Defendant entity record
3M Company lawsuits
Industrial conglomerate; resolved the largest mass tort in U.S. history by claim count (Combat Arms earplugs, ~$6B for ~260,000 claims) and faces decades of PFAS liability with a documented internal record dating to the 1970s.
Claims in these lawsuits are allegations until a court or settlement resolves them.
Key facts
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The entity record
- Fact 1
- $6.01B — Earplug settlement, ~260,000 claims (Aug 2023)
- Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/29/business/3m-settlement-military-earplugs-lawsuits
- Fact 2
- 10-6 — Bellwether record against 3M (plaintiff wins-losses)
- Source: https://www.reuters.com/legal/
- Fact 3
- 1976 — Year internal research showed PFOS accumulating in workers' blood
- Source: https://theintercept.com/2018/07/31/3m-pfas-minnesota-pfoa-pfos/
3M shares closed about 5% higher on the announcement: markets price certainty.
On PFAS, Minnesota's lawsuit forced public release of internal documents showing 3M knew by 1976 that PFOS was accumulating in workers' blood, by 1978 that it killed monkeys in feeding studies, and by 1981 that it caused abnormalities in pregnant rats — none disclosed to regulators at the time.
The AFFF (firefighting foam) MDL remained the third-largest active docket at 15,244 cases as of July 2026, with PFAS coverage litigation between defendants and their insurers ongoing. Facts above are from court records, state releases, and verified reporting.
Public-record events
Aug 29, 2023 · Settlement
Combat Arms earplug settlement: $6.01B for ~260,000 claims; shares close ~5% higher.
View source ↗Jun 22, 2023 · Settlement
PFAS public-water-systems settlement announced (multi-billion, paid over years).
View source ↗Feb 20, 2018 · Settlement
Minnesota v. 3M: $850M settlement; AG later releases the internal PFAS document set publicly.
View source ↗