Columbus Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Lawyers

Camp Lejeune is a U.S. Marine Corps facility located in North Carolina that was found to be contaminated with hazardous chemicals and other toxins. Over the years, these chemicals have been linked to a variety of serious health issues, including cancer, reproductive problems, and birth defects. If you or someone you know has been affected by this contamination, it is important to speak with an experienced attorney. 

Rourke & Blumenthal can help you fight for the compensation you deserve for any losses or damages resulting from the water contamination at Camp Lejeune. Our personal injury attorneys have over 150 years of combined legal experience successfully handling complex cases.

A Historical Overview of Water Contamination at Camp Lejeune 

Since it was first constructed in the early stages of World War II, the training facility and base at Camp Lejeune along the Atlantic seaboard in North Carolina has been home of hundreds of thousands of U.S. Marines and family members.  Over the course of the past eighty years, Camp Lejeune has grown to the size of a major city, occupying approximately 245 square miles, with more than 6,000 housing units and other buildings and a population exceeding 150,000. 

From the very early stages of its history, however, there have been a multitude of issues with improper planning, oversight and management of the water distribution systems located at Camp Lejeune that led to dangerous conditions. As a result, for decades countless Marines, family members and civilians were exposed to various contaminants including trichloroethylene (TCE), tetrachloroethylene (PCE), benzene, and vinyl chloride at levels unsafe for human consumption or exposure.

Types of Health Issues Commonly Associated with Water Contamination

Exposure to toxic chemicals in the water at Camp Lejeune has been linked to a variety of health issues and illnesses. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ASTDR) and many studies have linked the contaminants found at Camp Lejeune to a variety of serious illnesses and conditions, including many of the following:

• Kidney Cancer 
• Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
• Multiple Myeloma
• Myelodysplastic Syndromes
• Leukemias
• Liver Cancer
• Bladder Cancer
• Breast Cancer
• Lung Cancer
• Ovarian Cancer
• Prostate Cancer
• Rectal Cancer
• Brain Cancer
• Parkinson’s Disease
• Kidney Diseases
• Systemic Sclerosis/Scleroderma
• Cardiac Defects and Birth Abnormalities

If you or someone you know has been affected by contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, we encourage you to reach out to our Camp Lejeune water contamination lawyers in Columbus. Contact us today by calling (614) 321-3212 to get started on your case.

The Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 (CLJA)

While many of the health hazards linked water at Camp Lejeune first came to light decades ago, until recently there was no viable means of legal recourse for those impacted due to legal issues such as governmental immunity and North Carolina’s “statute of repose,” which prevent lawsuits from being brought many years after the events occurred.  However, on August 10, 2022, the Camp Lejeune Justice Act was signed into law, nullifying these legal arguments and opening a path for many of those impacted by this tragic situation to receive compensation. 

Under the Act, service members and civilians may qualify if it can be shown that they were exposed to the water at Camp Lejeune for more than thirty days between August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987 and subsequently suffered from a health condition or death linked to the contaminants.  In order to pursue such a recovery, a claim must first be submitted to the Department of the Navy.  If the claim is denied or not settled within six months, then the impacted individual (or their estate representative, if deceased) may pursue a civil lawsuit in Federal Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina.  The Act gives claimants a limited window from the date of its passage, however, and such a lawsuit must be filed within two years of the Act’s passage (August 10, 2024) or within six months of the Department of the Navy’s denial of the claim.

Contact Rourke & Blumenthal for Unwavering Representation

Rourke & Blumenthal is here to help military service members and their families affected by water contamination at Camp Lejeune. We are a dedicated team of experienced legal professionals who understand the gravity of this issue and are committed to obtaining justice for those harmed by this negligence. Victims of water contamination at Camp Lejeune should turn to us for steadfast representation in court and assistance with filing their lawsuits. Your case deserves experienced representation, and Rourke & Blumenthal knows how to fight for the compensation you need.