[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” custom_padding=”0px||||false|false” sticky_enabled=”0″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.20.4″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” custom_padding=”0px||||false|false” sticky_enabled=”0″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” custom_padding=”0px|25px|25px|25px|false|true” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
Pensacola, FL – Attorney Bryan Aylstock and his law firm is representing over 10,000 current and former U.S. military service members who have suffered hearing loss and tinnitus allegedly caused by 3M defective military earplugs. \u201cWe hold 3M accountable for what they did to our military brothers and sisters and what they did not tell them,\u201d says Aylstock.<\/p>\n
Aylstock and his legal team successfully argued in federal court against 3M\u2019s defense, \u201cThe government made me do it.\u201d 3M tried to end litigation before it began.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe always thought 3M was grasping at straws. I viewed this government contract defense as a smoke screen,\u201d says Aylstock. \u201cBeing paid by the government doesn\u2019t mean that you have a government contract, particularly when you defraud the government and pay a $9.1 million settlement under the False Claims Act. 3M must accept responsibility for their actions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aylstock says 3M sold its defective Dual-Ended Combat Arms earplugs to the military without testing. And after it occurred to them there was no testing, they went ahead with testing but didn\u2019t like results\u2014and then they manipulated test results to get the results they needed to sell the earplug! Neither the military nor the people using the earplugs were told of any defects.<\/p>\n
According to the master complaint filed on behalf of all Plaintiffs whose claims are subsumed within MDL No. 2885, \u201cdefendants were aware of the defects and risks of the Dual-Ended Combat Arms Earplug but nonetheless supplied this dangerously defective product to Plaintiffs and the United States military for more than a decade without Plaintiffs or the United States military having any knowledge of those defects and risks.<\/p>\n
Aylstock knows how post-traumatic stress disorder is linked to tinnitus \u2013 it exacerbates PTSD. \u201cSevere ringing in the ears can bring back memories of injuries suffered. Of course these memories are stronger for some victims than others but overall, tinnitus makes PTSD worse,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, tinnitus is the most frequently claimed disability among former service members. In a recent study, the authors described the prevalence of hearing loss and tinnitus in a cohort of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans (IAV) with common post-deployment condition, including PTSD. They found PTSD and depression significantly associated with increased rates of hearing loss, tinnitus, or both conditions together.<\/p>\n
To date, over 200,000 lawsuits are filed in the multi-district litigation (MDL). \u201cUntil 3M takes responsibility for their actions, we are proceeding to trial,\u201d says Aylstock. \u201cWhile MDL\u2019s do take time, even in the best of circumstances, COVID makes it more difficult,\u201d explains Aylstock, \u201cbut Judge Rogers has a track record of managing her docket efficiently and effectively for all litigants who come before the Court.\u201d Now that the 3M\u2019s \u201cgovernment made me do it\u201d defense has been shot down, trials will start in April 2021 and bellwether discovery is currently underway.<\/p>\n
The master complaint states that, \u201c3M has a dominant market share in virtually every safety product market, including hearing protection devices. Defendant 3M is one of the largest companies in the United States.\u201d 3M\u2019s net income in 2018 was a whopping $5.349 billion with astounding revenue of $32.765 billion, an increase of 3.5 percent from the previous year. Its revenue dropped to $32.14 billion in 2019.<\/p>\n
Facing more than 200,000 lawsuits currently filed in the MDL, 3M will likely be facing trial before multiple juries in 2021.<\/p>\n
Bryan Aylstock has a family background of military service and a \u201ckeen interest\u201d in litigating on behalf of military personnel, he told Bloomberg Law. For managing such a large caseload, \u201cthere is no substitute for direct and frequent communication with the people you represent,\u201d he said. \u201cEmail communication is preferred by many service members due to their hearing issues, and we also speak regularly to spouses who are often more aware of the difficulties their loved one is facing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aylstock\u2019s firm has 25 lawyers and 200 support staff for plaintiffs to discuss their situations with. \u201cWe have also hired many military veterans as they understand military issues and can effectively communicate with our clients, especially those with hearing loss.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Read more about how AWKO is supporting our veterans in litigation regarding 3M earplugs<\/a><\/p>\n Source: Lawyers and Settlements<\/a><\/p>\n Reporter: Jane Mundy<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 3M Defective Earplug Lawsuit Pensacola, FL – Attorney Bryan Aylstock and his law firm is representing over 10,000 current and former U.S. military service members who have suffered hearing loss and tinnitus allegedly caused by 3M defective military earplugs. \u201cWe hold 3M accountable for what they did to our military brothers and sisters and what […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":4659,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"3M Defective Earplug Lawsuit<\/h2>\nPensacola, FL - Attorney Bryan Aylstock and his law firm is representing over 10,000 current and former U.S. military service members who have suffered hearing loss and tinnitus allegedly caused by 3M defective military earplugs. \u201cWe hold 3M accountable for what they did to our military brothers and sisters and what they did not tell them,\u201d says Aylstock.\n\n \n
\"Made Me Do It\" Defense<\/h2>\nAylstock and his legal team successfully argued in federal court against 3M\u2019s defense, \u201cThe government made me do it.\u201d 3M tried to end litigation before it began.\n\n\u201cWe always thought 3M was grasping at straws. I viewed this government contract defense as a smoke screen,\u201d says Aylstock. \u201cBeing paid by the government doesn\u2019t mean that you have a government contract, particularly when you defraud the government and pay a $9.1 million settlement under the False Claims Act. 3M must accept responsibility for their actions.\u201d\n\n \n
3M Concealed Earplug Testing<\/h2>\nAylstock says 3M sold its defective Dual-Ended Combat Arms earplugs to the military without testing. And after it occurred to them there was no testing, they went ahead with testing but didn\u2019t like results\u2014and then they manipulated test results to get the results they needed to sell the earplug! Neither the military nor the people using the earplugs were told of any defects.\n\nAccording to the master complaint filed on behalf of all Plaintiffs whose claims are subsumed within MDL No. 2885, \u201cdefendants were aware of the defects and risks of the Dual-Ended Combat Arms Earplug but nonetheless supplied this dangerously defective product to Plaintiffs and the United States military for more than a decade without Plaintiffs or the United States military having any knowledge of those defects and risks.\n
\n \t
Tinnitus Linked to PTSD<\/h2>\nAylstock knows how post-traumatic stress disorder is linked to tinnitus \u2013 it exacerbates PTSD. \u201cSevere ringing in the ears can bring back memories of injuries suffered. Of course these memories are stronger for some victims than others but overall, tinnitus makes PTSD worse,\u201d he says.\n\nAccording to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, tinnitus is the most frequently claimed disability among former service members. In a recent study, the authors described the prevalence of hearing loss and tinnitus in a cohort of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans (IAV) with common post-deployment condition, including PTSD. They found PTSD and depression significantly associated with increased rates of hearing loss, tinnitus, or both conditions together.\n\n \n
3M Earplug MDL - What Next<\/h2>\nTo date, over 200,000 lawsuits are filed in the multi-district litigation (MDL). \u201cUntil 3M takes responsibility for their actions, we are proceeding to trial,\u201d says Aylstock. \u201cWhile MDL\u2019s do take time, even in the best of circumstances, COVID makes it more difficult,\u201d explains Aylstock, \u201cbut Judge Rogers has a track record of managing her docket efficiently and effectively for all litigants who come before the Court.\u201d Now that the 3M\u2019s \u201cgovernment made me do it\u201d defense has been shot down, trials will start in April 2021 and bellwether discovery is currently underway.\n\n \n
3M Market Share<\/h2>\nThe master complaint states that, \u201c3M has a dominant market share in virtually every safety product market, including hearing protection devices. Defendant 3M is one of the largest companies in the United States.\u201d 3M\u2019s net income in 2018 was a whopping $5.349 billion with astounding revenue of $32.765 billion, an increase of 3.5 percent from the previous year. Its revenue dropped to $32.14 billion in 2019.\n\nFacing more than 200,000 lawsuits currently filed in the MDL, 3M will likely be facing trial before multiple juries in 2021.\n\nBryan Aylstock has a family background of military service and a \u201ckeen interest\u201d in litigating on behalf of military personnel, he told Bloomberg Law. For managing such a large caseload, \u201cthere is no substitute for direct and frequent communication with the people you represent,\u201d he said. \u201cEmail communication is preferred by many service members due to their hearing issues, and we also speak regularly to spouses who are often more aware of the difficulties their loved one is facing.\u201d\n\nAylstock\u2019s firm has 25 lawyers and 200 support staff for plaintiffs to discuss their situations with. \u201cWe have also hired many military veterans as they understand military issues and can effectively communicate with our clients, especially those with hearing loss.\u201d\n\n \n\nRead more about how AWKO is supporting our veterans in litigation regarding 3M earplugs<\/a>\n\nSource: Lawyers and Settlements<\/a>\n\nReporter: Jane Mundy","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[90,64,60,58,59,63,56,44],"tags":[41,130],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.awkolaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1604"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.awkolaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.awkolaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.awkolaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.awkolaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1604"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.awkolaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1604\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7871,"href":"https:\/\/www.awkolaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1604\/revisions\/7871"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.awkolaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4659"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.awkolaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1604"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.awkolaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1604"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.awkolaw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1604"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}