Dechert Attorneys Get 3M Earplug Trial Sanctions Thrown Out

A federal judge overseeing veterans’ earplug defect cases against 3M Co. acted incorrectly when imposing sanctions totaling $12,000 on two Dechert LLP trial attorneys who represented the company, the Eleventh Circuit said Wednesday.

The sanctions issue will return to the lower court for a fresh determination.

The ruling marks the second time a panel of the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit has stayed Judge M. Casey Rodgers’ hand in the multidistrict litigation over combat earplugs made by 3M and its subsidiary, Aearo Technologies LLC.

In October 2022, the appeals court court—without comment—granted 3M’s procedural request that ...