Recently unsealed documents in the 3M litigation show that the company dismissed concerns about its product. Newsweek reports that in a pair of unsealed depositions, 3M officials stated that it wasn’t important for soldiers to be aware that their earplugs had been tested in a way that is different from how they were being used in the field. According to the news source, when asked if the soldiers were “entitled to know” about the differences in testing, one sales manager responded, “I don’t believe so.” Newsweek further states,
Martin Salon, a former vice president at Aearo Technologies, was asked if it was okay for 3M to “conceal” information about potential defects in the earplug from the government. He responded, “I suppose it is, if the product is working in most cases.”
When asked whether it was acceptable “to sell a product and conceal information where it will have a negative effect on our soldiers,” Salon replied, “Yes.”
Additionally, in an e-mail uncovered through a newly unsealed deposition, a 3M marketing manager was found to have remarked on the company earning lucrative margins on its earplugs. According to Newsweek, the email stated that the earplugs cost about 85-cents to make, but have a selling price of $7.63. The message had an “LOL” attached at the end, reports Newsweek.
These unsealed documents have added new information on the 3M litigation and company dealings. ABC News Channel 3 interviewed one veteran involved in the 3M litigation regarding these “eye-opening” depositions and emails, and explained that he believes 3M was “more worried about the bottom line than the health of its customers.”
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