Overview
3M Combat Arms Earplug lawsuits — MDL 2885, In re 3M Combat Arms Earplug Products Liability Litigation, N.D. Fla., Judge M. Casey Rodgers. The largest mass tort in U.S. history by claim volume (260,000+ claims, per court records and reporting) concerns the CAEv2 earplug (made by Aearo Technologies, acquired by 3M in 2007) issued to service members 2003–2015; claimants allege it failed to seal properly and caused hearing loss and tinnitus (per complaints). On August 29, 2023 the parties reached a Master Settlement Agreement and a Wave Settlement — a total of roughly $6.01 billion (per 3M and the official settlement site). The settlement program is active: the official portal reports 232,434 MSA I claimants paid totaling approximately $2.4 billion net, with additional payments under the Wave and other tracks as of September 2026. The MDL remains in the JPML’s pending list, and new claims are handled through the settlement program; individual verdict cases were paid separately (per the official settlement portal).
Status of the science / claims: Claims allege the Combat Arms Earplug Version 2 (CAEv2) had a too-short stem that loosened in the ear, leaking acoustic energy and causing hearing loss and tinnitus in military service members (per court records and reporting). The litigation was resolved through settlement; causation was contested at trial (per court records).
Key people
Companies involved
Settlement amounts
Master Settlement Agreements (Aug 29, 2023): up to $6.01 billion in total (per 3M and the official settlement website). Payments reported by the official portal as of Sep 2026: ~232,434 MSA I claimants paid ~$2.4 billion net; Wave (MSA III) 17,137 paid ~$224 million; MSA II verdict cases (13) paid ~$135 million (per the official settlement portal). No amount can be promised to any individual claimant.
Case count
| Month | Filed cases | Δ |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 29, 2023 | 260,000 | +60000 |
| Jan 1, 2023 | 200,000 | — |
Key dates
- September 1, 2026Settlement program active: 232,434 MSA I claimants paid totaling ~$2.4 billion net (per official settlement portal)
- March 21, 2024Case Management Order No. 86 governing settlement administration (per N.D. Fla. court page)
- August 29, 2023Master Settlement Agreement (MSA I) and Wave Settlement (MSA III) reached — up to $6.0+ billion (per official settlement website and 3M)
- April 3, 2019JPML transfers and consolidates cases into MDL 2885, N.D. Fla., Judge M. Casey Rodgers (per JPML)
Updates
- Updated Sep 1, 2026New case (Sep 2026): MDL 2885 (N.D. Fla.) — settlement program active; official portal reports 232,434 MSA I claimants paid ~$2.4B net as of Sep 2026.
Notable filings
No notable filings recorded yet. Docket entries are added from public court records as they appear.
FAQ
Is the 3M earplug settlement still paying?
Yes. The official settlement program reports active payments across its tracks — MSA I, Wave, Extraordinary Injury and others — with roughly 232,000 MSA I claimants paid as of September 2026 (per the official settlement portal).
Who is eligible?
The settlements cover current and former military service members with hearing loss or tinnitus who used the CAEv2 earplug issued between 2003 and 2015 (per the official settlement website). Eligibility is determined in the claims process.
Is the 3M earplug litigation the largest mass tort?
By claim volume, yes — the MDL drew more than 260,000 claims, making it the largest mass tort in U.S. history by claim count (per court records and reporting).
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