The government this month took the first step toward settling some of the nearly 100,000 claims by veterans and family members who say they were harmed by contaminated drinking water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.
But while the offers of between $100,000 and $550,000 from the Navy and the Justice Department to settle claims are likely to be accepted by some victims, many others and their attorneys are still pushing for action on more than 1,100 cases already filed in federal court.
“I’m committed to vigorously advocating for trials to begin in 2024,” Ed Bell of Bell Legal Group in Georgetown, S.C., the lead attorney for the plaintiffs, said in an emailed response to questions. “The veterans, their families and others that have suffered from the water at Camp Lejeune and, after decades of waiting, they deserve to have their day in court.”
