With nearly 230,000 pending actions, the 3M military earplug multidistrict litigation (MDL) has grown in just two years to be the largest MDL in history and has surpassed previous leaders, including the enormous Asbestos MDL, Reuters News reports. It has surpassed the MDL over Johnson & Johnson’s talc products, which currently has about 30,000 cases.
Settlement discussions first occurred in the fall of 2022 but did not result in a settlement. One of the primary factors in settling was 3M’s willingness to consider fair settlement amounts.
In August 2023, a settlement was reached, announcing that 3M has agreed to pay $6 Billion to settle its lawsuit with U.S. veterans and service members. This settlement will help resolve approximately 300,000 lawsuits against the company and its defective earplugs. With this, over 240,000 people are expected to be eligible for compensation.
