A series of 16 jury trials were held, involving 19 separate plaintiffs. 3M lawsuit payouts were awarded in 10 of the cases, with damages of nearly $300 million returned over the failure to disclose known safety defects with the earplugs Below is a guide to the 3M earplug verdicts returned so far, which have sent a strong signal about the extent of liability the manufacturer and the amount it may have to pay to settle 3M earplug lawsuits brought by service members with hearing loss and tinnitus.