"3M Completes $253M January Payment, Reaches Milestone in $6B Earplug Settlement"

3M has begun the payout of a $6 billion settlement to veterans and military service members for defective earplugs, issuing $253 million in January to over 30,000 past and present service members. The settlement resolves hundreds of thousands of complaints alleging that the earplugs failed to protect from hearing loss. The defective earplugs were developed by Aearo Technologies, acquired by 3M in 2008, and the settlement amount is significantly less than initially predicted, impacting 3M's financial results.