Camp Lejeune Kidney Cancer Lawsuit Attorney

Since opening in 1941, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina has provided temporary housing and employment for hundreds of thousands of marines, navy personnel, support staff and civilian family members. Unfortunately, for decades, people who lived or worked at Camp Lejeune appeared to suffer high rates of serious health conditions, including kidney cancer.

Finally, the U.S. Government acknowledged a causal link between contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune and fifteen medical conditions, including kidney cancer. In 2012, the Camp Lejeune health care law was passed, directing the VA to provide cost-free care for veterans with those conditions who served at least 30 days of active duty at Camp Lejeune between August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987. However, it wasn’t until August 2022, that a law was passed allowing those injured due to exposure to the camp’s toxic water to file claims for financial losses and other damages associated with their disease or the disease suffered by a deceased loved one.

What this means is that if you lived or worked at Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987, and have been diagnosed with kidney cancer, or you are the surviving family member of someone who died of kidney cancer that may be related to Camp Lejeune, you may be entitled to substantial compensation from the U.S. government. For information on how to file a claim with the government and how to obtain the maximum compensation for the pain, anguish and losses you have suffered, contact an experienced Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuit attorney as soon as possible.

At Boyers Law Group, we are committed to helping veterans and others who have been injured by the toxic water at Camp Lejeune achieve the long overdue justice they deserve. We have more than twenty-five years of experience successfully navigating complex legal issues and complicated procedural requirements and want to put our experience, skill and resources to work helping you get the maximum compensation possible.

Call us at 305-512-7600 or submit the “Tell Us What Happened” form on our website to get the help you need to file a successful Camp Lejeune kidney cancer claim.

When Was the Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Discovered?

Camp Lejeune was constructed near several potential sources of water supply contamination. As it would eventually be determined, those sources did indeed contaminate the water supply coming from the Hadnot Point and Tarawa Terrace water treatment plants that serviced the camp. Despite increasing concerns about water contamination at the base, the U.S. government continued to assert that the water met current safe drinking water standards.

It wasn’t until March of 1982 that an outside contractor was hired to conduct an Initial Assessment Study (IAS) and identify any contamination at Camp Lejeune. The results of that IAS identified contaminants, including cancer-causing solvents, fuel, transformer oil, pesticides, and explosives in 22 of the 76 sites inspected and called for further inspection of those sites.

Starting in May of 1982 and continuing through early 1985, both the Hadnot Point and Tarawa Terrace distribution systems were subjected to additional testing. Analysis of those tests showed extremely high levels of trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE), as well as the presence of vinyl chloride and benzene, all of which are classified as known or probable human carcinogens.

Finally, in 1985, the contaminated supply wells were permanently shut down. Unfortunately, hundreds of thousands of armed services personnel, family members, and civilian employees were exposed to the harmful contaminants prior to the shutdown of the contaminated water supply.

Evidence Linking Camp Lejeune’s Contaminated Water and Kidney Cancer

Under the Superfund laws, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), a federal public health agency, is responsible for investigating and assessing the presence and nature of health hazards at specific Superfund sites, including Camp Lejeune. In 2008, the National Defense Authorization Act specifically directed the ATSDR to conduct a health survey to study the relationship between several serious health conditions and contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.

As a result of that study, the ATSDR found that “Marines and Naval personnel, residents (including infants and children), and civilian workers were exposed to trichloroethylene (TCE), tetrachloroethylene (PCE), dichloroethylene (DCE), vinyl chloride, benzene, and other contaminants in the drinking water at Camp Lejeune from the 1950s through February 1985. Exposures to these chemicals increase the risks for cancers, birth defects, and other health-related problems.”

As part of the ATSDR analysis, a morbidity study was conducted that compared Marines and civilians who worked or lived at Camp Lejeune with those who lived or worked at Camp Pendleton during the same time and found that contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune was associated with increased risk in both Marines and civilian employees for bladder cancer, kidney cancer, and kidney disease.

Kidney cancer is one of several health problems associated with contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune that is on the presumptive illness list published by the Veterans Administartion. The ATSDR study found the following links between Camp Lejeune contaminated drinking water and kidney cancer:

• TCE. Based on the overall consistent findings of increased risks of kidney cancer from exposures to TCE and the supporting mechanistic information, there is sufficient evidence for causation for TCE and kidney cancer.
• PCE. Concluded that there is below equipoise evidence for causation for PCE and kidney cancer due to the lack of consistency in the findings from the epidemiological studies.
• Vinyl Chloride and Benzene: The ATSDR study did not look at an increased risk of developing kidney cancer after being exposed to vinyl chloride or benzene.

Do I Have a Valid Camp Lejeune Kidney Cancer Claim?

Prior to 2022, victims who developed kidney cancer that appeared to be linked to Camp Lejeune were limited in their ability to seek compensation from the U.S. Government. That all changed in August of 2022, when the Camp Lejeune Justice Act (CLJA) was signed into law as part of the PACT Act of 2022. The CLJA allows victims and surviving loved ones to pursue compensation for health conditions linked to the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.

To be eligible to file a Camp Lejeune kidney cancer claim you must meet both of the following criteria:

1. You or your loved one served, lived, worked or were in utero at Camp Lejeune for at least 30 days between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987.
2. You or your loved one was subsequently diagnosed with kidney cancer or a related condition.

The claims process can be complicated and the government has given claimants only two years in which to file kidney cancer claims, so if you meet these criteria, please do not hesitate to call us at 305-512-7600 or submit the “Tell Us What Happened form on our website.  We will get started right away pursuing the maximum compensation for all the damages you have suffered.

How Do I File a Camp Lejeune Kidney Cancer Claim?

Filing a Camp Lejeune kidney cancer claim requires you to submit a claim form to the Office of the Judge Advocate General (JAG) of the Navy’s Tort Claims Unit (TCU). Submitting the claim form to the TCU is required even if you previously filed a Camp Lejeune claim under the Federal Tort Claims Act and that claim was denied.

Working with an experienced Camp Lejeune lawsuit attorney when completing the claim form is in your best interest because that initial claim form serves to establish your right to pursue compensation, as well as the type and extent of compensation you may pursue. Working with an attorney also ensures that your claim will be filed within the two-year statute of limitations set by law. Failing to file before the statute of limitations period expires effectively bars you from ever pursuing compensation.

What Compensation Am I Entitled to for My Camp Lejeune Kidney Cancer Claim?

Several factors will influence the amount of compensation you receive for your Camp Lejeune claim, including:

• The type of illness
• The severity of the illness
• Your long-term prognosis
• The impact your illness has had on your life
• The impact your illness has had on your income and ability to work
• The amount of pain and suffering your illness has caused you

In addition, if you previously received benefits or monetary compensation from the Veterans Administration (VA), Social Security disability, or another government agency for your kidney cancer, the amount of compensation awarded through your CLJA claim may be offset by the value of the benefits already received.

Eligible claimants, including those who have been diagnosed with kidney cancer and surviving family members of someone who died with kidney cancer, may be entitled to compensation for economic and non-economic damages under the CLJA, which may include compensation for things such as:

• Past and future medical expenses
• Lost income and diminished earning capacity
• Physical pain and suffering
• Mental anguish, depression, anxiety, stress
• Other damages recoverable under the CLJA

The experienced Camp Lejeune water contamination lawyers at Boyers Law Group will assess all of the damages you and your family have suffered because of kidney cancer associated with the contaminated water at Camp Lejuene and build a compelling case for the substantial compensation you deserve. You have waited a long time for justice, and we want to help you obtain the full amount you deserve.

Contact Experienced Camp Lejeune Kidney Cancer Lawsuit Attorneys at Boyers Law Group

If you were diagnosed with kidney cancer or you lost a family member to kidney cancer, and you believe that exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune caused or contributed to developing kidney cancer, the Camp Lejeune kidney cancer lawsuit attorneys at Boyers Law Group can help.

We are committed to seeking justice for all victims injured because of exposure to the contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune. We have the experience and resources needed to aggressively pursue compensation on your behalf. Contact us today for your free initial consultation by calling 305-512-7600 or by filling out the “Tell Us What Happened” form on our website.