3M Hit With $22.5 Million Verdict in Earplug Test Case (Correct)

A federal jury in Florida has awarded the highest amount to date against 3M Co. among bellwether trials over allegedly ineffective combat earplugs, concluding the company owes an Army veteran $22.5 million for his hearing loss and tinnitus.

Theodore Finley’s award consists of $7.5 million in compensatory damages and $15 million in punitive damages, according to his counsel.

Finley’s trial was the eighth in the massive consolidated litigation against 3M and its Aearo Technologies LLC subsidiary over Aearo Combat Arms version 2 earplugs.

“Juries continue to find that 3M’s earplugs were defective and that they are responsible for causing irreparable ...