Camp Lejeune Lawsuit Update 2023

Latest News on Camp Lejeune Lawsuits

Find the latest news about where Camp Lejeune water contamination litigation currently stands. And stay connected with our team to get the most recent Camp Lejeune lawsuit updates.

1. New Elective Option Streamlines Claims Process

September 6, 2023 | Camp Lejeune Lawsuit Update

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of the Navy (DON) announce a new voluntary process called the “Elective Option.” The option is designed to allow for quicker resolution of certain Camp Lejeune claims.

As with current Camp Lejeune claims, eligible individuals must first submit an administrative claim to the DON.

The Elective Option is based on two tiers of Camp Lejeune health conditions and corresponding Camp Lejeune settlement amounts. Depending on disease type and exposure duration, payouts will range from $100,000 to $450,000. An additional $100,000 is allocated for death claims.

2. Camp Lejeune Claims Rise Amid $20 Billion Potential Payouts

August 29, 2023 | Camp Lejeune Lawsuit Update

The federal government estimates its total payout to veterans and their families could be over $20 billion as the number of Camp Lejeune lawsuits rises to 1,100, with administrative claims reaching 93,000.

Meanwhile, legal experts close to the litigation report forward movement, but news stories paint a grim picture. The reality is that many Camp Lejeune victims are passing away before their cases are even heard.

Recent tragedies include a 63-year-old veteran who succumbed to kidney and lung cancers, another to bladder cancer and kidney failure, and a third to bladder cancer. Additionally, a former civilian employee at the base lost her battle with breast cancer.

This growing list of Camp Lejeune water contamination deaths emphasizes the urgent need to expedite the legal process.

3. Lead Lawyers Named to Oversee Camp Lejeune Litigation

July 19, 2023 | Camp Lejeune Lawsuit Update

The judges overseeing the Camp Lejeune water contamination litigation have appointed attorneys from several law firms to a seven-member leadership team for the plaintiffs.

The team will handle settlement talks, discovery, bellwether trials (test cases to guide future litigation), and communication with the public for about 1,100 cases. New cases are being filed daily, and the co-lead counsel will manage the work for the common benefit of the plaintiffs.

4. Camp Lejeune Claims Surpassed 70,000

June 30, 2023 | Camp Lejeune Lawsuit Update

The number of Camp Lejeune water contamination administrative claims filed with the Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG) has exceeded 70,000.

No settlement offers have been made at this time, almost a year after the Camp Lejeune Justice Act (CLJA) was passed.

Types of Camp Lejeune health condition claims include:

• Aplastic anemia
• Bladder cancer
• Birth defects
• Breast cancer
• Colorectal cancer
• Esophageal cancer
• Infertility
• Kidney cancer
• Liver cancer
• Lung cancer
• Multiple myeloma
• Myelodysplastic syndromes
• Neurological disorders
• Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
• Pancreatic cancer
• Parkinson’s disease
• Prostate cancer
• Sarcoma

If you think your health condition could be linked to the toxic water at Camp Lejeune, it is not too late to be included. Get a free case review now.

5. U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle Allows Government Defenses

June 26, 2023 | Camp Lejeune Lawsuit Update

U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle allows the government defenses to proceed, although the plaintiffs had requested them to be thrown out.

Furthermore, Judge Boyle agrees with the defendants in that their defenses had to be vague in order to respond to the plaintiff’s complaints, which were also unspecific and overly simplistic.

This was, unfortunately, the expected outcome. However, this event did help Camp Lejeune lawyers to keep adding pressure on the federal government.

6. Camp Lejeune Victims Seek to Dismiss Government Defenses

June 22, 2023 | Camp Lejeune Lawsuit Update

After the U.S. government provides vague arguments for its defense, 120 plaintiffs come together in a court hearing and ask that these defenses be thrown out.

The government argues in return that their vague defense arguments are in response to claimants’ lawsuits that are also vague.

7. U.S. Department of Justice Moves to Expedite Camp Lejeune Litigation Process

June 21, 2023 | Camp Lejeune Lawsuit Update

Camp Lejeune cases have quickly grown into one of the largest mass litigations in U.S. history, and the DOJ is calling for a management strategy and consolidation plan.

Meanwhile, the government has been in communication with multiple plaintiffs and law firms and has filed responses to almost 200 lawsuits.

8. Number of Camp Lejeune Water Claims Begins to Slow

June 19, 2023 | Camp Lejeune Lawsuit Update

With just over 1,000 lawsuits and around 65,000 administrative claims already filed, Camp Lejeune water claims begin to slow down.

Potential reasons why Camp Lejeune water claims are slowing down include:

• Law firms around the country are inundated with cases already filed and with the cases they are currently in the process of filing.
• Most eligible veterans have already filed their claims or lawsuits as soon as possible so as not to miss any deadlines.
• Law firms are more focused on processing current cases than finding new clients.

Even as new claims begin to slow down, experts predict that the total number of claims will double before the time to file is over.

The large number of claims and lawsuits already filed may seem intimidating, but these numbers should not deter new victims from seeking the justice and compensation they deserve.

9. U.S. Navy Cites Budget and Staffing Constraints for Slow Claim Response Time

May 25, 2023 | Camp Lejeune Lawsuit Update

After even more pressure to start settling claims and lawsuits piling up from Camp Lejeune victims, the U.S. Navy responds by saying they lack the funding and staff to handle the large number of lawsuits.

This response is unsatisfactory for veterans and relatives who got sick or watched loved ones die while waiting for compensation. Many victims were relying on Camp Lejeune veterans support alone and some were denied help at all.

10. Lawmakers Pressure Navy to Issue Camp Lejeune Settlements

May 17, 2023 | Camp Lejeune Lawsuit Update

With more than 45,000 Camp Lejeune cases now pending and no settlements offered, a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers begins to put additional pressure on the JAG.

The Navy promises to have its online portal for managing Camp Lejeune cases running by summer.

11. New Parkinson’s Disease Study Links it to Camp Lejeune Contaminated Water

May 15, 2023 | Camp Lejeune Lawsuit Update

A new study published by JAMA Neurology (the American Medical Association’s peer-reviewed monthly journal) finds that those who were exposed to the volatile organic compounds in the water at Camp Lejeune have a 70% higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.

This same study found that the risk was the same for people who drank the toxic water and those exposed through showering.

12. Navy Faces Backlash for Unsettled Claims

May 9, 2023 | Camp Lejeune Lawsuit Update

The JAG continues to come under pressure for not having settled a single Camp Lejeune case almost nine months after the Camp Lejeune Justice Act was first passed.

Furthermore, the Navy has yet to set up an online portal for processing claims as promised.

13. Camp Lejeune Lawsuit Consolidation

May 1, 2023 | Camp Lejeune Lawsuit Update

The court officially consolidates all Camp Lejeune lawsuits for pretrial discovery into what resembles a class action lawsuit but is more like multidistrict litigation (MDL).

14. Department of Justice Files Extension Request for Claim Answers

April 20, 2023 | Camp Lejeune Lawsuit Update

The Department of Justice requests an extension on the time allowed to respond to each plaintiff’s complaint due to the high volume of Camp Lejeune administrative claims and lawsuits.

The judge grants this request until May 31, 2023. During this time, lawyers from both sides also file a joint motion to consolidate the pretrial proceedings and other litigation.

15. Camp Lejeune Lawyers Advocate to Consolidate Lawsuits

April 9, 2023 | Camp Lejeune Lawsuit Update

As the number of Camp Lejeune lawsuits continues to climb, lawyers from both sides begin to request that the cases be consolidated under a single judge and that pretrial proceedings also be consolidated.

While this would not be the same as consolidating cases into a class action lawsuit, it would be done with a similar purpose.

16. Navy JAG Corps Responds to Lack of Claim Review Action

March 27, 2023 | Camp Lejeune Lawsuit Update

With around 20,000 administrative claims filed up to this point, the JAG has not yet responded to any lawsuits or offered water contamination settlements to any of the victims of Camp Lejeune.

At this point, the JAG is also not accepting any supporting documentation needed from Camp Lejeune victims to move forward.

17. Camp Lejeune Lawsuit Count Reaches 260

March 20, 2023 | Camp Lejeune Lawsuit Update

With more than a month having passed since the 6-month wait period to file civil lawsuits under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act ended, there are currently 260 civil lawsuits already filed in the Eastern District of North Carolina.

This number is expected to rise steadily — don’t miss your chance to be included. Find out if you are eligible to file a Camp Lejeune lawsuit now with our simple case review process.

18. Freshwater v. United States Highlights Camp Lejeune Toxic Water Effects

February 27, 2023 | Camp Lejeune Lawsuit Update

This civil lawsuit, filed by Lori Lynn Freshwater against the United States, works to highlight some of the effects and medical conditions caused by Camp Lejeune toxic water exposure.

Lori Lynn filed a wrongful death suit on behalf of her mother, Mary, who was exposed to the toxic water at Camp Lejeune. She later had multiple children with birth defects and died from leukemia in 2013.

This case is still in process and has not reached a settlement.

19. VA Tells Camp Lejeune Victims to File for Disability Benefits

February 22, 2023 | Camp Lejeune Lawsuit Update

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of the General Counsel urges Camp Lejeune victims to file claims for VA benefits, which include health care and financial payouts for disability.

It also says that filing for VA benefits won’t impact the victims’ ability to get a Camp Lejeune lawsuit settlement. This means veterans can pursue both at the same time.

There may, however, be an offset on these benefits, but this is yet to be determined.

20. Influx of Lawsuits Expected Six Months After Camp Lejeune Justice Act

February 8, 2023 | Camp Lejeune Lawsuit Update

While the Camp Lejeune Justice Act opened up a two-year window for victims to file lawsuits, it also set in place an initial 6-month administrative claims process, which acts as a waiting period in order to do so.

Because of this, close to 100 lawsuits are expected to be filed immediately with the U.S. District Court of Eastern North Carolina when this waiting period ends.

21. Congressional Budget Office Estimates Global Camp Lejeune Payouts

January 1, 2023 | Camp Lejeune Lawsuit Update

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that global Camp Lejeune payouts will amount to approximately $6.1 billion between 2022 and 2031.

While this is an estimate for payouts over the next 10 years, the actual amount could be much higher than this.

Remember that individual settlement amounts and verdicts will vary significantly depending on the circumstances and evidence of medical records in each case.

Latest News on Camp Lejeune Water Contamination 2022

2022 was also filled with Camp Lejeune lawsuit updates, and by the end of the year, major progress had been made.

President Biden’s signing of the PACT Act into law in August 2022 marked a significant milestone, permitting veterans exposed to the toxic water to start filing compensation claims.

However, so many claims were filed and this created many issues for the JAG Corps, leading to an ongoing and complex settlement process.

By the final Camp Lejeune lawsuit update in December 2022, the JAG was still creating a framework to handle compensation payouts, showing how big of a task it will be to get compensation to victims.

Background of Camp Lejeune Lawsuits

Camp Lejeune lawsuits are the result of a decades-long battle on behalf of victims and advocates of the water contamination at the military base from the 1950s to the 1980s.

Dangerous chemicals infiltrated the water, causing multiple Camp Lejeune health issues like cancer, birth defects, and neurological disorders.

Shock and anger spurred action when the contamination was discovered, but the federal government was protected from lawsuits through immunity. Victims suffered for decades, facing health issues and repeated VA benefits denials.

However, this is just a snapshot of the long history of contaminated water at Camp Lejeune since it was founded in 1941.

Timeline for Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Claims

The following is a timeline of events that led us to where we are now regarding the Camp Lejeune litigation.

• 1941 — Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune is founded.
• 1951 — Tarawa Terrace well field for water is built nearby for Camp Lejeune.
• 1953 — One Hour Dry Cleaner opens across the street from Tarawa Terrace. It was later found that this dry cleaning business improperly disposed of cleaning solvents and contaminated the drinking water at Camp Lejeune with toxic chemicals like PCE and vinyl chloride.
• 1979 — A huge oil leak at nearby Hadnot Point Fuel Farms exposes groundwater to numerous toxic chemicals.
• 1984 — TCE (trichloroethylene), PCE, and benzene are detected in Hadnot Point Water Well, a main source of the water supply for Camp Lejeune.
• 1985 — All Hadnot Point wells are closed and shut down.
• 1989 — The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classifies Camp Lejeune as a Superfund site (an area with severe and hazardous pollution needing extensive cleanup).
• 2008 — President Bush signs a bill that forces the U.S. Navy to look into any deaths or injuries related to the toxic water supply at Camp Lejeune.
• 12/12/16 — Hundreds of Camp Lejeune lawsuits are thrown out due to the 10-year statute of repose in North Carolina.
• 1/25/22 — A bill that could become a new law is introduced in the House, called the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022. This law would lift restrictions that previously prevented Camp Lejeune victims from being able to file lawsuits.
• 3/3/22 — House of Representatives passes the CLJA, and it moves on to the Senate.
• 6/16/22 — U.S. Senate passes an amended version of the CLJA as part of the Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT)
• 8/10/22 — President Biden signs the CLJA into law as part of the Honoring Our PACT Act.

Watch our short video to learn more about the PACT Act and what it means for Camp Lejeune victims.

Get the Latest Camp Lejeune Lawsuit Updates

For more information about Camp Lejeune lawsuits or to see if we can connect you with a top Camp Lejeune lawyer, reach out to the Camp Lejeune Claims Center 24/7.

We can help you determine your eligibility through a free case review and get you started with a lawsuit if you qualify.

You deserve to have your medical bills and other expenses covered by the federal government if you were harmed from Camp Lejeune’s drinking water — contact us today to learn more.