The water at Montford Point was not contaminated, however, if you used other water at Camp Lejeune, you are eligible for the Camp Lejeune Justice Act Water Contamination Lawsuit.
Please see our resource dedicated to the Camp Lejeune Lawsuit for answers to many of your questions.
Or, if you’re ready to sign up for the lawsuit, call us today or fill out our intake forms.
Montford Point / Camp Johnson Water Contamination
During World War II, Montford Point was a racially segregated training facility for African American Marines at Camp Lejeune. It’s now known as Camp Johnson. More than 20,000 of those Marines cycled through there, and of course, it’s no longer racially segregated.
In retrospect, Camp Montford may have been one of the safest places to be on Camp Lejeune. That’s because the water at that location wasn’t supplied by a dangerously contaminated well. That doesn’t mean that Camp Montford Marines didn’t consume contaminated water from other sources on the military base though. That’s because at many other locations at Camp Lejeune, that water was contaminated with more than 70 toxic pollutants. The most dangerous of those for humans were the following:
- Trichlorethylene (TCE).
- Perchloroethylene (PCE)
- Vinyl chloride.
Camp Lejeune Water Cancers and Illnesses
Both scientific and medical evidence have shown proven links between the above contaminants with various cancers and serious illnesses. Those include but aren’t limited to:
- Esophageal, breast, lung, bladder, kidney, cervical and liver cancers.
- Aplastic anemia.
- Parkinson’s disease.
- Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
- Multiple myeloma.
- Female infertility.
- Birth defects.
- And more.
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act
The federal government learned of water contamination at Camp Lejeune, but it withheld the information and it wasn’t until the middle 1980s that it acted on that water. Much like asbestos and mesothelioma, cancers and illnesses from Camp Lejeune’s contaminated water manifested themselves years after Marines, their family members and civilian employees at the base consumed it. As the statute of limitations had already passed on taking any possible legal action, veterans, their families and civilian employees had nowhere to turn to for help. Then, both houses of Congress passed the Camp Lejeune Justice Act. President Joe Biden then signed off on the legislation right away on August 10, 2022.
Damages Under the Act
This new law allows individual who suffered cancers and illnesses that are linked to the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune to file lawsuits and pursue damages for the harm that they suffered from that water. To qualify, they need only have been at Camp Lejeune for 30 days between August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987. Those 30 days need not be continuous either. Family members and civilian employees are also eligible under the act. A claim must first be filed with the federal government, and it it’s denied, the claimant can file their lawsuit. Damages sought can include the following:
- Past and future medical bills.
- Past and future lost earnings.
- Any permanent disability or disfigurement.
- Pain and suffering.
- Emotional distress.
- Other valuable damages in the event of a wrongful death.
A successful claim or lawsuit under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act requires a sophisticated legal background and experience though. You don’t even want to approach this on your own. You can contact our experienced and aggressive Camp Lejeune Justice Act lawyer here at Maison Law though for a free consultation and case review. You’ll be listened to carefully, and your questions will be answered too. After that, we can talk about your legal options. Take notice that the statute of limitations for seeking relief under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act expires on August 10, 2024. After that, it’s unlikely that any relief under the act will be available. Contact us here at Maison Law as soon as you can. After hiring us to represent you, we’ll be honored to fight this battle for you.
