In an unusual move, a federal judge has ordered 3M CEO Mike Roman to personally attend mediation sessions aimed at settling the company's long-running legal battle over allegedly defective military earplugs.
In one of the largest U.S. mass torts, 3M faces over 200,000 lawsuits in U.S. District Court in northern Florida. On Friday, the judge presiding over those cases, Casey Rodgers, required Roman to appear at mediation sessions in Pensacola scheduled for Thursday and Friday.
"Mediation discussions have progressed to a critical juncture where the most senior party representative leaders must be present," Rodgers wrote. Every member of the plaintiffs' lawyers' settlement committee also must attend this week's mediation.
