Camp Lejeune Lawsuit and Settlement Information

Were you or a loved one injured by water contamination at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina between 1953 and 1987? Camp Lejeune settlement benefits may soon be available.

Were you stationed at North Carolina’s Camp Lejeune or the Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) New River in North Carolina between January 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987? Are you currently suffering from one of the cancers or birth defects listed below? If so, you could be entitled to treatment and compensation under a new law called the Honoring Our PACT Act of 2022. 

For decades, military families residing at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune were exposed to drinking water contaminated with deadly toxins. The Honoring Our PACT Act of 2022 will provide veterans and their families, including military personnel, guardsmen, reservists, military family members, and civilian employees who worked on the base, the opportunity to seek compensation for injuries.

Common injuries include:

• Bladder Cancer
• Breast Cancer
• Cervical Cancer
• Esophageal Cancer
• Kidney Cancer
• Liver Cancer
• Lung Cancer
• Ovarian Cancer
• Stomach Cancer
• Birth Defects and Birth Injuries
• Miscarriage
• Multiple Myeloma and other Myelodysplastic Syndromes
• Adult Leukemia
• Aplastic Anemia and other Bone Marrow Conditions
• Parkinson’s Disease
• Renal Toxicity
• Neurobehavioral Effects
• And Death

A 1997 study conducted by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) found that, for more than 30 years, from 1953 to 1987, drinking water at Camp Lejeune was contaminated with:

• Trichloroethylene (TCE)
• Perchloroethylene (PCE)
• Benzene
• Vinyl chloride
• Other compounds

Tens of thousands of Marines and their families, as well as contracted civilian workers and other personnel who were living or working at the base, were exposed to these dangerous chemicals at 240 to 3,400 times the levels deemed to be safe. Camp Lejeune Marines, their families, and other personnel have shown a significantly increased risk for several types of cancers, birth defects and miscarriages, and other serious illnesses.

Camp Lejeune

Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune is a nearly 250-square-mile training facility in Jacksonville, North Carolina. It went into operation in 1942.

From 1957 to at least 1987, evidence suggests that U.S. Marines and their families, as well as vendors and contractors who worked and lived on or near the base, were exposed to heavily contaminated water, which they and their families both drank and bathed in without knowledge of the potential health risks. Many of those chemicals came from on-site laundry services and leaking underground storage tanks, which contaminated the base’s wells with volatile organic compounds and toxic solvents, linked to birth defects, pregnancy risks, as well as numerous forms of cancer.

A multidistrict litigation was formed for Camp Lejeune lawsuits filed by about 850 plaintiffs, which was dismissed in 2016. Now that the Honoring Our PACT Act of 2022 has been signed into law, individuals may be able to pursue a claim and settlement, even if the statute of limitations would have previously barred their case.

Camp Lejeune Water Contamination

More than 70 different chemicals have contaminated drinking water wells at Camp Lejeune since the late 1950s, including perchloroethylene, a dry-cleaning solvent, the degreaser trichloroethylene (TCE), as well as benzene and vinyl chloride.

The government and base officials knew about the contamination for decades. However, despite warnings from experts and numerous damning inspections and reports, little to nothing was done about the Camp Lejeune water contamination problems and the water was deemed safe, even as its poor, and alarming, chemical taste was commented on by marines and their families for years.

The wells were shut off in 1985, due to the high levels of contamination. However, they were illegally reactivated later.

In October 2010, a letter from the head of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund program wrote a letter declaring that the drinking water at the base presented a health hazard.

The declaration came decades too late for many of the marines and families that lived on the base for years, drinking and bathing in water that was heavily contaminated. Some chemical contaminants were found at levels nearly 4,000 times higher than deemed safe for human consumption.

As a result of the failure of the U.S. government to acknowledge rampant water contamination on the marine base, financial compensation and Camp Lejeune water contamination settlements may be available for those who drank or bathed in water for at least 30 days between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987.

Who is Eligible for Compensation for Camp Lejeune Toxic Water?

You may be eligible for compensation if:

• Military records show you or your spouse/parent served at Camp Lejeune or MCAS New River for at least 30 days from August 1953 through December 1987 while on active duty, or in the National Guard or Reserves, and
• You have been diagnosed with:
  • Bladder cancer
  • Breast cancer
  • Esophageal cancer
  • Female infertility
  • Hepatic steatosis
  • Kidney cancer
  • Leukemia
  • Lung cancer
  • Miscarriage
  • Multiple myeloma
  • Myelodysplastic syndromes
  • Neurobehavioral effects
  • Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
  • Renal toxicity
  • Scleroderma
  • Birth defects

Detailed Instructions on Obtaining Medical and Military Personnel Records

Our attorneys are investigating claims related to the contamination of water at Camp Lejeune. Filing a claim could help you recover compensation for:

• Pain and suffering
• Medical bills
• Past lost wages
• Future lost wages
• Permanent or temporary disability
• Punitive damages
• Loss of enjoyment of life

What does it cost to find out if I have a case?

Nothing. If you or a loved one were injured by water contamination at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina between 1953 and 1987 and developed any of the above, call us toll free at (877) 704-7674 for a free case evaluation.