3M Co. owes an Army veteran $5 million to compensate him for his hearing loss and tinnitus, along with $72.5 million in punitive damages, a federal jury in Florida decided Friday in the latest trial over allegedly ineffective combat earplugs.
James Beal’s proceeding was the 16th test trial in consolidated litigation over 3M unit Aearo Technologies LLC’s Combat Arms version 2 earplugs in the US District Court for the Northern District of Florida.
Juries in bellwether trials so far have awarded service members nearly $300 million, lead plaintiffs’ counsel said in an emailed statement. They are Bryan Aylstock of Aylstock ...