Serving in the United States military is about pride and honor. Those willing to fight for our country have earned respect — often in difficult ways. But what the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Department of Defense (DOD) has done to more than a million United States Marines and their families who were stationed at Camp Lejeune is beyond disrespectful; it is the ultimate betrayal.
For more than three decades, from 1953 to 1987, men, women, and children who dedicated their time and lives in service to our country bathed in and drank toxic water. Hundreds of babies died, many stillborn without a chance to ever take a breath on U.S. soil. There were so many deaths that a stretch of a cemetery nearby was dubbed “Baby Heaven.”
Children were not the only victims. Marines, their military family members, and civilian contractors and staff have since developed deadly cancers, Parkinson’s disease, and other serious illnesses linked to lethal chemicals that flowed freely into camp wells.
The most horrible part of it all is that the VA, the DOD and even lawmakers deceived these veterans, covering up their crime for years then, when the truth came out, wriggling through legal loopholes to avoid accountability, and to shirk their financial and moral responsibilities to hundreds of thousands of Marines and their families.
What’s more, lawmakers altered North Carolina’s strict 10-year statute of repose, which meant Marines and their families could not sue the government and seek justice. Moreover, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) knew Camp Lejeune water was making people sick, but they refused to provide medical care on the basis of “insufficient evidence of causation.”
The good news is that bipartisan lawmakers are now making justice a reality. The bipartisan-sponsored Camp Lejeune Justice Act will soon be signed into law, allowing veterans, military families, and civilian staff who worked or lived at Camp Lejeune from 1953 until 1987 an opportunity to financially recover some of what they lost.
Have you or your family suffered from cancer, Parkinson’s disease, a birth injury or miscarriage after living or working at Camp Lejeune?
We’ll stand with you.
Call the OnderLaw team for a free, no-obligation consultation. Our Camp Lejeune lawyers can help.
Who is Eligible for Compensation through the Camp Lejeune Justice Act?
You may be eligible for compensation through the Camp Lejeune Justice Act if:
- You or a family member was stationed at, living at, or working at Camp Lejeune between August 1, 1953 to December 31, 1987 for 30 days or more; and
- You or a family member was diagnosed with cancer months or years after living or working on base; or
- You or your child was diagnosed with birth defects, leukemia, low birth weight, or other birth or in utero malformations; or
- You are a woman who miscarried a pregnancy or suffered infertility during or after your time on the base.
What if I was Diagnosed with Cancer Many Years Later?
The effects of exposure to toxic chemicals often take years to develop. Many studies show that exposure for more than 30 days puts you at increased risk for these problems, including cancers, Parkinson’s disease, and other terrible conditions, for the rest of your life. These chemicals cause illness even decades later. You are still eligible for compensation.
What if I already Receive Disability or other VA Benefits?
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act provides for lump sum compensation regardless of any other benefits you receive. It will NOT affect your other benefits.
What if I was at Camp Lejeune after 1987 and was Diagnosed with Cancer?
You may still be eligible for compensation under a different lawsuit. Call us. We’ll discuss your situation and decide together if you have a claim.
If you believe you may qualify for compensation, our Camp Lejeune cancer lawyers at OnderLaw can help. We have built a solid reputation taking on some of the biggest corporations in the world, and we are not intimidated by the government’s attempts to shortchange our veterans.
What kinds of cancers or injuries are eligible for Camp Lejeune lawsuit compensation?
At this time, we are not omitting any cancer diagnosis from our eligibility criteria. We believe the toxins that veterans and military families were exposed to may have had far-reaching effects, beyond what the government has admitted. This could change as the litigation evolves.
If you have been diagnosed with cancer following your residence or assignment at Camp Lejeune, call the Camp Lejeune Cancer Claims lawyers at OnderLaw.
Some of the toxic water-related diagnoses at Camp Lejeune include but are NOT limited to:
- bladder cancer
- breast cancer
- esophageal cancer
- hepatic steatosis
- kidney cancer
- leukemia
- lung cancer
- appendix cancer
- brain cancer
- bile duct cancer
- colorectal cancer
- gallbladder cancer
- intestinal cancer
- pancreatic cancer
- sinus cancer
- soft tissue sarcoma
- spinal cancer
- multiple myeloma
- myelodysplastic syndromes
- non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL)
- Parkinson’s disease
- prostate cancer
- any other cancer
- renal toxicity (kidney failure)
- scleroderma
- miscarriage
- female infertility
Injuries infants and children sustained include:
- birth defects
- leukemia
- low birth weight
- other malformations
- death
Did you or a family member suffer from any of the above injuries or other cancers following a work or residential assignment at North Carolina’s Camp Lejeune? We can help.
What Chemicals were in Camp Lejeune Water?
The pollutants identified in Camp Lejeune water include:
- trichloroethylene (TCE) – solvent used for cleaning munitions
- tetrachloroethylene (PCE) – solvent used in a nearby dry-cleaning facility that cleaned millions of uniforms
- vinyl chloride (VC) – chemical that results when TCE and PCE degrade in groundwater
- benzene – used to make chemicals found in plastics, resins, and nylon and other synthetic fibers.
All of these chemicals are colorless and deadly, and they should never be consumed.
Why Didn’t the DOD Fix the Lejeune Water Problem?
Many people, including veterans’ organizations that have been fighting for justice for Camp Lejeune Marines for decades, insist that the military knew of the pollution for many years before it quietly began closing the most contaminated wells in the mid- to late-1980s. What’s more, many insist that, even after that time, contamination persisted in some active wells. There is reason to believe this is true, but unfortunately, there is no mechanism to allow those who lived or worked on the base later than 1987.
We often believe that those in power will do what is right, but we have seen and experienced enough to know that, often, this is not the case. Those in charge likely thought they could remain quiet and pass the torch to the next commander or the next administration. It’s not fair. It’s not right. And it’s not the America you or your family members fought to defend.
In 2017, Congress passed the VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act, which made it easier for those who wanted to do the right thing. Since then, the VA has begun to change its unethical and outdated ways. There is still much work to do, but veterans’ health issues, including those resulting from toxic exposure to Camp Lejeune water, are starting to be addressed.
Camp Lejeune Justice Act
Fortunately for more than a million people who were exposed to Camp Lejeune’s toxins, change is on its way.
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act is a critical piece in righting the wrongs that have been done to veterans and their families for decades. It will likely cost the government billions dollars to resolve. However, it was the government who created the problem, and it is the government’s duty to solve it.
No amount of money can make up for the loss of a loved one or the cost of a life-changing injury. We believe that recognition of and compensation for the government’s wrong actions is the least that should happen in order to honor those who have made such great sacrifices on our behalf.
Until we get justice for Camp Lejeune, its former residents — the Marines suffering from Parkinson’s disease and cancer, the babies who died in birth, the many couples who lost children during or after birth —will be living legacies of government negligence and incompetence.
We are standing with U.S. Marines, military families, and civilian staff to make it right. Stand with us.
Call OnderLaw for a free, no-obligation consultation.
Disclaimer:
The Overholt Law Firm, PC, 2505 College Rd, Wilmington, NC 28412 in association with OnderLaw is responsible for this ad. OnderLaw attorneys are not licensed to practice in North Carolina. Any and all potential Camp Lejeune Justice Act claims and causes of action that OnderLaw may investigate and pursue are strictly limited to federal law tort claims exclusively created under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, and OnderLaw will not pursue any North Carolina state law claims or causes of action. OnderLaw attorneys are licensed to practice law in the states of Missouri, Illinois, Kansas, Tennessee, Florida, and California.
The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements. Past results afford no guarantee of future results. Every case is different and must be judged on its own merits. OnderLaw , 110 E. Lockwood, St. Louis, Mo 63119.
