Former service members, their families, and others who have been ill and spent at least 30 days at the Camp Lejeune Marine Corps base in North Carolina between 1953 and 1987 may be eligible to claim compensation under a new federal law.
The Joye Law Firm is representing South Carolina residents who have claims due to serious illnesses related to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. Joye Law Firm is working with the Bluestein Attorneys, another well-established South Carolina law firm, and Parker Waichman, a national law firm that has been working on these cases since 2009. Our firms have helped South Carolinians for decades.
Most of the ads you see on TV for Camp Lejeune toxic water lawsuits are run by middlemen companies, known as “leads” companies. They gather claim information and then sell it to law firms across the country. Your case could end up being handled by an attorney in Chicago or New York City far from where you live.
Our attorneys will treat you with respect and compassion as a valued client. One of our lawyers served as a Marine at Camp Lejeune. If you have a potential Camp Lejeune claim and wish to work with lawyers with deep roots in South Carolina, contact us today.
There is a deadline for making Camp Lejeune water contamination claims. Call us now at 888-324-3100 for an explanation of your rights. An initial case screening is free. Neither Joye Law Firm nor our partner firms will charge you one dime unless we recover compensation for you. There is no financial risk to pursuing a claim.
Recent Updates to Camp Lejeune Justice Act Claims
October 2024, Client Update
September 2023, Elective Option Explained
Who Is Eligible to Submit a Claim for Camp Lejeune Water Contamination?
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act (CLJA) of 2022 is part of the Honoring Our PACT Act. It was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Biden on August 10, 2022. The new federal law makes compensation available to individuals who lived or worked at Camp Lejeune for at least 30 days between August 1953 and December 31, 1987, and have suffered cancers, birth injuries, miscarriages, or other serious conditions. Many serious health issues that develop later in life may be linked to hazardous chemicals in the drinking water at Camp Lejeune.
Compensation is not limited to service members. The law says anyone who “resided, worked, or was otherwise exposed (including in utero exposure)” is eligible for compensation. This compensation is separate from Veterans Administration disability benefits for toxic exposure.
Potential claimants under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act (CLJA) of 2022 include:
- Marines formerly stationed at Camp Lejeune
- Service members formerly stationed at nearby Marine Corps Air Station New River and MCAS Cherry Point who also worked at Camp Lejeune
- National Guardsmen who trained at Camp Lejeune
- Army Reservists who trained at Camp Lejeune
- Family members of Marines or other service members, including children born with birth injuries
- Civilians employed at Camp Lejeune schools, the hospital, and Marine Corps exchanges (MCXs)
- Civilian contractors who worked on the base
- Survivors of deceased individuals with exposure, including women who suffered miscarriages and parents of babies stillborn or born with birth injuries
- Individuals who were exposed in utero because their mothers lived or worked at Camp Lejeune during pregnancy
Toxins found in the drinking water at Camp Lejeune were dispersed in water supplied by the Tarawa Terrace and Hadnot Point water treatment plants. Hadnot Point was the original water distribution system, serving the entire base beginning in the early 1940s. The Tarawa Terrace Water Treatment Plant began supplying water to the base in 1952–1953.
These plants served:
- Family housing for enlisted service members
- Barracks for unmarried service personnel
- Base administrative offices
- Schools
- The base hospital
- Recreational areas on base
The Hadnot Point Water Treatment Plant also supplied water to housing on the Holcomb Boulevard water system full-time until 1972 and periodically until 1987. The Holcomb Boulevard Water Treatment Plant began full-time service in 1972.
What Toxic Chemicals Were Found in Camp Lejeune Water?
Multiple studies have been conducted on the contaminated groundwater that got into the drinking water supply at Camp Lejeune.
The National Research Council Committee on Contaminated Drinking Water at Camp Lejeune said in 2009 that toxic chemicals in the groundwater on the Marine base included:
- Perchloroethylene (PCE), a manufactured chemical used for dry cleaning and metal degreasing
- Trichloroethylene (TCE), a solvent used to clean metal parts, such as weapons and heavy equipment
- Vinyl chloride, which forms PCE and TCE breaks down
- Benzene, which is used to make other chemicals that compose plastics, resins, nylon, and synthetic fibers
- Toluene, a common ingredient in degreasers
What Are The Illnesses Associated With Camp Lejeune Water Contamination?
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has determined that exposure to the toxic chemicals detected in drinking water at Camp Lejeune could cause:
- Adult Leukemia
- Bladder Cancer
- Breast Cancer
- Cervical Cancer
- Esophageal Cancer
- Kidney Cancer
- Liver Cancer
- Lung Cancer
- Ovarian Cancer
- Stomach Cancer
- Aplastic Anemia and other bone marrow conditions
- Multiple Myeloma and other Myelodysplastic syndromes
- Neurobehavioral effects
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Renal Toxicity
- Miscarriage
- Birth defects and birth injuries, including oral cleft defects (including cleft lip), major malformations, and fetal death.
If you were on base at Camp Lejeune at any point between the summer of 1953 and the end of 1987 and you have developed any serious illness with unexplained cause, we urge you to contact Joye Law Firm today for a free case screening.
How To File A Claim For The Camp Lejeune Justice Act
Individuals who have been ill and who lived or worked at Camp Lejeune for at least 30 days between August 1953 and December 1987 may file a claim and seek compensation.
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act requires that injured individuals must submit their claims for administrative adjustment to the Department of the Navy before a lawsuit may be filed.
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act allows the Department of the Navy to review and act on Camp Lejeune water contamination claims. The Navy has six months upon receiving a “completed” claim to offer a settlement or deny the claim. After six months or upon receiving a denial, the injured individual may proceed with a federal lawsuit.
To file a claim, you will need to establish your presence at Camp Lejeune for at least 30 days in the 1953 to 1987 time frame and your illness, a family member’s illness, or the loss of a child. This will require gathering medical records or death certificates, and for service members, military records, such as the DD 214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, which lists the individual’s military duty stations. Civilians may use Social Security or tax records to document employment or residency at Camp Lejeune.
Our attorneys can help you track down these documents as part of preparing your claim. We will engage medical experts who can review your medical records and offer testimony that your health condition was likely caused by exposure to hazardous chemicals in the Camp Lejeune water.
The evidence must be:
- Sufficient to conclude that a causal relationship between exposure and your illness exists
- Sufficient to conclude that a causal relationship is at least as likely as not
The evidence also will need to show the costs of your illness – medical bills, lost income from inability to work, and pain and suffering.
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 establishes a deadline of two years from the enactment of the law to file the administrative claim. This means your claim must be filed by August 10, 2024.
Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Settlement Amounts
The Congressional Budget Office projects spending $6.1 billion between 2022 and 2031 to compensate victims of Camp Lejeune water contamination. Awards and settlements are likely to be paid from the Judgment Fund, a permanent, indefinite appropriation that is available to pay monetary awards against the United States that are judicially or administratively ordered.
Thousands of claims are expected to be filed, but this is not a class action lawsuit. The Camp Lejeune water contamination cases will proceed as individual claims or federal lawsuits and will be evaluated for compensation based on the merits of each individual case. Each person who has suffered harm will have the right to move forward with their individual lawsuit to be heard by a jury.
Our attorneys have experience with the complex rules and procedures of federal court. We have the dedication to see your Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuit through to resolution.
Schedule A Free Case Review With Our Experienced Camp Lejeune Attorneys
If you or a loved one spent time at Camp Lejeune between August 1953 and the end of 1987 and subsequently dealt with a serious health issue, you may be eligible for compensation. If you have questions about a potential Camp Lejeune water claim, we are available to answer your questions.
The experienced attorneys of Joye Law Firm, Bluestein Attorneys, and Parker Waichman are reviewing cases of Camp Lejeune water contamination illness on behalf of South Carolina residents. We intend to work aggressively to seek maximum compensation for our clients.
The personal injury attorneys of Joye Law Firm have been pursuing just compensation for accident and injury victims in South Carolina since 1968. When you need trusted legal guidance, turn to Joye Law Firm as thousands of people in South Carolina have over the years. Call 888-324-3100 or fill out our free online case evaluation form to get started today.
