Camp Lejeune Lawsuit

From August 1, 1953, to December 31, 1987, toxic chemicals contaminated some of the water supply at the Camp Lejeune military base. The exposure was not discovered until 1980. The public was not notified of the contamination until 1997.

Timeline of contaminated water discovery at Camp Lejeune

• October 1980: Contamination discovered. The U.S. Army Environmental Hygiene Agency sampled and tested water at Camp Lejeune. The chief of laboratory services wrote, “Water is highly contaminated with … hydrocarbons.”
• January, February and March 1981: Follow-up testing. In response to the March tests, the same chief wrote, “Water highly contaminated with other chlorinated hydrocarbons (solvents)!”
• August 1982: Independent testing. A contracted chemist concluded the contamination levels were, “important from a health standpoint.” Nine days later, another chemist noted that the chemicals in the water were known to “produce liver and kidney damage and central nervous system disturbances in humans.”
• July 1984: Further independent testing. These tests sampled a well in the base’s Hadnot Point Industrial Area and found benzene levels 76 times higher than the maximum contaminant limit.
• November 1984: Information delay. The Marine Corps claims it did not receive the results of the July testing until November.
• November 1984 – February 1985: Wells shut down. The Marine Corps shut down 10 water wells at Camp Lejeune, including the well tested in July 1984. According to the Marine Corps, all wells with known contamination were shut down by 1985.
• December 1988: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) intervenes. The Navy requested that the ATSDR perform a health assessment at Camp Lejeune.
• October 1989: Camp Lejeune placed on the National Priorities List (NPL). This means it was earmarked for further investigation and possible cleanup by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
• 1991: Health assessment. The ATSDR began a Public Health Assessment (PHA) of Camp Lejeune’s water contamination.
• October 1994: Assessment completed. The ATSDR concluded its assessments and published an Initial Release of the PHA, which was not widely available.
• August 1997: Assessment released to the public. The release detailed three public health issues identified at Camp Lejeune, including the high levels of dangerous chemicals in the drinking water. The release mentioned the chemicals trichloroethylene (TCE), tetrachloroethylene (PCE) and 1,2-dichloroethylene (DCE). Benzene, discovered in a well in 1984, was not mentioned.

Dangerous chemicals entered Camp Lejeune’s water system and were distributed across the base. This included water used for drinking, cooking and showering in many of the housing units and workplaces. 

The base’s water distribution system is large. At the time of contamination, there were eight water treatment plants on base, pulling water from groundwater wells.

Three of the base’s plants used water with evidence of contamination.

• The Tarawa Terrace water treatment plant provided drinking water to the Tarawa Terrace housing area. This plant was primarily contaminated by PCE in the groundwater. The contamination was traced to ABC One-Hour Cleaners, an off-base dry-cleaning firm that did not dispose of its toxic waste properly.
• The Hadnot Point water treatment plant provided drinking water to the main portion of the base, including most of the barracks and workplaces. This plant was contaminated by TCE (trichloroethylene), PCE, benzene, DCE and vinyl chloride. The source of the Hadnot Point contamination was more varied. Multiple sources were identified, including leaking underground waste storage tanks, industrial spills and waste disposal sites.
• The Holcomb Boulevard water treatment plant provided water to housing at Midway Park, Paradise Point, Berkeley Manor and Watkins Village. The Holcomb Boulevard system was not contaminated. However, it occasionally pulled water from the contaminated Hadnot Point plant. This happened from January 27, 1985, to February 7, 1985, and in various spring and summer months from 1972 to 1985.

Exposure to the chemicals found in these water systems can be very dangerous. The decades-long contamination of the Tarawa Terrace and Hadnot Point water systems eventually caused many illnesses.  

Toxic water at Camp Lejeune has been traced to multiple sources, including a dry cleaning operation, multiple underground fuel storage tanks and other improper toxic chemical dumping.

According to the ATSDR, the contaminated base wells contained the following volatile organic compounds (VOCs):

• Benzene
• 1,2-dichloroethylene (DCE)
• Perchloroethylene (PCE)
• Trichloroethylene (TCE)
• Vinyl chloride
• Other compounds

Unsafe levels of these toxins are linked to numerous diseases and other health problems. Health conditions associated with Camp Lejeune’s water contamination include:

• Aplastic anemia
• Bladder cancer
• Cardiac birth defects
• Kidney cancer
• Leukemia
• Liver cancer
• Multiple myeloma
• Myelodysplastic syndromes
• Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
• Other kidney and end stage renal diseases
• Parkinson’s disease
• Systemic scleroderma
• Systemic sclerosis

Veterans and family members who lived on base, as well as civilians who came on the base for work, may have been exposed to the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.

Justice for people impacted by toxic water exposure at Camp Lejeune was difficult to come by for many years. In 2022, departmental watchdogs found the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) “prematurely” denied 17,200 disability benefit claims related to Camp Lejeune water contamination.

The Honoring our PACT Act of 2022

The Honoring our PACT Act of 2022 provided an overdue path to justice for Camp Lejeune victims. Previously, the VA and the Department of the Navy (DON) declined to cover most Camp Lejeune claims.

Camp Lejeune victims were specifically covered by the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022, which is included in the PACT Act. Filing a Camp Lejeune claim was a way to potentially provide injured and sick people with the justice and compensation they deserve.

The PACT Act set the statute of limitations for Camp Lejeune claims at two years from the date it became law. Because of this legislation, the normal North Carolina statute of limitations for personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits did not apply. This meant Camp Lejeune veterans and other exposed individuals only had until August 10, 2024, to file claims. Camp Lejeune claims may result in a settlement offer.

Once a claim is denied or if no response is received within 6 months of filing a claim form, a lawsuit can be filed in the Eastern District of North Carolina. Camp Lejeune lawsuits may result in a verdict or settlement offer.

Elective option announced in 2023

In September 2023, the Justice Department and DON announced a new “elective option” for Camp Lejeune victims. This option was released as a way to expedite claims and get veterans settlements quickly. However, some attorneys characterize this option as an insufficient payout for Camp Lejeune victims.

2024 Camp Lejeune Lawsuit News

As of August 2024, a court filing showed over 500,000 claims had been received by the DON  in connection with people negatively impacted by Camp Lejeune contaminated water.  

A December 2024 Camp Lejeune status update showed that number had increased to 550,000. The December report also revealed 2,275 Camp Lejeune lawsuits had been filed as of December 9th.

2025 Camp Lejeune Lawsuit News

A February 2025 status report updated numbers on lawsuits filed and administrative claim totals. The reports revealed as of January 31, 2025:

• 2,458 complaints had been filed, an increase of nearly 200 complaints since the December report
• 408,000 administrative claims on file with the DON, the decrease in December is likely due to efforts to de-duplicate claims

Eligibility for a Camp Lejeune lawsuit or VA claim

Thousands of individuals were eligible to file Camp Lejeune claims. The general starting criteria for filing a claim included:

• Having lived or worked on the Camp Lejeune base between August 1953 and December 1987
• Having been present on base for at least 30 days in that window; and
• Developing one of the qualifying conditions

While the deadline for submitting a claim with the DON has passed, our lawyers can help you proceed with a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina if you submitted your claim before the deadline and meet some additional criteria. 

You must file a lawsuit within six months of the DON denying your claim. Or, if you haven’t heard from the DON on the status of your claim and at least 180 days (six months) have passed since filing it, you can likewise proceed in filing a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina.

A Camp Lejeune lawsuit may result in a verdict or settlement offer.

Motley Rice is proud to represent veterans and their families in litigation targeting preventable hazards that hurt U.S. troops and contractors. We have litigated matters involving:

• Exposure to asbestos and other toxic materials
• 3M earplugs and hearing loss
• EFP roadside bombs allegedly manufactured with the help of certain banks accused of supporting terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan
• Exposure to toxins released from burn pits at military facilities
• Veterans or active-duty soldiers harmed or killed in a helicopter or other type of plane incident

Read more on our work in support of veterans.