Camp Lejeune Water Contamination
In the early 1950s, the drinking water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune became contaminated with hazardous chemicals. These contaminated wells weren’t shut down until the late 1980s, meaning up to a million marine corps personnel and their families unknowingly drank and bathed in this toxic water. Volatile organic compounds (“VOCs”) found in the water include perchloroethylene (a dry cleaning chemical), trichloroethylene (a degreaser), benzene (from the fuel farm), and vinyl chloride. Concentrations of these VOCs were up to 3400 times the levels authorized by safety standards. The U.S. Marine Corps knew that the water was toxic, yet made no effort to solve this problem and instead decided to conceal this information for decades.
The U.S. Federal Government began investigating these allegations in 2009. The CDC has since linked the contaminated water to multiple cancers and diseases. In August of 2022, Congress passed the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, which provides damages to those affected by toxic exposure.
Our attorneys at Pangia Law Group (formerly Anderson Pangia & Associates) have been working on this case for over 15 years. Our attorneys filed some of the first complaints in the Eastern District of North Carolina starting in 2009. In 2010 the attorneys for the firm asked that the Panel On Multi-District Litigation (“MDL Panel”) to consolidate all of the Camp Lejeune water contamination cases to the Eastern District of North Carolina. Unfortunately, the MDL Panel moved the cases to Atlanta. Eventually the District Court for the Northern District of Georgia dismissed the case against the Federal Government on jurisdictional grounds. Our firm appealed the dismissal to the 11th Circuit and attempted to appeal the matter to the United States Supreme Court.
On August 10, 2022 the President signed the Camp Lejeune Justice Act. If you resided at Camp Lejeune for at least 30 cumulative days between August 1953 and December 1987, you may be entitled to compensation for health issues potentially caused by the contaminated water. Service members, including former Marines, as well as their families who were injured by the toxic water may file claims under the Act. The time to file claims under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act will expire on August 9, 2024.
The Pangia Law Group represents former Marines and their family members on a contingent fee basis. If you are interested in being represented, please contact us.