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Paradise Point Camp Lejeune Water Contamination

Paradise Point at Camp Lejeune is primarily residential and recreational. Residences range from cottages to apartments to three and four-bedroom homes. There’s a golf course and a swimming pool too. There are even facilities for private events. When you’re at Paradise Point, it seems that you’re a world away from the Marine Corps and the dangerously contaminated water that was supplied to Camp Lejeune from the Hadnot Point and Tarawa Terrace water treatment plants.

Contaminants in Camp Lejeune’s Water

The two water treatment plants at Hadnot Point and Tarawa Terrace provided a significant portion of the water that Marines, their family members and civilian employees drank, bathed in, cooked with and otherwise used. In the early 1980s, it was learned that water from those two treatment plants contained more than 70 contaminants. Of special concern were the following hazardous chemical solvents:

  • Trichlorethylene (TCE).
  • Perchloroethylene (PCE).
  • Vinyl chloride.

The Links with Cancers and Other Physical Illnesses

Although many affected individuals suspected it, the above-contaminants weren’t scientifically tied into their cancers and other illnesses until decades later.  Here are some of the cancers and physical illnesses that they were tied to:

  • Esophageal, lung, breast, liver, kidney, stomach, cervical and ovarian cancers.
  • Parkinson’s disease.
  • Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
  • Multiple myeloma.
  • Aplastic anemia.
  • Female infertility.
  • Wrongful deaths.
  • Other cancers and illnesses.

The Statute of Limitations Issue

Contaminated water cases are personal injury cases, and North Carolina only had a two-year statute of limitations on them. Much like asbestosis, the cancers and other illnesses that developed with Camp Lejeune water victims didn’t begin to develop for many years after the statute of limitations expired. Victims were left injured but without a remedy for decades.

What is the Camp Lejeune Justice Act?

Once the Camp Lejeune water contamination was brought to its attention, Congress began its own investigation into the water and its hazards. In recognizing them, both houses of Congress passed the Camp Lejeune Justice Act that finally provides a legal remedy for Camp Lejeune contaminated water victims. President Joe Bide signed the bill into law on August 10, 2022. The law allows victims of water contamination at Camp Lejeune to file personal injury lawsuits for the injuries and damages that they suffered as a result of the consumption and use of that water. Damages under the act are substantial, and they contemplate the following:

  • Past and future medical bills.
  • Past and future lost earnings.
  • Any permanent disability or disfigurement.
  • Pain and suffering.
  • Emotional anguish.
  • Wrongful death.

Eligibility

To be eligible to pursue damages under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, you must be a veteran, a family member of a veteran or a civilian employee who lived or worked at the base for a minimum of 30 days between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987. The 30-day period need not be consecutive. A physical condition must have been suffered that is linked to the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.

Before anybody can file their lawsuit, they must first file a claim with the federal government. If the claim is denied, an appropriate lawsuit can be filed immediately thereafter. Take notice that you only have until August 10, 2024, to file your lawsuit. After that, you’ll likely be barred from proceeding further. Before even taking the first step, you’ll want to consult with and retain a knowledgeable and aggressive Camp Lejeune Justice Act lawyer here at Maison Law. Contact us for a free consultation and case review. Your questions will be answered, and your legal options will be fully explained. Remember that you only have until August 10, 2024, to have your lawsuit on file. You can reach us by phone or email as soon as you can, and we’ll arrange for that consultation without any cost or obligation at all.

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