According to the suit, Smith was prepping a performance on December 12, 2014, but the earpiece fitted into his right ear gave him immediate discomfort and pain.
Smith is the one that brought the lawsuit to American Idol producers, claiming he suffered serious ear damage.
When the show audiologist’s representative removed it from his ear, the earpiece reportedly also detached a portion of Smith’s eardrum.
Viewers who were tuned into Season 14 may remember the contestant Michael Simeon Smith, though he wasn’t one of the eventual finalists.