Did you work or live at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina, between August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987? If you’ve been diagnosed with a serious medical condition or delivered a baby with birth defects, you may be entitled to a substantial monetary award.
Choosing the award-winning legal team at Elrod Pope Accident & Injury Attorneys can help you navigate this stressful time and maximize your financial recovery.
Since 1980, our top-rated South Carolina trial attorneys have helped everyday people stand up to corporations, government agencies, and other powerful entities. Our results speak volumes, with more than $100 million in damages recovered.
Benefit from a team with over 150 years of collective experience and a demonstrated ability to win top results. Contact our law office in Rock Hill, South Carolina, at 803-324-7574 to schedule a free consultation today.
How Elrod Pope Accident & Injury Attorneys Can Help With a Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Lawsuit
As a victim of Camp Lejeune water contamination, you’re probably struggling with debilitating injuries, overwhelming financial costs, and severe emotional distress. Fortunately, you may have the right to sue the government for putting you in a situation where you could become sick. However, taking on the government is no small feat, and these claims are often far from simple.
That’s where our South Carolina personal injury lawyers can help.
For more than 30 years, our law firm has supported injury victims and families in pursuit of life-changing monetary awards when they’ve been injured by the negligent and wrongful acts of others. During that time, we’ve forced governments and corporations to pay our clients in excess of $100 million in damages.
Here’s what to expect when you turn to us for help with your South Carolina Camp Lejeune lawsuit.
We will:
- Conduct a thorough investigation into your case
- Demonstrate that you qualify for compensation because you meet the parameters established by federal law
- Gather and evaluate evidence needed to prove your injuries and establish your damages
- Enlist expert witnesses to help us more accurately understand the full extent of your damages and calculate what your Camp Lejeune lawsuit is worth
- Represent you during all conversations, negotiations, and hearings with the government and its agents
- Aggressively pursue a settlement offer that fully compensates you for your injuries, trauma, and costs
- Bring your Camp Lejeune lawsuit to trial if the government refuses to pay for the harm it allowed you to suffer
Choosing Elrod Pope Accident & Injury Attorneys means showing the government that you won’t be pressured into a lowball deal or walk away without exercising the full extent of your rights under the law. It means forcing meaningful negotiations and setting yourself up for the financial victory you deserve.
Our personal injury law firm in Rock Hill, SC, advocates for victims of Camp Lejeune water contamination on a contingency fee basis. You only pay if we win compensation for you.
We represent clients in Rock Hill and across the state of South Carolina. Contact our law office to set up a time for a free consultation now.
Why Are People Filing Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Lawsuits?
Camp Lejeune is a 246-square-mile Marine Corps military base on the coast of North Carolina. Established in 1941, it quickly became one of the top military training locations in the country, with hundreds of thousands of military servicemembers and civilians stationed there annually.
However, in 1980, the Marine Corps discovered that two of its water well systems were contaminated with Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), including perchloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene. VOCs, when consumed, ingested, or absorbed, can cause a host of serious medical conditions or result in death.
Contamination is believed to be linked to improper waste disposal practices by the government and a dry cleaning business located just outside of the base, industrial spills, and leaking underground waste disposal sites.
An investigation determined that the water was likely contaminated for decades, dating all the way back to 1957. It was also discovered that military officials knew about the contamination but failed to take appropriate steps to fix the problem or protect those living on the base.
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) estimates that as many as one million people have been adversely affected by the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. Many of those victims have taken steps to sue the government for the injuries, illnesses, and deaths they’ve experienced because of the military’s actions.
Can I File a Claim Under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act?
Even though many victims brought lawsuits for injuries related to Camp Lejeune water contamination, few cases were successful. Despite compelling evidence, most claims were filed long after any applicable statute of limitations had run.
In other words, victims had legitimate claims, but government-established time limits stood between them and a successful recovery.
Members of Congress took action and added language to the Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022, which would give injured military personnel and their families the right to recover compensation for injuries, illnesses, and deaths related to Camp Lejeune’s contaminated water supply.
Known as the Camp Lejeune Justice Act (CLJA) of 2022, it allows victims to sue the government if they:
- Lived or worked at Camp Lejeune for at least 30 consecutive days between August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987,
- Were diagnosed with a serious medical condition, and
- Previously filed a Federal Tort Claims Act claim with the government that was denied or ignored.
Some medical conditions will automatically qualify an individual to file a Camp Lejeune lawsuit, including:
- Kidney damage
- Kidney disease
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Scleroderma
- Bladder cancer
- Breast cancer
- Brain cancer
- Testicular cancer
- Prostate cancer
- Cervical cancer
- Ovarian cancer
- Leukemia
- Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
- Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
- Rectal cancer
- Lung cancer
- Infertility
- Miscarriage
- Birth defects
- Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)
- Myelodysplastic syndromes
- Epilepsy
You may also qualify if you can demonstrate that you’ve suffered another type of serious medical condition that is likely caused by exposure to VOCs.
What Compensation Can Be Awarded to Victims of Camp Lejeune Water Contamination in South Carolina?
Filing a Camp Lejeune lawsuit can give you the opportunity to seek compensatory damages for your injuries, costs, and suffering. Compensatory damages include both economic and non-economic awards, which each serve a distinct purpose.
Economic damages are intended to help you handle the financial costs and monetary losses you’ve had because of your Camp Lejeune injury, such as:
- Past, present, and future medical bills
- Disability
- Lost wages
- Diminished earning capacity
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Rehabilitation
- Nursing care
- Funeral expenses
Non-economic damages are intended to help you cope with any trauma or life changes you experience because of your illness, such as:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Loss of consortium
- Reduced quality of life
- Embarrassment
- Disfigurement
Government attorneys will try to minimize your recovery by challenging your claims and downplaying the extent and severity of your injuries. Our South Carolina Camp Lejeune water contamination lawyers will not let them stand between you and the money you deserve.
We’ll build a comprehensive claim supported by expert testimony that fully demonstrates the losses and suffering you’ve expereinced. When it’s time to negotiate, we’ll force the other side to offer a meaningful settlement or risk going up against our award-winning South Carolina litigators at trial.
What’s the Statute of Limitations for Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Lawsuits?
You must file your Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuit by August of 2024 or within 180 days of having your Federal Tort Claims Act claim denied, whichever is sooner.
If you do not file your lawsuit within the applicable statute of limitations, you will not be able to recover compensation for injuries you’ve suffered because of Camp Lejeune’s contaminated water supply.
You have a great opportunity in front of you. Don’t miss out because of a procedural technicality. Contact Elrod Pope Accident & Injury Attorneys for help if you think you qualify to file a Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuit in South Carolina. We can help you assert your rights and protect your opportunity to get the compensation you deserve.
Schedule a Free Consultation to Discuss Your South Carolina Camp Lejeune Lawsuit
You may qualify to file a South Carolina Camp Lejeune lawsuit even if you’ve received VA benefits for your medical condition. Call Elrod Pope Accident & Injury Attorneys to discover how we can help you maximize your fight for compensation.
Choosing Elrod Pope Accident & Injury Attorneys means working with award-winning South Carolina trial attorneys with over 150 years of combined experience. We’re not afraid to go above and beyond for our clients to achieve top results. Our determined, client-focused strategies have helped us win over $100 million in compensation.
Now, we’re here to help you hold the government accountable for your devastating diagnosis. Learn more about your rights and our legal services by contacting our law office in Rock Hill, SC, today. We offer a free initial case evaluation and are always available to answer your call.