In a Camp Lejeune lung cancer lawsuit, you may be able to sue the U.S. government for damages. From August 1, 1953, to December 31, 1987, people living or working at the U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, were exposed to tap water poisoned by industrial solvents and chemicals known to be cancer-causing toxins. As a result, military families and civilian workers who bathed in, drank, cooked, and cleaned with the toxic water have been diagnosed with often-fatal cancers, including lung cancer.
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act (CLJA) is new legislation allowing anyone who lived or worked at or near the base to seek reparations from the U.S. government and outside the Veterans Administration (VA).
Do not hesitate to reach out to our firm if you think you may have a Camp Lejeune lung cancer lawsuit. Marc Whitehead & Associates assists veterans, reservists, guardsmen, family members, non-military (civilian) workers, and contractors devastated by lung cancer after exposure to the polluted drinking water at the base.
What Are the Early Signs of Lung Cancer from Exposure at Camp Lejeune?
Lung cancer is most effectively treated when diagnosed early. However, the American Cancer Society reports that most people with lung cancer don’t have (or may not recognize) the subtle, early signs and symptoms until the cancer has spread (metastasized).
Common symptoms that may support a Camp Lejeune lung cancer lawsuit include:
- A persistent cough that may worsen
- Fatigue
- Chest pain that worsens with deep breaths or coughing
- Wheezing
- Hoarseness
- Shortness of breath
- Coughing up blood or sputum
- Loss of appetite
- Weight loss with no known cause
- Recurring pneumonia or bronchitis
- Swollen lymph glands in the chest and between the lungs
As lung cancer advances and spreads to other parts of the body, new symptoms may arise in that part of the body as well.
Did Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Contribute to Your Lung Cancer?
Marines and their families lived on the base. Children were born and raised there, and some were exposed to the toxins in utero.
Unfortunately, like many other workers or residents on the base, lung cancer diagnosis may not have occurred until years after exposure. An experienced CLJA lawyer at our firm can help you link your lung cancer to the chemicals that permeated the base’s water supply.
Investigations by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) and many other studies show that certain volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) contaminating the water at Camp Lejeune can cause lung cancer. Therefore, if your exposure to the water at Camp Lejeune later developed into lung cancer or other qualifying cancer, you have the right to file a claim for compensation in a Camp Lejeune lung cancer lawsuit.
What Financial Compensation is Available for Lung Cancer?
The more severe or fatal the cancer is, the greater the potential for considerable financial compensation for the cancer patient or their surviving family members.
An experienced Camp Lejeune lung cancer lawyer will examine many factors to determine how much compensation you should seek, including:
- The extent and severity of the lung cancer
- The cost of medical care (past, ongoing, and future)
- Lost wages and loss of earning capacity, and
- The extent of your pain and suffering (mental and physical)
- Loss of enjoyment of life, loss of companionship, and loss of earning capacity
- Disability
Was a loved one lost due to toxic water exposure at the base? In this case, you may merit significant compensation for medical expenses, burial costs, lost benefits, and more in a wrongful death claim.
NOTE! Settlements through a Camp Lejeune lung cancer lawsuit against the federal government are civil lawsuits. These are separate from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) existing Camp Lejeune water-related benefits available through the VA’s presumptive benefits program and the VA’s service-connected disability compensation program.
Marc Whitehead & Associates can help you with all of these matters.
How to File a Camp Lejeune Lung Cancer Claim or Lawsuit
To successfully file a CLJA claim, you must meet the following requirements.
1. You were exposed to contaminated Camp Lejeune water for not less than 30 days during the period beginning on August 1, 1953, and ending on December 31, 1987.
2. You suffered an illness linked to the toxic water.
3. You must meet the burden of proof under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act.
In order to recover compensation under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, your claim must show evidence that is either:
- “Sufficient to conclude that a causal relationship exists; or
- “Sufficient to conclude that a causal relationship is at least as likely as not.”
4. You must file your claim in the appropriate court.
CLJA claims will be filed exclusively in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina.
5. You must file on time.
Camp Lejeune lawsuits should be filed no later than August 10, 2024 (two years after the CLJA went into effect) – or – six months after your administrative claim is denied, whichever is later.
Two years is not a lot of time to take legal action. As one of thousands of claimants, you want to secure a place in line to pursue your claim. To make sense of the complex rules that apply to Camp Lejeune water claims, we urge you to immediately discuss your case with us.
How Can Marc Whitehead & Associates Help You?
We can help you start working on your Camp Lejeune lung cancer lawsuit immediately. A disability lawsuit attorney at our firm can help determine if you have a legal case under the CLJA.
As the plaintiff, you must prove a causal relationship between your exposure to the contaminated water and the harm you suffered. This is why having a Camp Lejeune litigation lawyer in your corner is vitally important.
Our lawyers will consider every aspect of your case and assess how lung cancer or other exposure-related health problems have affected you and your family over time. Let us fight for the justice you deserve so you receive maximum damages for your hardships.
