3m lawsuit：3M Earplug Lawsuit Settled

In August 2022, the court allowed the case against 3M to continue despite the fact that the company’s subsidiary Aearo, which manufactured the earplugs, filed for bankruptcy protection. This was 3M’s new strategy to try to protect itself from the claims.

Once the bankruptcy protection was denied, the judge hearing the case pushed 3M to participate in settlement talks, which began in September 2022. However, 3M appealed the bankruptcy decision.

The plaintiffs filed a motion asking the judge to decide that 3M alone (and not Aearo) is liable for the injuries from its earplugs (meaning that Aearo’s bankruptcy would not impact the case). The judge granted that motion but then allowed 3M to appeal it.

One of the cases involved in the litigation for plaintiff David George was scheduled to begin in October 2022 but was pushed back to February 2023.

In December 2022, the judge hearing the MDL imposed sanctions against 3M for their “brazen abus...