Under a bipartisan federal law passed in 2022 known as the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, veterans or other individuals who lived at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina may be eligible to file a claim and receive compensation for certain illnesses.

The Camp Lejeune Justice Act was passed by Congress and signed into law as part of a larger bill known as the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act. Also known as the PACT Act, this bill was designed to provide greater disability benefits and improved health care for veterans who were exposed to toxic chemicals during their time in the military.

Before the Camp Lejeune Justice Act was passed as part of the PACT Act, veterans or other individuals who served at Camp Lejeune were restricted from filing lawsuits over illnesses that they developed as a result of exposure to toxic chemicals from contaminated water at the marine base.

Why are lawsuits involving Camp Lejeune being filed?

In 1982, the U.S. Marine Corps discovered that drinking water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune was contaminated with four toxic chemicals: PCE (perchloroethylene or tetrachloroethylene), TCE (trichloroethylene), vinyl chloride, and benzene.

A subsequent investigation by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) traced the sources of this contamination to improper waste disposal practices by a dry cleaning company located near the Marine Base, leaking underground storage tanks, spills from nearby industrial area, and contamination from waste disposal sites. These sources resulted in the contamination of two of the eight water treatment plants used at Camp Lejeune.

Although most of the contaminated wells were shut down by 1985, Marines who were stationed at Camp Lejeune, their family members, and other individuals who worked at the Marine Base continued to be exposed to toxic chemicals until 1987.

What illnesses have been linked to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune?

Exposure to the toxic chemicals found in the drinking water at Marine Base Camp Lejeune has been linked to a number of serious illnesses, including kidney cancer, liver cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, several types of leukemia, and bladder cancer.

Individuals who were stationed, lived, or worked at Camp Lejeune may also be at risk of developing multiple myeloma, Parkinson’s disease, kidney disease or renal disease, systemic sclerosis, and systemic scleroderma.

Children who were born to individuals who were stationed or worked at Camp Lejeune may also face an increased risk of being born with cardiac birth defects.

Who is eligible to file a claim?

Under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022, individuals or family members whose loved ones meet the following three criteria may qualify to file a lawsuit:

• Stationed, lived, or worked at Camp Lejeune between August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987
• At Camp Lejeune for at least 30 days (consecutively or non-consecutively)
• Diagnosed with one of the above illnesses linked to toxic water at Camp Lejeune

In addition to veterans who served at the Marine Base, the Camp Lejeune Justice Act allows family members or other representative of veterans and workers exposed to toxic water at Camp Lejeune to file a lawsuit on behalf of their loved one. In most cases, such lawsuits will involve family members who have passed away following their military service. However, the Camp Lejeune Justice Act does not require a loved one’s death to have been directly caused by exposure to toxic chemicals at the Marine Base to qualify to file a lawsuit.

Family members who lived at Camp Lejeune while their loved one was stationed there, or individuals who worked at the Marine Base as non-military personnel may also qualify to file a Camp Lejeune lawsuit if they were diagnosed with one of the illnesses associated with toxic chemicals in the Base’s drinking water.

Do I qualify to file a Camp Lejeune lawsuit?

Veterans or other individuals who lived or worked at Camp Lejeune and were diagnosed with illnesses linked to toxic chemical exposure will need to establish a connection between their illness and the Camp’s contaminated water in order to prove their lawsuit in court. In most cases, this will require the testimony of an expert medical witness who can testify before the court that the individuals illness is linked to the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.

A law firm that is experienced in handling toxic chemicals litigation can help you to determine whether your illness may have been caused by exposure to toxic chemicals at Camp Lejeune, determine whether you meet the criteria to file a lawsuit, help you to gather the evidence necessary to prove your case in court, and guide you and your family through the steps that are involved in taking legal action.