3M announced today that it has filed in Minnesota District Court a joint motion for preliminary approval of a class action settlement regarding the Whitaker et al. vs. 3M Company lawsuit. The proposed settlement is subject to approval by the court.

The suit, which was originally filed in December 2004, alleges claims of age discrimination under Minnesota law on behalf of a claimed class of current and former Minnesota employees, over the age of 46, who worked in salaried, non-executive, exempt positions.

“The proposed settlement agreement provides a reasonable resolution that allows the company to avoid ongoing investments in time and legal fees,” said Marschall Smith, senior vice president, 3M Legal Affairs and General Counsel. “We believe the resolution will allow the company and our employees to focus on growing our business and serving our customers.”

Under terms of the settlement agreement, 3M will pay up to $12 million to resolve the claims of all of the approximately 7000 members of the proposed settlement class. Full administration of the settlement will be handled by a third party administrator over the coming months.

The proposed settlement does not include an admission of any liability by 3M. 3M’s human resources practices are fair, comply with federal and state laws, and are widely recognized as ‘best in class.’

About 3M

3M captures the spark of new ideas and transforms them into thousands of ingenious products. Our culture of creative collaboration inspires a never-ending stream of powerful technologies that make life better. 3M is the innovation company that never stops inventing. With $27 billion in sales, 3M employs about 80,000 people worldwide and has operations in more than 65 countries. For more information, visit www.3M.com or follow @3MNews on Twitter.

3MMedia Contact:Donna Fleming Runyon, 651-736-7646