More than 5,000 People Have Pursued Legal Claims After President Biden Signed The Camp Lejeune Justice Act
WASHINGTON D.C., VIRGINIA (September 13, 2022) – Over 5,000 people have pursued water contamination claims after the passage of the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, according to Consumer Notice.
This news comes roughly a month after President Biden signed the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, which is part of the broader Honoring our Pact Act of 2022.
The claims have been filed with the Navy’s Judge Advocate General’s Corps. Filing a lawsuit is the first step that a person will need to take if they or someone that they love has been injured by the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
An attorney can file a claim on your behalf and work to get you the compensation that you are entitled to under the law. It has been estimated that as many as 1,000,000 people were exposed to the contaminated water at the Marine Corps base in North Carolina between 1953 and 1987.
Industrial chemicals from a dry cleaning service seeped into the water supply system at the Camp Lejeune base. Improperly disposed of waste disposal chemicals also got into the base’s water system.
Soldiers, their families and those working at the base were becoming seriously ill and dying for many decades before they even realized the water was polluted. To make matters worse, an obscure statute of repose law in North Carolina prevented people from being able to file claims.
On top of this, federal statutes typically bar soldiers from suing the government. The Camp Lejeune Justice Act fixes many of these procedural hurdles.
If you lived, worked or stayed at Camp Lejeune for at least one month from August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987, you may be able to file a claim for damages.
How Can I Know If My Illness Is Related To The Water At Camp Lejeune?
There are a number of illnesses associated with exposure to trichloroethylene (TCE), tetrachloroethylene (PCE), vinyl chloride (VC) and benzene – which were found in the water at Camp Lejeune. What follows below are some of the presumptive conditions associated with exposure to the contaminated water at the base.
- Adult leukemia
- Aplastic anemia and other myelodysplastic syndromes
- Bladder cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Liver cancer
- Multiple myeloma
- Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
- Parkinson’s disease
There are a number of symptoms commonly associated with the illnesses that people have suffered after staying at Camp Lejeune.
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Night sweats
- Loss of appetite
- Cough or respiratory problems
- Muscle stiffness
- Abdominal pain
If you’ve stayed at Camp Lejeune anytime from August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987 and you are having health problems, the best thing you can do is to consult with your doctor. He or she may need to run tests to determine what illness you may have.
How Do I Know If I Am Eligible To Pursue A Camp Lejeune Claim?
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act covers all people who lived, stayed or worked at the base. You do not need to have worked for the military to pursue a claim. The law covers all people who stayed at the base including family members of veterans, contractors and guests. You will, however, need to show that you stayed at the base for a least 30 days from August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987. This can be done through work records and rental agreements. You may even be able to file a claim if a loved one died from an illness that they suffered from staying at the base.
Getting Help After Staying At Camp Lejeune
Have you or someone that you care about been harmed after staying at the Camp Lejeune Marine Corps base in North Carolina. You may have legal recourse. The passage of the Camp Lejeune Justice Act has allowed victims of this awful water contamination to finally have their day in court. But this opportunity will not last forever.
Our team of experienced Camp Lejeune attorneys at Gersowitz Libo & Korek, P.C. are here to help in any way that we can. We are representing nearly 200 plaintiffs who were injured by the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. We can examine all of the unique facts of your case free of cost and let you know if you have a claim that can be pursued. Our attorneys work entirely off of a contingency fee basis and only get paid if they are able to successfully resolve your case. You can reach out to us anytime at (516) 908-9792.
