U.S. Marine Sues 3M Over Hearing Loss Caused by Combat Earplugs

LOS ANGELES — A U.S. Marine Corps veteran has sued 3M Co. alleging the defects in protective earplugs manufacture by the company caused him and potentially millions of other soldiers to develop significant hearing loss.

In a lawsuit filed Jan. 15 in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, plaintiff Andrew Bridges contends that he was never warned about risks associated with his use of 3M’s Dual-ended Combat Arms earplugs, nor did the manufacturer ever disclose any design defect in the devices.

Bridges, who resides in Washington, D.C, was stationed at 29 Palms, a Marine Corps Air Ground …