3M Gets $55 Million Combat Earplug Verdict Cut to $21.7 Million

Colorado law requires a reduction in damages awarded to an Army veteran in a suit over allegedly ineffective 3M Co. combat earplugs, leaving him with a $21.7 million recovery rather than the $55 million awarded by the jury, a federal court in Florida ruled.

William Wayman’s hearing loss and tinnitus are particularly severe, affecting his relationships and confidence—and justifying a higher ceiling on the pain-and-suffering portion of damages, Judge M. Casey Rodgers said Tuesday for the US District Court for the Northern District of Florida.

But he’s not entitled to double the amount of those damages because of the presence ...