Many Camp Lejeune Claimants Passing Away Before Opportunity for Justice

Camp Lejeune veterans unknowingly exposed to toxic water while on base decades ago are becoming even more gravely ill, and some passing away before they have their cases heard.

While thousands of veteran servicemembers and their families await the resolution of their Camp Lejeune injury claims, sadly many are passing away before getting the chance to see justice.

Military members that served on the Marine Corps Base in Jacksonville, North Carolina between 1953 and 1987 were unknowingly exposed to contaminated water. These Marines, their families, and civilian staff had no idea they were drinking, bathing, washing clothes, and cooking with water that was laced with toxic chemicals that would later be linked to a series of health conditions. By 1980, it was confirmed that dangerous chemicals were present in the base’s water supply—which had been knowingly polluted by the U.S. government for decades.

By 2008, the Marine Corps was forced to notify former Camp Lejeune base residents of the risk that exposure to the chemicals posed. Unfortunately, by then, some veterans had already passed away or were gravely ill from exposure, potentially, as many as 55 years ago.

Fast forward to 2022, President Biden signed legislation that would finally help Camp Lejeune veterans, civilians, and their families seek justice for their injuries thought to be caused by exposure to the toxic water on base. Within the Honoring our PACT Act of 2021, the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 provides a cause of action against the U.S. government.

The Justice Act opened a two-year window of time for anyone to take legal action who:

• lived or worked at Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987 for at least 30 days (does not have to be consecutive),
• was exposed to contaminated water, and
• was harmed by such exposure.

This includes veteran servicemembers, base workers, and their families—even those who, at the time, were exposed to the highly contaminated water in the womb. Those who may be eligible now have one year left to file their claim.

Since the Justice Act’s passing, claims brought by Camp Lejeune victims have proceeded very slowly. Many plaintiffs have passed away since filing their claims, waiting for their cases to be heard. Among them, a Marine Corps veteran who died from kidney cancer and lung cancer, a civilian Lejeune worker who died of breast cancer, and a veteran who passed away due to bladder cancer and kidney failure.

These are only a few of the serious injuries that many exposed to the water at Camp Lejeune  have suffered. Other injuries claimants allege include leukemia, Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Parkinson’s Disease, birth defects, miscarriages, and female infertility, among other conditions brought on by exposure to benzene, tetrachloroethylene (​​perchloroethylene or PCE), trichloroethylene (TCE) and vinyl chloride (VC) in the base’s water supply.

Contact Our Attorneys to Discuss Your Situation

If you lived or worked at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina between 1953 and 1987 and believe your cancer or other serious injury was caused by water contamination, call us today. Grant & Eisenhofer can evaluate your potential claim with you during a completely free consultation.