A 3M subsidiary and six related companies facing thousands of lawsuits over combat earplugs filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Tuesday, concluding that the largest multidistrict litigation docket in history was “broken beyond repair.”

The filings, in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of Indiana, aim to resolve more than 230,000 lawsuits and claims alleging 3M’s dual-ended combat earplugs caused hearing loss and ringing of the ears, or tinnitus. 3M, which hasn’t filed for bankruptcy, plans to fund a consolidated Chapter 11 case of its subsidiary, Aearo Technologies, with $240 million, plus set up a $1 billion trust to compensate earplug claimants. 3M, which took a pre-tax charge of $1.2 billion in its quarterly results announced on Tuesday, vowed to provide additional funding if required.