On August 10, 2022 President Biden signed the bipartisan Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act. The PACT Act is the most significant expansion of benefits and services for toxic exposed veterans in more than 30 years. The Camp Lejeune Justice Act is included in the PACT Act signed yesterday. President Biden believes that our nation has a sacred obligation to properly prepare and equip the troops we send into harm’s way – and to care for them and their families when they return home. Sometimes military service can result in increased health risks for our veterans, and some injuries and illnesses like asthma, cancer, and others can take years to manifest.
What is the Camp Lejeune Justice Act?
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act allows veterans and their family members who lived at Camp Lejeune, and men and women who worked at Camp Lejeune, who used and were exposed to contaminated water at the North Carolina Marine Corps Base to file lawsuits to recover damages for toxic exposure. This use includes drinking, bathing, cooking and/or otherwise coming in to contact with the contaminated water between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987, for 30 days or more.
Those impacted by the water contamination at Camp Lejeune will be able to file lawsuits to recover compensation for injuries and medical expenses. The PACT Act sets out an administration process that must be completed before a lawsuit can be filed. All lawsuits will be filed in federal court in North Carolina.
The Facts About the Water Contamination
Water contamination at the US Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina was widespread. Multiple chemicals, including tetrachloroethylene, methylene chloride, trichloroethylene, vinyl chloride, and benzene permeated the water at Camp Lejeune. Residents and workers drank, bathed in, and cooked with this contaminated water. The government withheld the truth about the danger of the contaminants from those who lived and worked there. It is believed that 1,000,000 people were exposed to these toxic chemicals in the water supply at the base. This means that 1,000,000 people have experienced severe health issues such as Parkinson’s Disease, cancer, Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, birth defects, miscarriages, and many more severe medical issues due to the contaminated water poisoning.
Medical Claims Suffered by Veterans, Family, and Workers
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act now allows veterans, their family members, and civilian workers at Camp Lejeune to file lawsuits and recover compensation for those who have been diagnosed with:
| Aplastic Anemia & other myelodysplastic syndromes | Lung Cancer |
| Breast Cancer | Miscarriage |
| Cardiac Birth Defects | Multiple Myeloma |
| Esophageal Cancer | Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma |
| Fatty Liver Disease (Hepatic steatosis) | Parkinson’s Disease |
| Kidney Cancer | Renal Toxicity |
| Leukemia | Scleroderma |
| Liver Cancer |
* Other illnesses may soon be added to this list as studies confirm that additional illnesses are related to the contaminated water.
Prior to this Act being signed by President Biden, those who consumed, bathed in, and cooked with the contaminated water were not allowed to sue for related illness and injuries based on the argument by the government that too much time had passed. Nearly 40 years after the last incident of contamination, this Act eliminates that argument and victims can now file a lawsuit to recover compensation for their injuries.
Call Us for Help Filing Your Claim
If you or a family member were exposed to the toxic water contamination at Camp Lejeune for at least 30 days between August 1, 1953 through December 31, 1987, you may be entitled to file a lawsuit for compensation. Our Lejeune Contamination Lawyers are ready to help you navigate the administrative and legal process in order to file your claim to recover compensation for you injuries.
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