Camp Lejeune Justice Act Water Claims

The president has signed monumental Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act into law. Importantly, within the Act is the bipartisan Camp Lejeune Justice Act, which allows those who used contaminated water at the Marine Corps Base in North Carolina to file a lawsuit to recover damages. If you are a veteran, family member of a veteran, nonmilitary staff, or contractor who was exposed to the contaminated water at the Marine Corps Base, you may be entitled to benefits, along with damages. You should discuss a potential claim under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act with the experienced Syracuse toxic tort lawyers of DeFrancisco & Falgiatano Personal Injury Attorneys.

Under the Act, you are eligible for Department of Veterans Affairs medical care, counseling and other mental health services if you: (1) were deployed in support of a specific contingency operation, participated in a toxic exposure risk activity, or served in particular locations. However, the Camp Lejeune Justice Act within the bill allows you to sue for damages if you were exposed to the contaminated water at the North Carolina Marine Corps Base between August 1, 1953 – December 31, 1987, for at least 30 days.

Camp Lejeune is located on the coast and has been a place where millions of Marines and their families have stayed. More than one million people were exposed to the contaminated water. Back in 2007, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry released a report indicating that up to 950,000 may have been exposed to carcinogens in the Camp Lejeune water supply from 1953-1987. Numerous volatile organic compounds were found in the water at the base during that period. These included trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, benzene, and vinyl chloride in water that was used for drinking, bathing, and cooking. Even after contamination was discovered, the risks weren’t mitigated, and in some cases, the information was concealed from people who suffered harm.

Many people suffered harm as a result of ingesting or otherwise being exposed to the contaminated water. Harms suffered included Parkinson’s, cancer, miscarriage, and birth defects. You may be eligible if you’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer, bladder, cancer, female infertility, kidney cancer, leukemia, lung cancer, multiple myeloma, neurobehavioral effects, renal toxicity, myelodysplastic syndrome, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and scleroderma.

Under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, you can take legal action against the military as a veteran or other exposed to contaminated water. Before the bill was passed, those harmed by the contaminated water were not allowed to sue on the grounds that too much time had passed since the exposure.

People who were impacted could recover compensation for physical injuries, medical bills, and wrongful death. You need not have been on active duty to recover benefits under the law. However, to secure benefits on your behalf, our lawyers would need to complete an administrative process. The VA has agreed to pay more than $2 billion in disability benefits to veterans and families harmed by water contamination. Claims must be filed in the United States

The Act prevents the government from claiming sovereign immunity. It supersedes a North Carolina statute of repose that prevents filing tort claims after 10 years. Awards of damages will be offset by the amount of a disability award, benefits or payment received by a claimant from the VA, Medicaid, or Medicare in connection with disabilities arising out of exposure to contaminated water.

As a Camp Lejeune veteran, family member or civilian, you have legal options. If you were injured or a loved one died due to contaminated water at the Marine Base, you should talk with our seasoned Syracuse toxic tort lawyers. DeFrancisco & Falgiatano Personal Injury Attorneys has more than 30 years of experience seeking best results for people in Albany, Oneida, Canandaigua, Lowville, Auburn, Buffalo, Utica, Rochester, Wampsville, Watertown, Herkimer, Oswego, Lyons, Ithaca, Cooperstown, Elmira, Binghamton, and all of Upstate New York. For a free consultation, complete our online form or call us at 833-200-2000.