The Law Offices of Niemeyer, Grebel and Kruse are currently evaluating claims for injuries related to exposure to toxic water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune.
MCB Camp Lejeune was found to have had contaminated drinking water between the years 1953 and 1987. In that time, an estimated one million service members, workers and their families were exposed to toxic water in both the base housing and training areas.
Scientific and medical evidence shows that exposure to contaminated water at MCB Camp Lejeune has been linked with multiple cancers and other serious conditions, including Parkinson’s Disease and Leukemia.
If you were exposed to contaminated water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and developed serious health conditions as a result, you may be entitled to financial compensation. The Camp Lejeune Justice Act, as part of the 2022 Honoring our PACT Act, was just signed in August 2022, and it allows Marine Corps veterans, family members, civilian contractors and other Camp Lejeune residents to seek financial compensation from the federal government.
If you or someone you love was injured as a result of exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, contact the Camp Lejeune lawyers at NGK Law today to discuss your case for free – 314-241-1919.
Veterans and their families who were exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune and suffered serious medical conditions as a consequence are already eligible to receive disability and health care benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
While disability benefits and out-of-pocket reimbursements can help, they still don’t come close to making you whole.
On August 10 last year, President Biden signed the bipartisan SFC Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act, also known as the “Honoring our PACT Act.” The Honoring our PACT Act represents the most significant expansion of benefits available to veterans exposed to toxic substances in decades, and in addition to service members exposed to toxic chemicals at waste disposal sites, it also allows victims of Camp Lejeune water contamination to seek financial compensation.
The legislation began as the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, originally proposed in 2021, but was rolled into the PACT Act this past summer. It will allow anyone who lived or worked at Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987 for at least 30 days to file a toxic water lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Eastern North Carolina. There is a two-year window where victims will be eligible to sue.
Thanks to this new law, those who suffered from contaminated water at Camp Lejeune will be able to file a claim for a settlement payout or jury award for their injuries.
No matter where you currently live — be it Texas, California, Missouri or North Carolina — you are eligible to file a claim. Even if you are already collecting VA benefits, you will be eligible to join this emerging litigation.
The official date of enactment for the Camp Lejeune Justice Act is August 10, 2022. This means that you have until August 10, 2024 to file a Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuit.
If you or a loved one were exposed to the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune and have developed a health condition as a result, you may be eligible to file a lawsuit under the new Camp Lejeune Justice Act.
The first step is to contact experienced Camp Lejeune attorneys to discuss your legal options. Camp Lejeune attorneys can help you determine if you are eligible to file a lawsuit and will guide you through every step of the process.
The Camp Lejeune water contamination lawyers at NGK Law have years of experience representing class action victims and their families in lawsuits. We have a proven track record of success in these cases and we are here to fight for the compensation you deserve.
Our Camp Lejeune lawyers are currently evaluating claims from those who fit the following two criteria:
It’s unknown currently what typical Camp Lejeune settlements will look like. This will largely depend on the number of plaintiffs who come forward and file lawsuits.
What is known is that the total amount of Camp Lejeune settlement payouts is estimated to be around $6.7 billion. This represents around 1 percent of the total cost of the PACT Act, but it could provide significant relief for victims of Camp Lejeune water contamination.
Those who were affected by the water contamination at Camp Lejeune will be able to seek compensation for their injuries, including medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering and more.
As we know, mass tort class action lawsuits typically take a long time to work their way through the courts and reach a settlement.
It’s obviously impossible to say exactly what will happen in this case, especially given the unprecedented number of people who were affected by Camp Lejeune water contamination. However, we can provide some background below on how the process should play out.
Before a Camp Lejeune lawsuit can be filed in court under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, the plaintiff must first file an administrative claim with the Navy. The Judge Advocate General (JAG) of the Navy’s Torts Claims Unit has a strict six-month deadline to either accept or deny the claim, after which point the claimant can file a lawsuit in civil court.
It’s hard to say how things will move in this case, but given the obvious nature of some claimants’ injuries, it’s entirely possible that the JAG will move to quickly settle any cases where the claimant can show they:
With this being the case, it’s possible that certain cases could take longer to settle.
At this point, it’s important to emphasize that this is speculation and we won’t know exactly how things will proceed until Camp Lejeune lawsuits start to work their way through the legal system.
The Camp Lejeune Families Act was passed by Congress in 2012 and provides medical care to veterans, their family members and civilian employees who were exposed to contaminated drinking water at the camp. The act also covers dependents of active duty service members who lived or worked on the camp from 1957 to 1987.
The coverage includes diagnosis, monitoring, laboratory tests, medication and medical treatments related to conditions that have been linked to the camp’s water contamination. Examples of these conditions include adult leukemia, aplastic anemia, bladder cancer, kidney cancer and other diseases.
The act also provides coverage for surviving family members of veterans who passed away due to illnesses caused by their exposure to the camp’s water contamination.
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 expands on the existing camp Lejeune Families Act by providing compensation and other forms of legal relief to Camp Lejeune victims and their families. The act also lifts the statute of repose, allowing victims to file claims against Camp Lejeune for damages arising from exposure to contaminated water.
Under the 2012 Act, service members can receive disability benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs if they prove they were stationed at Camp Lejeune between August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987 for a minimum of 30 days, and they developed one of the conditions listed below.
These are referred to as “presumptive conditions,” meaning that if you have one of these conditions and can show that you were stationed at Camp Lejeune during the required time period, the VA must grant your claim.
In order to receive benefits, you must have a diagnosis from a doctor and submit your medical records to the VA. The VA will then review your records and make a determination on your eligibility for benefits.
If you are found to be eligible, you will receive a monthly disability benefit as well as coverage for any related medical expenses. You may also be eligible for other benefits, such as vocational rehabilitation or job training.
Under the Honoring America’s Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act on 2012, veterans and their family members can also receive free healthcare for an additional 15 presumptive conditions.
The following conditions are not eligible for VA disability benefits. However, veterans are encouraged to apply for claims if they are suffering from any of the following conditions:
Family members of veterans who have any of the above conditions and have had to pay out-of-pocket costs for medical care (such as co-pays or deductibles) may also be eligible for reimbursement by the VA.
Qualifying family members include the veteran’s spouse and/or dependents, including infants born to pregnant women during this period. Family members simply need to certify that they were present at MCB Camp Lejeune for more than 30 days during the affected dates.
Camp Lejeune is a military base located in Jacksonville, North Carolina. The base was opened in 1941 and was used as a training camp for Marines during World War II. In the years following the war, Camp Lejeune continued to be used as a training camp and also as a base for Marine Corps personnel.
In the early 1980s, it was discovered that Camp Lejeune’s water supply was contaminated with toxic chemicals. Between 1953 and 1987, an estimated one million service members, workers and their families were exposed to the contaminated water.
The primary sources of the contamination were found to be on-base water treatment plants (the Tarawa Terrace Treatment Plant and Hadnot Point treatment facilities) as well as an off-base dry cleaning company. The drinking water at Camp Lejeune was tainted with a dry cleaning solvent and degreaser from the treatment plants, which included a host of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Volatile organic compounds are a large group of chemicals that are found in many everyday products, such as paints, paint thinners, pesticides, herbicides and degreasers. VOCs are toxic and are known to cause health problems when they are breathed in or ingested, such as headaches, nausea, dizziness and skin irritations.
There were more than 70 toxic chemicals found in the Camp Lejeune water supply, including:
Benzene is a known human carcinogen, and exposure has been linked to an increased risk of developing leukemia.
Toluene is a solvent and is used in many household products, such as paint thinners, glues and cleaning products. Exposure to toluene has been linked to an increased risk of developing cancer of the lung, breast, stomach and rectum.
Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a degreaser and is used in many industries, such as the automotive and metal finishing industries. Exposure to TCE has been linked to an increased risk of developing kidney cancer, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and liver cancer.
Perchloroethylene (PCE) is a dry cleaning solvent. Exposure to PCE has been linked to an increased risk of developing kidney cancer and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Vinyl chloride is an industrial chemical used in the production of PVC plastic. Exposure to vinyl chloride has been linked to an increased risk of developing liver cancer.
The water at Camp Lejeune is safe to drink today. The Department of the Navy has implemented a number of treatment and monitoring programs to ensure the safety of the water supply.
In 1989, Camp Lejeune and ABC One Hour Cleaners, the nearby dry cleaning company responsible for the water contamination, were designated as Superfund sites. The Superfund program is a federal program that was established in 1980 to clean up the country’s most hazardous waste sites.
Since the early 1990s, there have been a number of Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuits filed by veterans and their families who were exposed to the toxic water at Camp Lejeune.
The first class action lawsuit was filed in 1993 by a group of veterans and their families. The lawsuit alleged that Camp Lejeune was responsible for the exposure to toxic chemicals and that the base had knowingly exposed its personnel to the contaminated water.
Litigation continued for the next decade until, in 2016, 800 Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuits were consolidated as a class action lawsuit in North Carolina. These claims were eventually dismissed under North Carolina’s 10-year statute of repose. A statute of repose limits the amount of time that a person has to file a lawsuit after an injury has occurred.
By 2018, appeals of the Camp Lejeune class action dismissal were exhausted, leaving plaintiffs with no legal route forward. That changed in 2021, when what would eventually become the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 was introduced in Congress. The act lifts the effect of the statute of repose and allows Camp Lejeune victims to seek compensation.
The language of the Camp Lejeune Justice Act was included in the 2022 PACT Act, which was debated and passed this summer.
As we mentioned above, an estimated one million service members, family members, civilian contractors and more were exposed to contaminated water at MCB Camp Lejeune and thousands are expected to file lawsuits.
However, there is a short window to see compensation. If you or a loved one were stationed at Camp Lejeune between 1957 and 1987 and have been diagnosed with cancer, you may be eligible for compensation if you file a claim between now and August 10, 2024. The first step is to speak with a Camp Lejeune water contamination lawyer to discuss your legal options.
At NGK Law, we understand the unique challenges that these cases present and we are here to help you get the compensation you deserve.
If you or a loved one were stationed at Camp Lejeune and developed cancer or another serious health condition, you may be eligible to file a Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuit. The next step is to speak with a skilled Camp Lejeune lawyer.
The lawyers at NGK Law are here to help. We have a strong track record of success in mass tort class action lawsuits in federal court. Among our case results, we can count a $1.8 billion settlement in the YAZ birth control case and a $650 million settlement in the national lawsuit around Pradaxa blood thinners.
With two of the 2022 list of Best Lawyers as well as a Top 50 and Top 100 lawyer in the area of plaintiff’s personal injury by Super Lawyers Magazine, our team wins.
We offer free, no-risk consultations to Camp Lejeune victims and their families. To learn more about your legal rights and options, contact us today – 314-241-1919.
Our attorneys have handled thousands of cases and can bring that experience to bear throughout your case.
We have successfully recovered over $700 million for our clients.
Sodales imperdiet ut porttitor conubia tristique ac mus suscipit vel, rutrum blandit quam proin erat platea per arcu magna, massa bibendum tincidunt nam tellus vestibulum justo class.
Our team is available 24/7 to address your concerns and provide support.
Trust us to get you through the frustrating process of seeking compensation with empathy, respect, and dedication.
We and selected third parties use cookies or similar technologies for technical purposes and, with your consent, for other purposes. You can consent to the use of such technologies by using the “Accept” button, by closing this notice, by scrolling this page, by interacting with any link or button outside of this notice or by continuing to browse otherwise.