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WaterContaminationat Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune

Did you spend at least 30 days at Camp Lejeune between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987? Have you been diagnosed with a serious health condition such as cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Parkinson’s disease, or multiple myeloma? If you answered both questions yes, it’s possible you developed health conditions as a result of exposure to contaminated drinking water.

Various parties have taken legal action in the years since the Navy discovered contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. Thanks to the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, you may also be able to file a claim. Filing a Camp Lejeune claim or lawsuit allows you to seek compensation for medical bills and other losses associated with your health condition.

Speak with a Camp Lejeune lawyer for more information. At Law Experts, we may help you pursue the justice you deserve.

What is CampLejeune?

Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune is in Jacksonville, North Carolina. It has been in operation since 1941. Due to the presence of beaches at the site, the Navy often uses Camp Lejeune for amphibious assault training purposes.

What Is the CampLejeuneJusticeAct?

President Biden signed the Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022 into law on August 10, 2022. This act contains the Camp Lejeune Justice Act.

The Camp Lejeune Justice Act provides individuals who have developed health conditions potentially resulting from exposure to toxic water at Camp Lejeune with a means of seeking compensation. Those who developed health conditions resulting from exposure to Camp Lejeune’s drinking water between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987, may now file claims with the Navy to seek compensation.

Who Is Eligibleto File a Camp Lejeune Justice Act Claim?

To establish that you are eligible to receive compensation under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, you must show that:

  • You spent at least 30 days at Camp Lejeune between August 1, 1953, and ending on December 31, 1987
  • During your time at Camp Lejeune, you were exposed to contaminated drinking water (as not all water sources at Camp Lejeune were contaminated)
  • You developed health conditions resulting from exposure to toxic water at Camp Lejeune

You do not need to have lived at Camp Lejeune to be eligible for compensation. You merely need to have spent at least 30 days there within the specified timeframe.

In addition, you may have been a developing fetus when your mother consumed or was exposed to toxic water at Camp Lejeune. You may also be eligible to file a claim in these circumstances.

The most common types of health issues resulting from exposure to contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune are various types of cancers. However, exposure to toxic water may also cause other issues, like heart disease, birth defects, Parkinson’s disease, and more.

Speak with a Camp Lejeune attorney if you’re not sure whether your health condition is one that may have resulted from exposure to Camp Lejeune’s water. A legal professional familiar with these matters can help determine whether you have a valid case.

How Can a Camp Lejeune Attorney Help?

Showing you are eligible to file a Camp Lejeune Justice Act claim may require gathering substantial documentation. An attorney can assist you with this process. Additional ways a Camp Lejeune lawyer can help include:

  • Obtaining documentary proof – Your lawyer can work to find the proof that you or a family member was stationed at Camp Lejeune to show that you were there during the required period.
  • Handling administrative tasks – A lawyer can file paperwork, submit documents, and handle all other administrative tasks the process of resolving a claim may involve. This allows you to focus on your health right now.
  • Determining proper compensation – An attorney can gather documentation of your losses to show why you may be eligible to receive a certain amount of money.
  • Handling your appeal – It’s wise to hire an attorney from the start of the claims process. If you didn’t and your claim was denied, you can still hire a lawyer to assist with your appeal.

Camp Lejeune attorneys are likely handling many cases similar to yours. Since the passage of the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, many have filed claims accordingly. Thus, an attorney will know how to build a strong case on your behalf.

Can I ImmediatelyFile a Camp Lejeune Lawsuit?

The Camp Lejeune Justice Act requires you to file an administrative claim with the Department of the Navy first before proceeding to a lawsuit. You may file a lawsuit if the Navy denies your claim or doesn’t issue a decision within six months of the date you filed it.

What Is a Camp Lejeune MassTort?

A Camp Lejeune lawsuit could qualify to join a mass tort lawsuit. Mass torts arise when numerous parties sustain harm due to the actions or carelessness of the same party. Often, the nature of the harm these individuals experience is similar.

Handling all these similar lawsuits across multiple courts is an unwieldy process. It’s often more efficient to have one court or judge handle numerous lawsuits at once.

Mass torts involve filing similar lawsuits in the same jurisdiction to simplify litigation. However, a mass tort isn’t the same as a class action lawsuit.

Class action lawsuits also involve multiple plaintiffs who’ve experienced similar harm at the hands of the same defendant. In a class action lawsuit, all the plaintiffs are part of one case. That means they need to divide the compensation they receive among themselves. Plaintiffs in these circumstances may not receive large individual settlements as a result.

In a class action lawsuit, the purpose of seeking compensation isn’t necessarily to make plaintiffs whole. It’s to provide some compensation for all affected parties while deterring a defendant from harming others in the future.

That’s not the case with a Camp Lejeune mass tort. Your case will not be part of one big lawsuit. Your case will be an individual lawsuit. Because of this, any compensation you receive will be your own.

Can You Afford an Attorney?

Can You Afforda Camp Lejeune Attorney?

Are you reluctant to hire a lawyer to assist with your Camp Lejeune lawsuit? Do you feel you can’t justify paying for an attorney when you’re already paying for medical treatment, adjusting to diminished earning capacity, and more?

Don’t worry about legal fees. A Camp Lejeune attorney understands that you can’t take any unreasonable financial risks when you may already be struggling financially as a result of exposure to contaminated water.

That’s why many Camp Lejeune lawsuit attorneys enter into contingency fee agreements with their clients. In such an agreement, an attorney’s fee is contingent on the outcome of a case.

You don’t pay any upfront fees for legal services when you enter into a contingency fee agreement. A lawyer’s fee is a percentage of the compensation you receive.

Such an agreement prevents you from losing money if you don’t win your case. With a contingency fee agreement, you only pay for legal services if your lawyer secures compensation for you. You don’t pay anything if you get no money.

The contingency fee model also incentivizes a firm to offer its clients aggressive representation. A lawyer working on a contingency fee basis knows that the more money they secure for their client, the more they earn as well.

CompensationThat Could Be Available

If you suffered injuries because of water contamination at Camp LeJeune, you could be entitled to compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more. Discuss your case with an attorney to better understand what compensation you could pursue in a lawsuit. A legal professional needs to learn about the details of your case to answer your questions about compensation accurately.

Contacta Camp Lejeune Attorney Today

Even with this information about Camp Lejeune lawsuits, you may still be unsure whether you have grounds to take legal action. We at Law Experts can help. Get started today by taking a questionnaire on this page to find out whether you qualify.

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