About 240,000 people are expected to be eligible for the settlement, Chris Seeger, a lead lawyer for the plaintiffs, said at a press conference. The money will be paid out from 2023 to 2029, and $1 billion will be in the form of 3M stock, the company said in a statement. Some analysts' estimates of the company's potential liability from the earplug litigation had been as high as $10 billion. The Combat Arms earplugs were made by Aearo Technologies, a company 3M acquired in 2008. Aearo filed for bankruptcy in July 2022, with 3M pledging $1 billion to fund its liabilities stemming from the earplug lawsuits.

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Persons: Brendan McDermid, Chris Seeger, Seeger, Bryan Aylstock, Clayton Clark, M, Casey Rodgers, Aearo, Rodgers, Brendan Pierson, Kannaki, Alexia Garamfalvi, Bill Berkrot Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, U.S, 3M, Aearo Technologies, District, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Minnesota, Afghanistan, Iraq, Pensacola , Florida, New Yorkk, Bengaluru