Gerald J. Williams, Partner, Williams Cedar LLP, says that any member of the United States Marine Corps or their family members who became seriously ill after being at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, or anyone who lived or worked near the base, may qualify for significant compensation, thanks to a new federal law.
On March 26, 2021, U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright of Pennsylvania introduced the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2021. The bill would allow those who were exposed to contaminated water while stationed at or living near the base for 30 days cumulatively between August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987 to sue the federal government for all the harm they suffered. The bill was redrafted and became part of the Honoring our PACT Act of 2022, which passed the House on July 17, 2022, passed the U.S. Senate on August 2, 2022 and signed into law by President Joe Biden on August 10, 2022.
Established in 1941, Camp Lejeune has been a major training ground for the Marines, who use the onsite lake as a staging ground for simulated amphibious assaults and other training exercises. It is estimated that the camp has up to 47,000 people living on base at any time, with up to 150,000 people living in the surrounding community. Various practices at the base over decades contaminated its drinking water with toxic chemicals that cause many severe health problems, including long-term disabilities and often fatal diseases.
Under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, any veteran, reservist or National Guardsman who was stationed at the military base during that aforementioned time period can seek legal recourse. In order to make a claim, a veteran must have been honorably discharged and suffered a medical condition plausibly linked to the contaminants in the water. Several serious illnesses will be “presumed” to have such a link, including leukemia, aplastic anemia, myelodysplastic syndromes, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and cancer of the kidney, liver and bladder. However, claimants may be able to prove that other conditions were caused by the contaminated drinking water. But regardless of whether an illness is on the “presumptive” list, the Act still requires proof that a claimant’s specific illness was caused by ingestion of the water.
“We are ready to help veterans, civilian workers and their families who lived at Camp Lejeune and have become ill as a result,” Mr. Williams says. “If they contact us, we will help them decide whether they qualify to make a claim and, if so, help them make it.”
Williams Cedar represents individuals and communities who have been exposed to toxic chemicals and whose water, soil, air or work environment has become polluted by harmful chemicals. They also represent clients in personal injury lawsuits such as toxic torts, in which a client claims they have been harmed by exposure to a hazardous substance. Occupational toxic torts are more common because the worker has suffered long-term exposure to harmful chemicals on the job site. In addition, the firm has successfully represented our veterans with their disability claims.