WigRum Applauds Passage of the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022: Protecting Victims of Toxic Tap Water at North Carolina Marine Base
Aug 06, 2022
Within the groundbreaking Honoring our PACT Act of 2022 is the long overdue passage of protection and help to those who have, or will, suffer harm after ingesting contaminated water while living or working at the United States Marine Corps’ Camp Lejeune in North Carolina at any time between August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987, for at least thirty days.
Entitled the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022, this new law will provide legal redress for victims, allowing them to seek financial compensation for damages they have suffered in bodily injury including disability; physical harm or death; and miscarriage.
The White House has expressed support for this new legislation and we expect President Biden to sign the act into law at any time.
- Read the text of the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 here (the “Act”).
What Happened at Camp Lejeune?
Between the years of 1953 and 1987, drinking water for Camp Lejeune was provided through two treatment plants (Hadnot Point and Tarawa Terrace) as well as the Holcomb Boulevard water system. Toxic chemicals were floating in this water, which was provided for human use and consumption, as well as various volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) in amounts considered unsafe for humans.
It is not in dispute that the following toxic chemicals were in the Camp Lejeune drinking water: trichloroethylene (TCE), tetrachloroethylene (aka perchloroethylene), vinyl chloride, and benzene.
As a result of the exposure to these contaminants, human beings will suffer serious harm as established by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
- Read the ATSDR’s 2017 Report on Camp Lejeune here (entitled “ATSDR Assessment of the Evidence for the Drinking Water Contaminants at Camp Lejeune and Specific Cancers and Other Diseases.”)
Sadly, those who lived or worked at North Carolina’s Camp Lejeune at any time between 1953 and 1987 may have fallen ill, perhaps fatally, from the medical conditions recognized to be caused by exposure to the evils found within the Camp Lejeune water, such as:
· Bladder cancer
· Brain cancer
· Breast cancer
· Cardiac birth defects
· Esophageal cancer
· Infertility (female)
· Hepatic steatosis
· Kidney cancer
· Leukemia
· Liver cancer
· Liver cirrhosis
· Lung cancer
· Miscarriage of Pregnancy
· Multiple myeloma
· Myelodysplastic syndrome
· Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
· Pancreatic Cancer
· Prostate Cancer
· Parkinson’s Disease
· Renal toxicity (Kidney disease / kidney failure)
· Scleroderma
· Soft tissue cancer.
Causation, of course, will be a key component of the advancing Camp Lejeune claims for relief. Each victim will have to provide admissible evidence that connects the contaminated water to personal exposure during the pertinent time period and a resulting health condition or bodily harm.
Two Year Window for Justice Starts to Run When the Act Becomes Law
Of importance here is the limitations framework established in the Act. The Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 creates a two (2) year deadline that begins to run on the date that the Act is enacted for legal claims to be filed by these military veterans, their family members, and any others who can show they were exposed to the toxic water at Camp Lejeune during the 1953 – 1987 time frame. The usual statute of limitations set up by the state law of North Carolina will not apply in these matters.
From WigRum founding partner Jeff Wigington:
“For those dedicated to helping injured people who have suffered through no fault of their own, perhaps even losing their lives due to the bad acts of another, the passage of the Camp Lejeune Act of 2022 is a cause for celebration, particularly because it seeks to bring justice to those who offer their lives in service to our country and deserve the best that our country has to offer.
“WigRum applauds the bipartisan effort to get this law passed and for the President’s vocal support for justice for all Camp Lejeune victims. It is long overdue.
“Now, we must all make our best efforts to make sure that the victims of Camp Lejeune’s contaminated water are aware of this new path for justice and the limited time within which they have the right to seek redress.”
WigRum Representation of Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Victims and Their Families
WigRum is one of a handful of law firms in the United States to have achieved three nine-figure jury verdicts for its clients (in three trials alone, WigRum lawyers obtained verdicts of approximately half a billion dollars ($474,043,726.86.)). Our firm has achieved jury awards against some of the biggest corporate defendants in the country (e.g., Ford Motor Company and Volkswagen Group of America).
Of note, WigRum past water contamination representations include the Corpus Christi Drinking Water Contamination MDL, where the City of Corpus Christi was notified in December 2016 that the city’s drinking water was filled with toxic chemicals, including specifically Indulin AA-86, a known carcinogen.
Today, WigRum is proud to make available its significant trial record, including its past experience involving complex environmental water legal issues and multi-district litigation, to those who may have grounds for a legal claim for damages under the Camp LeJeune Act of 2022.
There is no cost or obligation to have a possible Camp LeJeune claim evaluated. WigRum also remains available to collaborate with other law firms to achieve justice for victims of this horrific, tragic, and outrageous toxin exposure at one of our respected and revered military bases.
For more information on how WigRum can help, those concerned should feel free to contact our offices where they can speak with an attorney one-on-one:
Toll-free: 866-494-4786
Corpus Christi: 361-885-7500
San Antonio: 210-487-7500