MAPLEWOOD, Minn. – The giant manufacturer 3M has agreed to pay $6 billion to individuals in the military for hearing loss after using faulty 3M earplugs. The agreement, announced by the company, is one of the largest mass torts in U.S. legal history. Hundreds of thousands of veterans and current service members had sued 3M and Aearo Technologies, a company that 3M acquired in 2008. The suit alleged that the earplugs would loosen in close-range firearms exercises.
