Military earplugs serve an extremely important purpose. They protect soldiers’ eardrums from damage to prevent hearing loss and other problems, such as ringing in the ears. Hearing loss is the most common veteran disability, affecting more than 933,000 veterans as of the latest data. The defective 3M CAEv2 earplugs were the only attenuation option available to the military from 2003 to 2012. 3M Combat Arms Earplugs Version 2 were standard military equipment. Sadly, they did not work the way they should have.
Lawsuits against 3M allege that the earplugs contained a defect and that this compromised the item’s ability to properly protect soldiers from hearing damage associated with the typical combat environment, including blasts and gunshots. The lawsuits claim that 3M knowingly committed fraud against the military by recognizing the deficiencies of the earplugs yet failing to warn the military. The lawsuits also claim that 3M intentionally falsified earplug test results to avoid liability for the defects. In 2018, the 3M Company agreed to pay claimants $9.1 million to resolve their cases.