US military members sue 3M, accuse subsidiary of using bankruptcy as shield


n this Oct. 24, 2017, file photo, the logo for 3M appears on a screen above the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

By: Scripps News
 Feb 03, 2023

Former and current U.S. military service members are asking a judge to dismiss a bankruptcy filed by the subsidiary of manufacturing giant 3M accusing it of using the bankruptcy to shield itself.

The U.S. military members accuse 3M of producing faulty earplugs, and took the company to court. 3M's subsidiary Aearo Technologies filed for bankruptcy and the plaintiffs claim the entity is using the filing to shield itself from the litigation, Reuters reported.

The case has expanded into the largest mass tort in U.S. history.

Thousands of military service members accuse 3M's allegedly defective earplugs of causing hearing damage after not blocking loud noises on the battlefield.

The vast majority of the lawsuits haven't been resolved and successes on both sides have left uncertainty over how close the plaintiffs are to reaching a settlement, Forbes reported.

Aearo Technologies manufactured and supplied earplugs to the U.S. military between 2003 and 2015 to protect troops from loud noises during training and combat.