As an organization dedicated to providing medical billing expert services in personal injury cases, I have followed the Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuit and its updates. In case you haven’t been following as closely, here is a summary of the lawsuit and its most recent developments.
The History of the Case
The basis of the case pertains to Marines who served either at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune or Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) New River in North Carolina between the years of 1953 and 1957 and suffered an ailment due to water contamination at the base during that period of time.
Ailments such as but not limited to adult leukemia; bladder, kidney, or liver cancer; multiple myeloma, and Parkinson’s disease have been attributed to the drinking water at Camp Lejeune.
Two water wells that were on the base and active during those years were said to contain harmful chemicals: Trichloroethylene (TCE), Perchloroethylene (PCE), Benzene, Vinyl Chloride, and other compounds. As a result, the water wells were shut down in 1985.
In August of 2022, Congress enacted a law called the Camp Lejeune Justice Act (CLJA) whereby anyone that alleges they were harmed by exposure to contaminated water at the Marine base between 1953 and 1987 had a right to bring about litigation against the base. The only stipulation was that the person bringing about the case had to have spent at least 30 days at Camp Lejeune during that time period and must have suffered an ailment from that exposure.
What makes this law particularly interesting to law firms is that it lowers the burden of proof needed in order to win. Those bringing forward a suit only need to show that contaminated water was “at least as likely as not” the cause of the medical condition suffered.
Update on Camp Lejeune Claims and Legacy Lawsuits
As of December 6, 2022, regarding about a dozen Camp Lejeune legacy cases filed immediately after CLJA was passed, all briefs have been filed in connection with the motion to dismiss that was filed by the government. No rulings have been made, and no hearing dates have been set.
As of December 20, 2022, 15,000 claims have been filed with the JAG under the CLJA to date, none of which have been resolved so far. This is according to a media inquiry response from the JAG Tort Claim Unit.
It’s been almost six months since the first CLJA claims were filed with JAG. If JAG does not respond by the six-month marker with a settlement offer, claimants can file a Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuit.
On December 29, 2022, Judge James C. Denver, III, ruled that eight Camp Lejeune legacy cases were dismissed (without prejudice) for failure to resubmit new administrative claims to JAG before filing the suit after the CLJA was passed.
For more information or to file a claim, go here.
If you need a line-by-line, third-party evaluation of medical charges, Veritas Experts is here to help. We also provide support as a medical billing expert witness in cases such as the Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Lawsuit.