Camp Lejeune

Overview of the Camp Lejeune Litigation

The Camp Lejeune military training facility was established in 1942 in Jacksonville, North Carolina. It’s become one of the Marine Corp’s busiest and largest bases. But from 1953 to 1987, toxic chemicals seeped into people’s everyday lives on base.

Experts believe multiple sources contaminated groundwater near Camp Lejeune, tainting the base’s water supply. Those sources include:

• spills at industrial sites on base,
• leaking storage tanks and dumps and storage lots, and
• an off-base dry cleaner’s improper dumping.

While it is unknown exactly when the contamination began, the U.S. government acknowledges that from 1953 to 1987, more than a million Marines and their family members who lived on Camp Lejeune and civilians who worked on base were exposed to these hazardous chemicals in the water supply. The chemicals are linked to numerous serious and life-threatening health hazards.

President Biden signed the Camp Lejeune Justice Act on Aug. 10, 2022. The Act is part of the broader Honoring our PACT Act legislation. It allows victims to file civil Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuits in federal court within two years of that date to receive compensation for their injuries separate and distinct from Veteran’s Administration (VA) benefits.

The Camp Lejeune Justice Act

The Camp Lejeune Justice Act provides an opportunity for anyone, who lived or worked at the base for more than thirty days between Aug. 1, 1953, to Dec. 31, 1987, and was exposed to the contaminated water on base resulting in injuries, to file a claim against the U.S. government. 

Without this bill, military personnel and civilians who suffered severe health issues due to exposure to Camp Lejeune’s contaminated water supply would not be able to seek compensation for their injuries. North Carolina’s statute of repose limits individuals to bring suit within ten years. However, the Camp Lejeune Justice Act removes this strict statute of repose for these cases so that they can be fairly heard on their merits.