What Happened at Camp Lejeune?

Veterans throughout the United States deserve respect during and after their service. Unfortunately, there are some instances in which the environment around active-duty marines negatively impacts their well-being. In the case of Camp Lejeune, negligence conducted between the 1950s and 1980s may have forced severe health conditions on base residents.

In 2012 and 2022, the United States acted to allow victims of Camp Lejeune’s alleged negligence to take action in civil court. If you or a loved one endured health conditions related to the contamination of water in this area during the aforementioned time period, you can file a personal injury claim. John Foy’s water contamination attorneys can help.

The Camp Lejeune Story We Know

The parties that maintained Camp Lejeune between the 1950s and 1980s had an obligation to protect the health and well-being of those residents under their care. In recent years, however, it came to light that the water table and standing water surrounding Camp Lejeune endured severe contamination.

Residents of Camp Lejeune endured long-term exposure to toxic chemicals throughout their residency at the base. Now, individuals who’ve endured significant illness in the wake of their stay at the base have the right to pursue civil action against those individuals who were supposed to have their best interests at heart.

If you or a loved one developed unexplained symptoms or illnesses after a stay at Camp Lejeune, you can bring your losses to the attention of a personal injury lawyer. The John Foy team wants to help you better understand what your rights look like.

How to Qualify for Camp Lejeune Legal Action

In 2012, the United States Congress took steps to give veterans and their family members the right to pursue civil action against the parties allegedly responsible for their exposure-related health issues. The Honoring America’s Veteran and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act specifically allows residents of Camp Lejeune to act under certain circumstances.

Before you can file a class action civil suit against Camp Lejeune, you must indicate that:

• You or your family resided at Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987
• You remained on the base for at least 30 days
• You endured a condition that can be traced to exposure to toxic chemicals

Your personal injury claim needs to present all the above evidence if you want your case to move forward. Our attorneys can help you gather the data relevant to your case, be it in physical or digital form. Witness testimony can also help place you at the base.

Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Suits Classify as Class Action

There are several parties in the process of filing civil suits against Camp Lejeune. As such, you have the right to pursue your own complaint as part of a larger class action. Pursuing your water contamination suit as part of a class action lawsuit allows you to benefit from the evidence that your peers bring forward.

Our class action lawyers can help you format your claim in such a way that you can present it to a county clerk. So long as your complaint moves forward, you can begin negotiating a settlement or bringing together evidence for a traditional trial.

That said, do be wary when filling out your complaint. While you have the right to pursue a civil suit against liable parties, a court may choose to deny your claim based on errors in your initial complaint. When you work with an attorney, we can double-check your formatting. This way, you can force a civil court to focus on the content of your complaint instead of its structure.

We Want to Help You Understand the Impact of Camp Lejeune’s Contaminated Waters

The impact that the chemicals in the water at Camp Lejeune allegedly had on residents’ health is varied but dangerous. While medical professionals have noticed some patterns in the medical diagnoses coming out of the Camp Lejeune area, you must assess your or your loved one’s symptoms before you pursue a civil suit.

At this point in time, individuals contending with the following conditions have pursued suits against Camp Lejeune:

• Multiple myeloma
• Aplastic anemia
• Parkinson’s disease
• Lung cancer
• Breast cancer
• Esophageal cancer
• Kidney cancer
• Liver cancer
• Bladder cancer
• Adult leukemia
• Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
• Renal toxicity

Exposure to the chemicals allegedly in Camp Lejeune’s water table can also cause miscarriages and female infertility. These conditions do not fall under the broader category of “presumed disabilities” because the circumstances at Camp Lejeune were so unique. You can discuss how your circumstances impact your V.A. benefits with an attending attorney.

You May Be Entitled to Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Benefits

The health conditions that you face in response to Camp Lejeune contamination can entitle you to financial compensation, as long as you can trace your condition back to your exposure. The best way to do this is to present evidence of your losses. Because the Camp Lejeune incident concluded at least 33 years ago, however, gathering this evidence may be difficult.

Fortunately, our attorneys can step in and guide you through the process of building your complaint. We can conduct research on your behalf, gather the data needed to prove your point, and present it to a county clerk. Viable forms of evidence can include:

• Records of any medical expenses related to chemical exposure
• Data indicating your presence at Camp Lejeune during the aforementioned time periods
• Updated testimony from expert witnesses detailing your health and its development over time

You can discuss the forms of evidence you have on hand or may be in need of during an initial case consultation.

Estimating Your Camp Lejeune Financial Support

We bring together an estimate of the compensation to which you may be entitled while gathering data for your initial claim. When calculating your possible financial support, we can bring together the value of your economic and non-economic losses. Your economic losses, or bills related to your alleged contamination, can include:

• The cost of medical expenses essential to your post-exposure care
• Any property damage, loss, or rentals endured due to your condition
• The cost of essential medical aids and pain management medication
• Lost opportunities for wages and/or employment

Once you have the economic sum of your losses available to you, you can calculate the value of less concrete losses. These are referred to as non-economic damages. To quantify the value of these damages, we can apply multipliers to the aforementioned sum. These multipliers can stand in for pain and suffering, stress, and emotional distress.

You Can Schedule a Consultation With a Camp Lejeune Contamination Attorney Today

Cases addressing the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune are still developing. If you believe you’ve endured troubling health conditions as a result of exposure to this contamination, you can contact us for legal representation. Our Camp Lejeune water contamination attorneys are prepared to fight for your right to justice.

John Foy & Associates is not afraid to bring your losses to the attention of negligent government agencies. You can schedule a consultation with our office today to learn more about your right to legal compensation. Contact us now for a free case evaluation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Learn more about the water contamination at Camp Lejuene and your legal remedies for injuries, illnesses, or wrongful deaths as a result of negligence in this FAQ.

• Why Is the Water at Camp Lejeune Contaminated?
• What Chemicals Were in the Water at Camp Lejeune?
• What Effects Can Camp Lejeune’s Water Contamination Have on Your Health?
• Can Families Benefit From a Water Contamination Suit?
• Is There a Time Limit Placed on Your Water Contamination Suit?
• Can Families Present Contaminated Water Cases on Behalf of Deceased or Injured Loved Ones?

Why Is the Water at Camp Lejeune Contaminated? 

Because investigations into the effects of Camp Lejeune’s contamination are ongoing, it’s difficult to speculate as to why the water and water table in the area became polluted. However, it’s been posited that a dry cleaning company in the area through 1957 improperly disposed of water or other materials carrying dangerous chemicals.

More specifically, it’s said that trichloroethylene (TCE) and perchloroethylene (PCE) entered the area water table at up to 3,400 times the amount that would have otherwise been considered safe, let alone acceptable. As a result, the water table and standing water around Camp Lejeune became contaminated.

Because long-term exposure to these chemicals can have such a significant impact on a person’s overall health, the use of the water around Camp Lejeune is said to have negatively impacted the well-being of base residents. 

What Chemicals Were in the Water at Camp Lejeune?

When inspecting the quality of the water at Camp Lejeune, professionals discovered two major compounds in the water. These volatile organic compounds (VOCs) included TCE and PCE.

Under normal circumstances, these chemicals have their place on the manufacturing floor. TCE is a solvent used in dry cleaning practices. PCE is a degreaser that can help maintain machines’ functionality. When mammals are exposed to these compounds over an extended period of time, however, the effects can be devastating.

TCE and PCE have both been found to increase a person’s likelihood of developing non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and Hodgkin’s disease. If you are contending with either of these conditions or other symptoms of exposure, you may be entitled to financial compensation.

What Effects Can Camp Lejeune’s Water Contamination Have on Your Health?

Residents at Camp Lejeune between the 1950s and 1980s bathed and drank water allegedly contaminated by the local dry cleaner. Repeat exposure to the aforementioned chemicals allegedly resulted in:

• Multiple myeloma
• Aplastic anemia
• Parkinson’s disease
• Lung cancer
• Breast cancer
• Esophageal cancer
• Kidney cancer
• Liver cancer
• Bladder cancer
• Adult leukemia
• Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
• Renal toxicity
• Miscarriages and/or infertility

Other symptoms can include dizziness, confusion, facial numbness, and muscle weakness. 

Can Families Benefit from a Water Contamination Suit?

If you want to request contamination benefits for family members impacted by an incident at Camp Lejeune, you have the right to do so. You can request benefits by filling out a Camp Lejeune Family Member Program application, or VA Form 10-10068. 

That said, you can only request these benefits if you are a veteran’s dependent and resided at Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987. You must also complete a Camp Lejeune Family Member Program Treating Physician Report before you file.

You must also present proof of medical expenses detailing the impact water contamination has had on your health since your exposure. This can take the form of bills or invoices received between January 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987.

Is There a Time Limit Placed on Your Water Contamination Suit?

The aforementioned Camp Lejeune Act allows you to pursue legal action against the parties allegedly responsible for your contamination-related health conditions. However, you have a limited amount of time to take legal action.

As of 2022, the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 § (j)(1) gives you two years from the date you discovered the harm or that you endured your harm. An attorney can argue that you discovered the nature of your condition on the day that you brought your case forward. 

For more information about how to approach your case with the statute of limitations in mind, you can meet with the attorneys at John Foy. We offer consultations to any parties that believe that their health may have been impacted by water contamination at Camp Lejeune.

Can Families Present Contaminated Water Cases on Behalf of Deceased or Injured Loved Ones?

If you believe that a loved one endured severe health conditions as a result of water contamination at Camp Lejeune, you may have the right to pursue a claim on your loved one’s behalf. That said, your right to make legal decisions for a loved one depends on what state you’re filing your case in.

There are some instances wherein you may be able to request damages in a wrongful death claim on top of damages meant to compensate your loved one for their long-term suffering. You can discuss your right to this action with one of our attorneys.

If you cannot take legal action due to limitations presented by your state, you can still bring your losses to our firm. We can discuss which members of your loved one’s family may act, instead, or how you might be elected your loved one’s personal representative.