WILMINGTON, N.C.—July 30, 2024—Camp Lejeune is the site of one of the most severe drinking water contamination crises in the history of the United States. While landmark legislation has opened a pathway for people exposed to this toxic water to receive compensation, the August 10, 2024, deadline for victims to take action is fast approaching.
Shipman & Wright, a leading law firm in Wilmington, N.C., is currently working alongside attorneys from across the country to hold the federal government accountable for exposing countless veterans and their families to contaminated water. For decades, Camp Lejeune residents were misled by the government. Attempts by independent scientists to reveal the scope of the contamination were unsupported and unproductive, allowing the true breadth of the crisis to be obscured for far too long.
Between at least 1953 and 1987, Camp Lejeune provided contaminated water to the service members, civilian staff, and their families who resided on base. Contaminant levels in Camp Lejeune’s finished water—which flowed from taps in on-base housing, elementary schools, hospitals and other structures—were 280 times higher than levels currently considered safe by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Finally, victims have been provided a path to justice with the 2022 Camp Lejeune Justice Act (CLJA). The CLJA allows victims of the water contamination crisis, who developed diseases or injuries after residing at Camp Lejeune, to seek compensation from the government. Estimates indicate as many as one million people were exposed to the toxic drinking water.
Thousands of lawsuits have already been filed under the CLJA. Shipman & Wright currently represents over 100 victims and family members of service men and women who have suffered severe injuries caused by the water contamination crisis at Camp Lejeune.
Under the CLJA, anyone who spent more than 30 days at Camp Lejeune between August 1953 and December 1987 is eligible to pursue compensation from the government. The first step for victims seeking to join this nation-spanning lawsuit is to file a notice of a tort claim with the U.S. Navy. More than 260,000 such claims have already been filed, and approximately 1,800 lawsuits that stem from these claims are moving through the court.
Shipman & Wright attorneys can help those who previously resided at Camp Lejeune for at least 30 days between 1953 and 1987. Our firm is navigating plaintiffs through the claims process and preparing them for the upcoming settlement options and lawsuits.
