Filing bankruptcy protection for its Aearo earplug subsidiary does not exempt 3M from 230,000 earplug lawsuits, a federal bankruptcy judge ruled Friday.
The decision by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Jeffrey J. Graham in the Southern District of Indiana could have significant ramifications for how the earplug lawsuits against 3M will play out — and how much the company will eventually pay out.
In one of the largest ever U.S. mass torts, about 230,000 U.S. military members and veterans allege faulty Combat Arms earplugs — made by 3M subsidiary Aearo Technologies — damaged their hearing.
