11th Cir. Overturns Attorney Sanctions in 3M Combat Earplug MDL

ATLANTA — An 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals panel overturned $12,000 in sanctions imposed by a Florida federal judge against two Dechert law firm partners for allegedly ignoring a court order during a trial involving 3M Co.’s allegedly defective combat earplugs.

In a May 31 opinion, the panel found that Judge Casey Rodgers of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida failed to give defense attorneys Kimberly Branscome and Jay Bhimani adequate notice before imposing the sanction, and did not consider whether they acted in bad faith.

The appeal arises from one of the bellwether trials …