Knightsville Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Lawsuit Lawyer

Camp Lejeune has long been the subject of scrutiny about contaminated water sickening people on base. Thanks to the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022, you can get compensation for serious illnesses and deaths because of the water.

If you’re a Knightsville, NC, resident and you meet certain qualifications, you may be eligible to join the Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuits. The Knightsville Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuit attorneys at MDSW Legal are ready to help you and your family get the compensation you deserve.

What Contaminated Camp Lejeune’s Water?

In 2014, the CDC found that the water at Camp Lejeune was contaminated with over 70 harmful chemicals, notably volatile organic compounds that can cause cancer and other illnesses. This contamination happened mostly between 1953 and 1987, but the evidence was questioned for years while victims suffered.

Victims have blamed various parties for the contamination, like a nearby dry cleaner and poor practices on base. North Carolina also fought back against the allegations by saying the affected people no longer had standing under the statute of limitations. 

The Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022, part of the PACT Act of 2022, now gives victims and their families the legal standing to sue. Our Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuit attorneys can help you get compensation if you can meet the requirements.

How do I Prove I Was Affected?

There are three things that must be proven to join the lawsuits forming around this matter:

• You lived on base between 1953 and 1987 and were exposed to the contaminated water
• You were exposed for 30 days or more
• You were sickened by the water

You do not have to be military to file your claim, but you have to prove you were injured or lost a loved one because of the water contamination. Even if you were exposed in-utero or only attended school on base, you can sue. Primary caretakers of exposed individuals can also sue for damages on behalf of the poisoned.

Tell your story to a Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuit lawyer in Knightsville to learn if you’re eligible.

Strict Liability Case

It is also much easier to win your case thanks to the new law. You do not have to prove that the government was negligent. The act has made this matter a strict liability case, which means you only have to prove the requirements above to win.

Strict liability makes a party legally responsible for the consequences of something, even if there was no negligence or criminal intent. Many product liability and drug cases use this standard for determining liability.

 What this basically says is there is no question of the water’s danger. If you’ve been exposed during the time frame for long enough and you got sick from it, you can collect compensation. How much you receive will depend on how you were injured.

Diseases Linked to Camp Lejeune Water Contamination

There have been at least 15 diseases linked to the toxic water at Camp Lejeune, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. These diseases are:

• Bladder cancer
• Breast cancer
• Esophageal cancer
• Female infertility
• Hepatic steatosis
• Kidney cancer
• Leukemia
• Lung cancer
• Miscarriage
• Multiple myeloma
• Myelodysplastic syndromes
• Neurobehavioral effects
• Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
• Renal toxicity
• Scleroderma

If you have a positive diagnosis of these and proof that you lived on base, it will be simple to add you to the lawsuit. Mass tort cases like this will take time to resolve, so starting early with our Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuit lawyers in Knightsville will speed up the process.

You are not limited to these diseases to sue. There could be others that could manifest because of the wide variety of chemicals in the water. Speak with our lawyers, and we’ll argue on your behalf to get you included.

I’ve Already Received Money. Could I Get More?

You could receive more compensation under this new act. However, the act states that any new compensation must be offset by any money you’ve previously received from the VA, Medicare, Medicaid, or any other payment related to your disability.

Depending on how much you got and how your illnesses have progressed, it may be worth speaking with our mass tort lawyers to see if you can get the full value of compensation to cover your financial losses. This will depend on the facts of the case, so speak with us as soon as possible.

A New Statute of Limitations

The time to act on this matter is now. The law was passed in August 2022, and there is a two-year statute of limitations. You must act right now to get added to the lawsuit before you lose your chance for compensation under the act!

It will be far more difficult to get compensation if you let this deadline pass. There’s no harm in speaking with a Knightsville Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuit lawyer and finding out you’re not eligible, and consultations are free. We encourage all Knightsville residents who were at Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987 to call us.

Can I Get a Jury Trial?

Unusually, for a federal strict liability case, you can have a trial by jury under this act. This means that if you feel the compensation amount from the mass tort decision isn’t enough, you could ask for a jury trial to get more. This is a risky maneuver because the jury holds all the cards.

The law states that punitive damages are not allowed, so your lawyer will need evidence to prove additional damages not covered by the mass tort settlement.

Call Us Immediately

Activists have been fighting for compensation for all Camp Lejeune victims for years, and now, they’re successful. This means you must act immediately if you or a loved one were affected by the chemicals in the water at Camp Lejeune. Contact MDSW right now for a free case consultation to see if you qualify for a Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuit in Knightsville.