Seeking Justice and Reparations for Marines and Their Families
Following the congressional passage of comprehensive Federal veterans' healthcare legislation, Morris James announces its nationwide representation of injured persons, predominantly former Marines and their families, who were exposed to the tainted water supply during a nearly four-decade period.
The Camp Lejeune water contamination crisis occurred at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina, from 1953 to 1987. During that time, United States Marine Corps (USMC) service members and their families living and working at the base bathed in and ingested tap water that was contaminated with harmful chemicals at concentrations from 240 to 3400 times levels permitted by safety standards. An undetermined number of former base residents and workers subsequently developed cancer or other ailments.
Investigation into the suspected water contamination at Camp Lejeune began in 1980, when a routine test was conducted for trihalomethanes (a byproduct of water-treatment processes). Since that time, there has been considerable controversy.
In August 2012, President Obama signed the Janey Ensminger Act into law to begin providing medical care for people who may have been affected by the contamination. In February 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that the contaminated water at Lejeune significantly increased the risk of multiple diseases including liver cancer, kidney cancer and ALS. The PACT Act of 2022, Sec. 804, is the Camp LeJeune Justice Act of 2022.
This new law provides damages for past injuries from Camp LeJeune toxic exposure. It is the first law that provides compensation to the civilian family members of veterans stationed at the base as well as those who came onto the base for work.
“This is an extraordinarily disheartening situation,” said Keith Donovan, Managing Partner and trial attorney of Morris James. “Our Marines and their families were exposed to a dangerously contaminated water supply for decades. Many of them suffered painful, life-threatening illnesses without clear answers as to the cause, while others lost their lives. We applaud Congress for its work on this legislation to recognize the injuries and earmark funds for Veterans and their families.”
If you or your family were stationed at Camp Lejeune for 30 days or more between August 1953 and December 1987 and were subsequently diagnosed with any of the below diseases, you may be entitled to out-of-pocket health care costs and compensation for your pain and suffering.
- Bladder cancer
- Breast cancer
- Esophageal cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Lung cancer
- Leukemia
- Multiple myeloma
- Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
- Hepatic steatosis
- Miscarriage
- Female infertility
- Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS)
- Renal toxicity
- Scleroderma
- Neurobehavioral effects
At Morris James, our attorneys have been standing up for victims since we opened our doors in 1932. If you have questions about water contamination at Camp Lejeune, contact us online or call us at 302.655.2599 to speak to one of our experienced attorneys.
