Camp Lejeune Status Report: Fall 2025

According to a recent Joint Status Report, filed September 22, 2025, current lawsuit number highlights include:

• 3,637 Camp Lejeune lawsuits have been filed in the Eastern District of North Carolina.
• Roughly 144 cases have already been dismissed, most voluntarily.
• The caseload is divided among four judges: Judge Dever (917 cases), Judge Myers (905), Judge Boyle (893) and Judge Flanagan (922).

It also provided updates on administrative claim numbers:

• The DON has received 409,910 de-duplicated administrative claims.
• About 167,754 contain at least one supporting document
• 64,041 claims allege an injury type that could be considered under the Elective Option (EO) settlement program.

DON officials emphasize that timely submission of supporting documents is necessary before settlements can be evaluated.

Litigation process updates

Litigation continues to progress through discovery. Expert depositions for Phase I (water contamination) and Phase II (general causation) have concluded. Phase III (specific causation) expert depositions have also been completed, although some disputes have arisen over scope and document production. Plaintiffs’ leadership has requested deadline extensions to account for these disputes. If approved, damages expert reports and rebuttals will now extend into early 2026.

Motions practice remains active. Several disputes, including the admissibility of water modeling opinions and limits on vapor intrusion testimony, remain pending. Resolution of these motions will be critical before Track 1 bellwether trials, which are expected in 2026.

The deadline to file a Camp Lejeune claim was August 2024. This was established by the Honoring our PACT Act of 2022, which allowed eligible individuals exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune to seek compensation for certain health conditions. While many claims were filed through the Department of the Navy (DON), a significant number of claimants are still awaiting a response.

Am I still eligible to file a Camp Lejeune claim?

No one is still eligible to file a Camp Lejeune Justice Act claim. The DON is not accepting new claimants. There have been no indications of a Camp Lejeune deadline extension.

If you filed before the deadline, you may be eligible to file a Camp Lejeune lawsuit if the DON didn’t reply within six months or denied your claim.

The DON is in the process of reviewing claims.

Once filed, the DON can either approve the claim and provide compensation or deny the claim. Please note: The DON won’t compensate every person who completed a Camp Lejeune claim.

The DON may also determine that the claimant qualifies for the EO. The DOJ and the DON introduced the EO to pay certain claimants more quickly.

Some attorneys worry that EO settlement amounts are insufficient to cover healthcare costs related to the harm suffered from toxic exposure at Camp Lejeune. Claimants have 60 days to accept the EO settlement payout; after 60 days, it expires. They’re also required to fill out paperwork indicating that they’re accepting the compensation.

The CLJA allows claimants to sue the DON if they’re denied or don’t receive a response within six months of filing their claim. Camp Lejeune victims who didn’t file a claim before the deadline can’t file a lawsuit. Claimants have 180 days from the time of being denied to file a lawsuit.

Yes, you may still be able to file a Camp Lejeune lawsuit if you filed a CLJA claim before the deadline of August 9, 2024, and one of the following applies:

• The Department of the Navy denied your claim;
• You didn’t receive a response within six months of filing your claim; or
• You received an EO offer but declined it.

Claimants need to file a lawsuit within 180 days of receiving a denial.

Motley Rice takes pride in representing U.S. veterans and their families in litigation to provide care and compensation for injuries caused by preventable hazards.

Our firm has the experience to file your claim, litigate your case and negotiate settlements.

Read more on our work in support of veterans.