案例库 · 法务与合规 · 法务决策 · 1999-2023
这条还没译成中文，下面是英文原文。
3M sold the military earplugs it knew fit too loosely — $6B to settle it
Combat Arms earplugs could imperceptibly loosen and let noise through; 3M sold them to the US military anyway and paid $6B to over 260,000 veterans.
3M · Aearo Technologies · 2023-08-29
怎么回事
3M's Aearo Technologies unit made Combat Arms earplugs, sold to the US military from 1999 to 2015 to protect service members' hearing while still letting them hear commands. Veterans alleged the earplugs' stem was too short to seat properly, letting them loosen imperceptibly and let damaging noise through during use.
Hundreds of thousands of veterans sued, forming what became one of the largest multidistrict litigations in US history. 3M tried routing the liability into an Aearo bankruptcy filing to cap its exposure; that maneuver was rejected by the courts, sending the case back to trial and settlement talks.
On August 29, 2023, 3M agreed to pay $6 billion — $5 billion in cash and $1 billion in stock, paid out from 2023 through 2029 — to resolve claims from over 260,000 claimants, without admitting the earplugs were defective.
为什么会这样
- Combat Arms earplugs allegedly loosened imperceptibly in the ear, letting through the noise they were sold to block.
- 3M's attempt to cap liability by pushing the claims into subsidiary Aearo's bankruptcy was rejected by the courts.
- The $6B settlement — over 260,000 claimants — is among the largest product-liability payouts in US history.
- 3M settled without admitting the product was defective, calling it safe and effective when used properly.
教训
A liability large enough to threaten the balance sheet doesn't shrink by routing it through a subsidiary's bankruptcy — courts will look past the structure to who actually made and sold the product.
后来呢
3M booked a roughly $4.2B pre-tax charge in Q3 2023 for the settlement. By mid-2026, claimants had received over $3B of the $6B total.
资料来源
- 3M Announces Combat Arms Settlement — 3M Investor Relations
- Official Combat Arms Earplugs (CAE) Settlement Program
发现哪里写错了？告诉我们。
类似的案例
这家公司栽倒的地方，别处有人漂亮地解开过。 第二意见 →
Comments · 0
登录 后就能评论。