A jury in Pensacola, Fla., federal court on Friday ordered 3M to pay $77.5 million to a U.S. Army veteran who said he suffered hearing damage as a result of using the company’s military-issue earplugs.
Beal’s trial was the last of an initial set of 16 trials held to test the strength of plaintiffs’ claims and facilitate settlement talks. Of those bellwether trials, plaintiffs prevailed in 10, winning a total of nearly $300 million. Juries sided with 3M in the remaining six.
