above the Admiral's Bridge and directly aft of the starboard catapult.  When they were launching planes with full afterburners they used blast deflectors which deflected the heat and noise right where I worked.  Noise suppressors were unheard of then so you can probable surmise my hearing isn't the best.