3M Starts Paying Veterans in $6 Billion Earplugs Settlement

CorrodedCranium , 5 months ago

I wish these settlement articles would say why there’s a settlement to begin with at the top of the article

The current-day settlement began in 2016 with a lawsuit from 3M’s competitor, Moldex-Metric, which alleged that 3M sold “dangerously defective” Combat Arms earplugs, standard issue to certain branches of the U.S. military during foreign conflicts between 2003 and 2015, including in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, without disclosing a defect that “likely caused thousands of soldiers to suffer significant hearing loss and tinnitus.”

Mrkawfee , 5 months ago

They say there’s nothing wrong with their products and they don’t admit liability. So why are they settling? Is it just to make this issue go away?

Feel sorry for people who experienced hearing loss and tinnitus. Glad they’re getting compensation.

echodot , 5 months ago

They say there’s nothing wrong with their products and they don’t admit liability.

As far as I understand they’re settling which isn’t the same as accepting liability. I have no idea on the guilt or innocence here, but in general companies will often settle, just to make the lawsuit go away because it’s cheaper to just pay out then it is to go through litigation, even if they thought they might win. They just see it as another cost of doing business.

neptune , 5 months ago

It’s common, unfortunately. No one will ever admit liability unless a court makes them. So in negotiations, no one really wants to take it to court so the people usually don’t have the leverage to make them pay big and admit fault. So the company pays a modest amount and then quietly fixes stuff just enough to try and avoid the next lawsuit.

cosmicrookie , 5 months ago

It’s propably cheaper to pay the 6 bil and be able to still say that, than take it all the way and find put that they actually did a misyame or even worse made huge profits by cheating

aniki , 5 months ago

Where’s my fucking check