Latest Updates on Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Lawsuit 2024

Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuits were pursued after legislation was passed by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Biden. The law included the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022, which allowed Marine veterans and family members to pursue financial compensation and settlements for injuries caused by exposure to toxic water at the military base.

Update March 5, 2024 – In a joint status report issued late last month, the Torts Branch announced that it has successfully verified only 48 of the more than 170,000 administrative claims filed with the U.S. Navy. In the report, the Torts Branch indicates 17 of the claims have accepted settlement offers, amounting to approximately $4.1 million in Camp Lejeune settlements payouts.

Update February 27, 2024 – On February 26, the judges managing the Camp Lejeune lawsuits released a case management order (PDF), instructing the involved parties to submit a discovery plan for preparing Track 2 bellwether trials. The order specifies that the Discovery Pool for Track 2 will include plaintiffs with Camp Lejeune water claims over prostate cancer, kidney disease, lung cancer, liver cancer, and breast cancer.

Update February 2, 2024 – The CDC released the findings of its latest Camp Lejeune Cancer Incidence Study, revealing veterans, civilian workers, family members and individuals exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune face a 20% to 63% increased risk of developing multiple blood and organ cancers, including leukemia and lymphoma, as well as for cancers of the lung, breast, larynx, esophagus, thyroid, and soft tissues.

Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Lawsuit Criteria

Our lawyers at Saiontz & Kirk, P.A. previously investigated lawsuits for veterans and family members who lived or worked at Camp Lejeune or MCAS New River for at least thirty (30) cumulative days between August 1953 and December 1987 and were diagnosed with any of the following injuries:

Was there a Lawsuit for Camp Lejeune water contamination?

On August 3, 2022, the U.S. Congress passed the “Honoring our PACT” Act which allowed veterans and their families to file lawsuits over Camp Lejeune water injuries.

The law included the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 (CJLA), which removed the government’s statute of limitations and qualified immunity defenses for claims brought by individuals who suffered an injury from Camp Lejeune water contamination.

President Biden is signed the Camp Lejeune water contamination law in August 2022, clearing the way for Camp Lejeune water lawsuits to be filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina (E.D.N.C.) until August 2024, regardless of whether they previously would have been barred because of how long ago the injury occurred.

Camp Lejeune Elective Settlement Option

In early September 2023, a Camp Lejeune Settlement Option was introduced to offer financial compensations ranging from $100,000 to $550,000 to victims suffering from specific health issues due to the base’s contaminated drinking water. The health conditions eligible for the elective compensation awards included:

• Bladder Cancer
• Kidney Cancer
• Kidney Disease
• Leukemia
• Liver Cancer
• Multiple Myeloma
• Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
• Parkinson’s Disease
• Systemic Sclerosis/Scleroderma

These conditions are recognized by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry as possibly connected to the contamination at Camp Lejeune.

Camp Lejeune Elective Settlement Option Amounts

The elective settlement divided eligible conditions into two tiers based on the strength of evidence linking them to the contamination:

For Camp Lejeune Tier 1 qualifying injuries individuals diagnosed with kidney cancer, liver cancer, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and bladder cancer could receive;

• $150,000 if they lived or worked on the base between 30 days and a year
• $300,000 for one to five years of exposure.
• $450,000 if they lived or worked at Camp Lejeune for longer than five years.

Camp Lejeune Tier 2 qualifying injuries for multiple myeloma, Parkinson’s disease, kidney disease and systemic sclerosis could receive;

• $100,000 for a month to a year of exposure.
• $250,000 for one to five years.
• $400,000 for more than five years.

To have qualified, claimants had to submit a valid administrative claim to the Department of the Navy, with the injury diagnosed or treated before August 10, 2022.

Eligibility required a diagnosis at least two years post-exposure but within 35 years of the last exposure, with sufficient medical documentation and proof of residence or employment at Camp Lejeune for at least 30 days between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987.

Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Lawsuits Filed In MDL

The U.S. government’s settlement offers ranging from $100,000 to $500,000 for victims of Camp Lejeune’s toxic water exposure were seen by many as insufficient, with many having claimed they fail to adequately compensate for certain cancers and injuries linked to the water contamination.

In response, affected individuals leveraged the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 to file lawsuits against the government in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. These cases were managed by Judges Richard E. Myers II, Terrence W. Boyle, Louise W. Flanagan, and James C. Dever III.

Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Trials

More than 1,500 Camp Lejeune lawsuits were filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina by the August 2024 deadline, and the court devised two tracks of bellwether trials to help promote an early resolution for common illnesses.

Track 1: In September 2023, one hundred cases involving bladder cancer, kidney cancer, leukemia, Parkinson’s disease, and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma were chosen for initial discovery. These cases are expected to go to trial in late 2024.

Track 2: In February 2024, it was announced that Track 2 cases will be selected for discovery to be prepped for a series of early bellwether trials. These cases will include plaintiffs alleging diseases including prostate cancer, kidney disease, lung cancer, liver cancer, and breast cancer as a result of the contaminated water.

Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022

The Camp Lejeune Justice Act was introduced by former marine and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, along with U.S. Senators Thom Tillis and Richard Burr of North Carolina.

Before the passage of the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022, veterans injured by contaminated water were unable to successfully pursue lawsuits due to a restrictive statute of limitations in the state of North Carolina and qualified immunity defenses:

A 2016 ruling from the U.S. District Court in Georgia dismissed all claims brought over Camp LeJeune water injuries based on the Feres Doctrine. The Feres doctrine prevents military service members from suing the government for any injuries that occurred during their service.

This ruling effectively removed any legal recourse the victims had to file a lawsuit since the exposure to the contaminated water happened to active duty service members on a military base, and claims for family members were barred by the North Carolina statute of repose.

The North Carolina statute of repose prevents anyone from filing a lawsuit more than 10 years after the cause of the injury.

Many of the victims at Camp Lejeune were exposed anywhere from 40-70 years ago, making it nearly impossible to file a claim. To make matters even worse, nobody even knew about the water contamination problem until 1982, almost 30 years after veterans and family members were initially exposed. By the time anyone knew about the Camp Lejeune water problems, the 10 year North Carolina statute of repose was already expired on most potential claims.

What happened with the Camp Lejeune water contamination?

Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune is a United States military installation located in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Between 1953 and 1987 the military base Camp Lejeune and nearby Marine Corps Air Station New River suffered from multiple sources of water contamination that were not investigated until 1982.

During that time hundreds of thousands of United States Marine Corps (USMC) personnel and their family members who lived on base housing bathed in, drank and possibly inhaled water that contained toxic chemicals at levels that were between 200x – 300x higher than what is permitted by environmental safety regulations.

In 1982 the military base began testing the water for other chemicals in response to new safety standards that were recently enacted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The report concluded that the water at Camp Lejeune was contaminated with solvents and over 70 other hazardous chemicals.

What contaminants were in the water at Camp Lejeune?

Samples of the Camp Lejeune water supply contained at least four (4) toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including:

1. Trichloroethylene (TCE): Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a chemical used as an industrial degreaser for heavy machinery and as a refrigerant.
2. Tetrachloroethylene (also called perchloroethylene or PCE): Tetrachloroethylene is an industrial chemical used for dry cleaning and as a brake cleaner for vehicles.
3. Vinyl chloride (VC): Vinyl Chloride is a gas used in the manufacturing of plastics including PVC (polyvinyl chloride).
4. Benzene: Benzene is a highly flammable compound that is the main component of petroleum fuels including gasoline and diesel.

Sources of the Water Contamination at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune

The ATSDR (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry) reports there were multiple sources may have caused Camp Lejeune drinking water contamination, including::

• Leakage from underground storage tanks containing fuel and other chemicals
• Contamination from waste disposal sites on base
• Improper disposal of solvents from nearby dry-cleaning company
• Leakage of chemicals used for degreasing on-base machinery

The report found that toxic chemicals were found in two of the eight water treatment plants at the Marine base:

Map of water contamination at Camp Lejeune

Tarawa Terrace Treatment Plant

The Tarawa Terrace water distribution plant began operation in 1952 and was shut down in March 1987. The plant provided water to the Tarawa Terrace family housing and Knox Trailer park on base.

The ATSDR report found water was contaminated at Tarawa Terrace with the dry cleaning solvent Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) at concentrations that were 43x higher than the current EPA limit. The limit for drinking is 5 ppb and the amount found was 215 ppb.

Hadnot Point Treatment Plant

The Hadnot Point water distribution plant began operation in 1942 and served as the main supply of water to the barracks, Hospital Point family housing as well as the Midway Park and Paradise Point family housing units.

The water modeling report for Hadnot Point treatment plant found the following contaminants in the drinking water:

TCE (trichloroethylene) was the primary toxic chemical found at concentrations that were 280x higher than the acceptable EPA limits. The limit for drinking water is 5 ppb and the amount found was 1,400 ppb.

Other contaminants found at the Hadnot Point distribution plant included:

• benzene
• vinyl chloride
• trichloroethylene
• DCE (trans-1,2-dichloroethylene)

Holcomb Boulevard Treatment Plant

The Holcomb Boulevard water treatment plant at Camp Lejeune began operating in 1972 and served the family housing units Midway Park, Paradise Point, Berkeley Manor, and Watkins Village. The wells at Holcomb Boulevard were not contaminated, but during the hot summer months water from the Hadnot Point treatment plant was used frequently.

Is Camp Lejeune water still contaminated?

No, All of the contaminated wells were shut down in 1985 due to the health risks associated with the toxic solvents found in the Camp Lejeune water supply.

Which Camp Lejeune housing units were affected by water contamination?

Three (3) water distribution plants (Hadnot Point, Tarawa Terrace, and Holcomb Boulevard) supplied the majority of drinking water to on base family housing at Camp Lejeune.

The following family housing units at Camp Lejeune were affected by toxic water contamination:

• Tarawa Terrace I
• Tarawa Terrace II
• Midway Park
• Berkeley Manor
• Knox Landing
• Watkins Village
• Paradise Point
• Camp Knox Trailer Park
• Camp Johnson
• Camp Geiger
• MCAS New River
• Holcomb Boulevard
• Courthouse Bay
• Hospital Point

Is Camp Geiger part of Camp Lejeune water contamination?

Yes, Camp Geiger is considered part of the Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuit. Veterans or family members who were at Camp Geiger are eligible to file a Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuit if they suffered a qualifying injury.

Camp Geiger is a part of Marine Corp Base Camp Lejeune and is located about 10 miles north of the main camp in Jacksonville, North Carolina. The water system that supplied Camp Geiger was not found to be contaminated, but many were still exposed to contaminated water from other parts of the base.

Is MCAS New River part of Camp Lejeune water contamination?

Yes, MCAS New River is considered part of the Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuit. Veterans or family members who lived or served at MCAS New River between 1953 – 1987 are eligible to file a Camp Lejeune lawsuit if they suffered injuries related to water contamination.

Marine Corp Air Base (MCAS) New River is located 9 miles north of the main base at Camp Lejeune and directly to the west of Camp Geiger.

Studies Link Multiple Health Problems and Cancer to Camp Lejeune Water

Scientific and medical evidence has shown a number of health issues have been attributed to the toxic chemicals in the drinking water at Camp Lejeune and Marine Air Station New River  including:

Cancers linked to the contaminated Camp Lejeune water supply

• Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)
• Brain Cancer
• Breast cancer
• Bladder cancer
• Central Nervous System Cancer
• Cervical cancer
• Colon Cancer/Colorectal Cancer
• Esophageal cancer
• Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
• Kidney cancer
• Liver cancer
• Lung cancer
• Ovarian cancer
• Leukemia
• Multiple myeloma
• Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
• Prostate Cancer
• Rectal Cancer
• Thyroid Cancer

Other diseases associated with Camp Lejeune water contamination

• Birth defects
• Miscarriage
• Female infertility
• Parkinson’s disease
• Renal Toxicity/Kidney Disease
• Kidney Damage
• Hepatic steatosis (fatty liver disease)
• Aplastic anemia
• Scleroderma
• Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
• Epilepsy (seizures)
• Immune Disorders
• Nerve Damage
• Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS or Pre-Leukemia)
• Neurobehavioral effects (tremors, lack of coordination, movement or motor problems or other symptoms consistent with undiagnosed Parkinson’s disease)

What are the symptoms of neurobehavioral effects from Camp Lejeune water?

Symptoms of neurobehavioral effects linked to toxic chemical exposure at Camp Lejeune may include:

• chronic headaches
• lack or loss of coordination
• bouts of extreme confusion
• sensory disturbances
• chronic depression
• impairment of visuomotor coordination

Is Parkinson’s disease related to Camp Lejeune water?

Yes, Parkinson’s disease is one of the neurological diseases linked to the toxic water at Camp Lejeune.

On March 14, 2023, a study was published in the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease, finding that individuals exposed to TCE may be at a 500% increased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. It is estimated that millions of Marines, their families and civilians could be at risk of developing, or have already developed Parkinson’s disease from Camp Lejeune water.

PFAS Water Contamination Lawsuits

The lawyers at Saiontz & Kirk, P.A. are investigating PFAS water contamination lawsuits following recent discoveries that have identified more than 2,800 residential and military sites that are highly contaminated with PFAS chemicals released from firefighting foam run-off and manufacturing plants.

Similar to side effects outlined in firefighting foam lawsuits, individuals claim they have developed cancer and other diseases from years of exposure to toxic PFAS chemicals that leached into the soil and groundwater which contaminated public and private water supplies.

Cases are being pursued by residents who lived in communities surrounding PFAS manufacturers, such as 3M and Dupont, or in areas known to have high levels of PFAS contaminated water, such as military bases, airports and other training locations where toxic firefighting foam was heavily used since the 1960’s.

Camp Lejeune VA Benefit FAQs

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