National Hearing Conservation Association Receives Award in Class Action Suit

WESTMINSTER, Colo., Dec. 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Hearing Conservation Association (NHCA) was the recipient of a cy pres award as a part of the settlement of a class action suit against Motorola and other Bluetooth manufacturers. A cy pres award is a dollar amount awarded to a non-profit organization which furthers the interests of those damaged by the possible wrong doing.  The NHCA was selected as a recipient due to wide-spread recognition of its long-standing mission of preventing noise-induced and other avoidable hearing loss in all sectors of society.  

Although no admissions of guilt were made or implied, these manufacturers settled claims against them for violating rules and regulations which were in place to protect the hearing of consumers.  Specifically, the lawsuit claimed that consistent spikes in decibel levels, in conjunction with long term use of Bluetooth headsets could cause temporary and permanent hearing damage.  The claims alleged further that no warnings were properly made to alert consumers that their hearing was at risk.  The settlement requires all Bluetooth manufacturers to place visible warnings in the proper instruction books to alert users of the potential risks.

Evan Nass, Esq., lead plaintiff in the lawsuit, selected the NHCA as the recipient for the cy pres award, due to the organization's "unyielding advocacy for the prevention of hearing loss."  "Our hearing is a precious commodity.  The NHCA serves as a tireless guardian for this sense, which is too often ignored or neglected by society."

The award will be utilized by the NHCA Scholarship Foundation to foster research and encourage student involvement in hearing loss prevention, and by the NHCA to further its efforts to prevent hearing loss.  These efforts include an annual conference, publication of new research in hearing loss prevention in The International Journal of Audiology, and outreach to both affiliated professions and the general public.

According to NHCA President Jennifer Tufts, "NHCA is a small organization with big ideas and a big mission.  With the cy pres award, we can put more of our ideas into action.  We are very grateful to Mr. Nass for selecting NHCA as the recipient of this award."

About the National Hearing Conservation Association (NHCA)
The mission of the NHCA is to prevent hearing loss due to noise and other environmental factors in all sectors of society. NHCA provides networking, resources and professional development opportunities to improve skills, practices, and services in hearing loss prevention. NHCA's membership includes audiologists, researchers, industrial hygienists, educators, professional service organizations, safety professionals, medical professionals, engineers, audio professionals, students, and others who have dedicated their work to the advancement of hearing loss prevention.

For more information about the National Hearing Conservation Association, visit the NHCA online at http://www.hearingconservation.org or call 1-303-224-9022. Follow the NHCA on Twitter at http://twitter.com/nhcaorg, on Facebook at http://bit.ly/vLRg5, and on LinkedIn at http://bit.ly/3X2DfT.

SOURCE National Hearing Conservation Association (NHCA)