Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Lawsuits
Have you been diagnosed with a serious disease after living or working at Camp Lejeune many years ago? You may have been exposed to harmful chemicals in the drinking water at Camp Lejeune. Unfortunately, members of the Marine Corps and their family members who were stationed at the military base between the 1950s and 1980s have been found to have higher rates of certain types of cancer, birth defects, and other serious medical conditions due to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. If you or your loved one suffered harm due to exposure to toxic chemicals in the water, you may have a right to seek significant compensation for the harm you suffered.
A piece of bipartisan legislation moving through Congress would allow anyone who resided at Camp Lejeune for at least 30 days between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987, to file a contaminated water lawsuit and pursue significant compensation. Thousands of Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuits are expected to be filed after the legislation is signed into law.
The mass tort attorneys at Hardison & Cochran offer a free case review to anyone who may have been harmed by contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. Hardison & Cochran also is available to discuss working with law firms outside of North Carolina that have water contamination cases, in accordance with North Carolina State Bar rules.
The legislation gives the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina exclusive jurisdiction over Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuits. Hardison & Cochran is an established North Carolina law firm with multiple offices in eastern North Carolina. We have the resources to handle complex mass tort cases and work jointly with other firms.
Call Hardison & Cochran to speak with a Camp Lejeune water contamination lawyer. We offer a free case review to help you understand what type of legal action is appropriate in your particular situation.
Camp Lejeune’s Contaminated Water
The contamination in the water supply at Camp Lejeune began in the early 1950s. In 1982, the Marine Corps found toxic chemicals in the drinking water at Camp Lejeune. The chemicals are associated with certain cancers and other serious health conditions.
As many as a million service members and civilian staff and their families may have been exposed to the contaminated drinking water, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, a federal agency, estimates.
The main contaminant found at the Tarawa Terrace Treatment Plant at Camp Lejeune was perchloroethylene (PCE), a chemical used in dry cleaning fluids. The source of the contamination was an off-base dry cleaner.
The main contaminant at the Hadnot Point Treatment Plant was Trichloroethylene, a chemical used in dry cleaning and in cleaning metal parts of machinery and weapons. There were multiple sources of contamination from leaking underground storage tanks.
The most contaminated water supply wells were closed in 1987.
Research has found that people exposed to the toxic chemicals at Camp Lejeune have elevated rates of mortality related to certain cancers and other serious diseases.
Camp Lejeune Justice Act
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 is part of the Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics ACT OF 2022, which President Biden is expected to sign immediately once the Senate and House reconcile differences in the versions of the bill passed by each chamber.
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act gives those harmed by the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune a legal right to file lawsuits against the federal government seeking compensation for the harm they suffered.
Who Will Be Entitled to File a Contaminated Water Lawsuit and Seek Compensation?
Members of the Marine Corps and other branches of the armed services, their families including children in the womb at Camp Lejeune between August. 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987, will be eligible to file a claim for compensation, once the legislation becomes law.
Pregnant women who were exposed to contaminated drinking water and who had miscarriages or babies born with birth defects also may be entitled to seek compensation.
Individuals born to women who were exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune while pregnant also may be eligible to seek compensation for health issues linked to the exposure, under the legislation.
Our attorneys at Hardison & Cochran believe that reasonable settlements may soon be available to those harmed by toxic chemicals in the drinking water at Camp Lejeune. Our legal team is ready to help you evaluate whether you are eligible to pursue a Camp Lejeune contaminated water lawsuit and settlement.
How Much Time Is Allowed to File Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Lawsuits?
As currently written, the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 allows two years to file a contaminated water lawsuit, once it becomes law. That makes it important to speak with a knowledgeable attorney as soon as possible to start investigating your case.
To submit a claim, our attorneys will need to obtain your military service records showing that you served on active duty or as a member of the National Guard or Reserves at Camp Lejeune from August 1953 to December 1987. We will need to prove that you were present at Camp Lejeune for at least 30 days during the time period.
We also will need to gather medical records to document your diagnosis of cancer or another serious health condition linked to contaminated water.
Previously, the Obama Administration made VA disability benefits available to those who had been diagnosed with one or more of the medical conditions presumed to be linked to toxic water exposure at Camp Lejeune.
The presumptive conditions are:
- Adult leukemia
- Aplastic anemia and other myelodysplastic syndromes
- Bladder cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Liver cancer
- Multiple myeloma
- Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
- Parkinson’s disease
The legislation would allow those who have been harmed to sue and seek to recover compensation.
In addition to those listed above, other medical conditions that may be grounds for a Camp Lejeune water contamination claim include female infertility, miscarriage, cancers of the cervix, esophagus, breast, lung, prostate, rectum, and soft tissue.
We can help you understand the appropriate steps to take to seek compensation, whether it is VA disability benefits or a Camp Lejeune contaminated water settlement. You may be eligible for both in some cases.
Contact an NC Camp Lejeune Water Lawsuit Attorney
If you reside in North Carolina and believe that you may be entitled to pursue a Camp Lejeune water contamination claim, the quickest way to understand your legal options is to talk to a knowledgeable lawyer at Hardison & Cochran in Raleigh. We can review the details of the harm you have suffered and evaluate whether you are eligible to pursue a Camp Lejeune toxic water lawsuit. You will not be expected to pay any legal fee until we obtain compensation for you through an out-of-court settlement or jury award.
Hardison & Cochran is an established North Carolina personal injury firm with offices in Raleigh, Durham, Fayetteville, Dunn, Greensboro, Southern Pines, and Wilmington. Hardison & Cochran works with other law firms across the nation in representing clients in mass tort cases and class action cases. Our Camp Lejeune water lawsuit attorneys have the resources to pursue these complex cases.