3M Settles Combat Earplug Lawsuits for $5.5 Billion
3M has agreed to pay over $5.5 billion to settle approximately 300,000 lawsuits alleging that the company sold defective combat earplugs to the US military. The earplugs, which were standard issue for soldiers between 2003 and 2015, were claimed to be too short and did not provide proper protection against inner ear damage. Without the settlement, 3M could have faced potential liability of over $9.5 billion. This settlement comes after 3M's agreement in June to pay at least $10.3 billion to settle claims related to dumping "forever chemicals" in drinking water systems across the US.