Filing A Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Lawsuit: Everything You Need To Know
I’ve got good news for you: You may be eligible for compensation if you were exposed to contaminated water while stationed at Camp Lejeune. In this post, we’ll explain what happened, the diseases that were caused by the contaminated water, and how to file a claim if you were affected by it. By the end of this post, you’ll know everything there is to know about filing a Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Lawsuit.
Table of Contents
Camp Lejeune Water Contamination
Camp Lejeune is a Marine Corps base in Jacksonville, North Carolina. It’s home to more than 40,000 military personnel and their families.
The New York Times published an article about Camp Lejeune water contamination in February 2017. The investigation found that TCE, a chemical used to clean aircraft and other equipment at the base, contaminated the drinking water supply between 1953 and 1987. The toxic chemicals were dumped into on-base lagoons near Washing Pond Road during that time period.
TCE has been linked to many serious health problems, including kidney cancer and birth defects in children who were exposed while still in their mother’s womb
What Were The Diseases Caused by The Contaminated Water?
In the years since the contamination was discovered, there have been several studies examining the link between Camp Lejeune’s contaminated water and various diseases. These studies found that those who drank contaminated water were more than twice as likely to have cancer than those who did not.
The US Department of Veterans Affairs says that you may be eligible for compensation If you or your family member served on active duty or in the USMC Reserves during that time period and have developed any of the illnesses approved by the Veterans Affairs for compensation.
What Is Camp Lejeune Lawsuit?
When you file a Camp Lejeune lawsuit, you are filing a class action lawsuit. This type of legal action allows the plaintiffs to represent thousands of individuals who have been injured at the same time in similar circumstances. It also enables them to pool their collective resources together in order to obtain compensation from those responsible for their injuries or deaths.
Class actions are beneficial because they provide an efficient way for victims to get what they deserve while also reducing costs and burdens on each individual plaintiff or family member who files a claim against the government or military branch responsible for their loved one’s death or injury based on negligence.
There are two types of legal actions taken against government entities: tort claims act lawsuits and federal lawsuits. The first type can only be filed if you have suffered losses due directly to the negligence of your own government agency, whereas the second action involves suing any private party involved with causing harm without violating any specific statute, such as criminal laws like assault or murder.
Should You File A Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Lawsuit?
If you believe that your exposure to Camp Lejeune water contamination has caused any illness or injury, it is important to know if you can file a lawsuit.
The first thing to consider is whether the government has been negligent in its handling of this issue. If so, then there may be grounds for filing a claim for compensation under different laws than those used by regular citizens. In some cases, damages may include medical costs and lost wages due to an illness caused by the contaminated water supply at Camp Lejeune.
You should also consider whether other people were exposed as well. For example, your family members might have been affected by the same source of contamination. This can help strengthen your case against the government and make sure that all parties involved receive fair compensation for their losses.
What To Expect From A Camp Lejeune Lawsuit Lawyer
According to the 2022 National Lawyer Population Survey conducted by the American Bar Association, the number of active lawyers in the US has increased by 6.6% from 2012 to 2022. Therefore, finding a lawyer for your lawsuit is going to be easy work.
First, you will be informed about the process of filing a Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuit. The time frame for this can vary depending on the type of illness suffered by a veteran and whether the VA has already determined that your illness was caused by contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. It may take years before you know what type of compensation you are entitled to receive as part of your claim.
Your attorney will also inform you about your rights and responsibilities as they relate to this process. You are expected to cooperate with all requests made by your attorney and other parties involved in investigating or litigating your case. Your cooperation is essential because it may help speed up any court proceedings that come up later on down the road; failure to cooperate could result in delays or even dismissal of some or all parts of your lawsuit.
How Can You File a Claim for the Camp Lejeune Water Contamination
Filing a claim with the VA is the first step towards getting compensation for your illness. The VA will decide if you are eligible for benefits and how much money, if any, they’ll give you. If the VA decides that you aren’t eligible to receive benefits, then there’s nothing else that can be done about it.
However, if they decide that you are eligible for compensation, then a process called “adjudication” begins in which an administrative law judge will review all of your medical records and other relevant evidence from both sides before deciding whether or not they should award compensation benefits.
If they decide against awarding benefits, then one final avenue remains: filing suit in federal court under CERCLA, the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act. This kind of lawsuit is extremely expensive, so make sure that it’s really worth pursuing before doing so.
What Kind of Compensation Could I Get After Filing a Lawsuit?
If you file a lawsuit, you could be eligible to receive compensation for the following:
- Medical bills. If your family member was diagnosed with cancer or other diseases as a result of exposure at Camp Lejeune, the Marines Corps may be held liable for paying for your loved one’s medical costs. Depending on the severity of their illness and how quickly it was diagnosed, this could include doctor’s visits, prescriptions, and surgeries.
- Pain and suffering damages. Your loved one experienced tremendous emotional distress from being exposed to toxic chemicals at Camp Lejeune, and depending on their condition over time, they may continue to suffer from these symptoms long after any physical signs disappear. These ongoing mental anguish issues are known as pain and suffering damages under tort law. They help compensate victims who weren’t physically injured but still feel pain because of someone else’s negligence.
- Past lost wages due to injuries sustained while serving at Camp Lejeune
- Future lost wages after retirement due in part due serving at Camp Lejeune
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are many things to consider when filing a Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuit. However, it is important to understand that this process will not be easy. The best way to ensure that you get the compensation you deserve is by working with an experienced attorney who can help guide you through the process and make sure your case gets filed properly.