Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Lawsuit in South Dakota

To qualify for a CLJA claim, you must have been physically present at Camp Lejeune, NC for at least 30 cumulative days between August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987. Eligible individuals include: active duty servicemembers (primarily Marines and Navy personnel); their family members who lived on base (spouses, children, parents living in base housing); civilian employees of the Department of Defense stationed at Camp Lejeune; and contractors who worked on the base during that period. You must also have been diagnosed with a disease or condition linked to the contaminated water. Importantly, you must also have filed an administrative claim with the Navy JAG on or before August 10, 2024 — that deadline is now closed for new claimants. Veterans who did not file a CLJA claim may still pursue VA disability benefits separately.

The primary contaminants identified at Camp Lejeune were: trichloroethylene (TCE) — an industrial degreaser found at Hadnot Point at up to 280 times the EPA safe limit; perchloroethylene (PCE) — a dry cleaning solvent from a nearby off-base business that contaminated the Tarawa Terrace water system at up to 240 times safe levels; benzene — a known human carcinogen associated with leukemia and blood cancers; and vinyl chloride — a highly toxic breakdown product of TCE and PCE. Additional contaminants including trans-1,2-dichloroethylene were also detected. These chemicals belong to a class called volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that persist in groundwater and are absorbed through drinking, cooking, and bathing.

The CLJA does not provide a fixed list of covered conditions — rather, it allows claims for any disease or injury that can be shown to have a plausible causal connection to contaminated water exposure. The strongest claims involve the eight VA Presumptive Conditions: bladder cancer, kidney cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, adult leukemia, multiple myeloma, Parkinson's disease, neurobehavioral effects, and hepatic steatosis. Beyond the presumptive conditions, ATSDR research supports claims for male breast cancer, esophageal cancer, lung cancer, rectal cancer, cervical cancer, scleroderma, and birth defects or childhood cancers in children who were born at or conceived at Camp Lejeune during the contamination period.

Yes — the administrative claim deadline under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act was August 10, 2024, and it is permanently closed. No court has the authority to extend it, and there is no equitable tolling provision for late filers. Congress set a fixed two-year window from the law's enactment, and that window is now closed. If you did not file an administrative claim with the Navy JAG by August 10, 2024, you cannot bring a CLJA lawsuit. These attorneys focus on representing the tens of thousands of claimants who did file timely claims and are now pursuing litigation in federal court. If you are a veteran who never filed a CLJA claim, please speak with us about VA disability benefits, which remain fully open and have no equivalent hard cutoff.

Yes — VA disability claims for Camp Lejeune veterans are completely separate from the CLJA and remain fully open. The VA has established eight Presumptive Conditions for veterans who were stationed at Camp Lejeune for at least 30 days between August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987. For these conditions (bladder cancer, kidney cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, adult leukemia, multiple myeloma, Parkinson's disease, neurobehavioral effects, and hepatic steatosis), the VA presumes service connection — meaning you do not need to prove causation. You simply need to document your presence at Camp Lejeune and your diagnosis. VA disability compensation provides monthly tax-free payments based on your disability rating and can also provide access to VA healthcare for the covered condition.

The Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 (CLJA) is a federal law enacted as part of the PACT Act that created a legal right for Camp Lejeune exposure victims to sue the United States government. Before this law, all Camp Lejeune claims were barred by North Carolina's 10-year statute of repose and by federal sovereign immunity. The CLJA waived sovereign immunity for covered claims, provided that claimants first filed an administrative claim with the Navy JAG before August 10, 2024. Cases that are not resolved administratively can be tried in the Eastern District of North Carolina. The law applies to anyone exposed for at least 30 cumulative days between August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987 who developed a linked disease or condition.

The CLJA requires a minimum of 30 cumulative days of presence at Camp Lejeune between August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987. This is a relatively low threshold — a servicemember who completed a 30-day assignment at the base qualifies, as does a family member who lived on base for any month-long period during those decades. The 30 days do not need to be consecutive — they can be accumulated across multiple shorter stays. However, longer exposure generally correlates with stronger causation evidence, particularly for dose-dependent conditions like kidney cancer and leukemia. Presence must be documented through military service records, dependent ID cards, housing records, school enrollment, or other verifiable evidence.

For those who filed timely administrative claims before August 10, 2024, the process in 2026 involves active litigation in the Eastern District of North Carolina. Most claimants whose administrative claims were denied or not acted upon within 180 days are now plaintiffs in federal court. Cases are organized by disease type and subject to case management orders from the court. Attorneys are engaged in discovery, expert witness preparation, and bellwether trial selection. Some early cases have been resolved through negotiated settlements. If you are represented by counsel, your attorney should be keeping you informed of the court's case management schedule and any developments in your individual case. If you are not yet represented, contact a Camp Lejeune litigation attorney immediately.

Compensation in Camp Lejeune cases depends heavily on the severity and type of condition, the strength of causation evidence, documented exposure duration, and economic losses. Early case resolutions have ranged from approximately $150,000 for less serious non-malignant conditions to over $1 million for fatal cancers and catastrophic outcomes. The eight VA Presumptive Conditions have the strongest causal foundation and tend to produce higher valuations. Cases involving leukemia, Parkinson's disease, and late-stage cancers have been valued significantly higher than early-stage or less severe conditions. The CLJA does not cap damages. No global settlement framework had been finalized as of early 2026, and case values will continue to evolve as trial verdicts emerge.

Yes — given the complexity of Camp Lejeune litigation, retaining an experienced mass tort attorney is strongly advisable. The litigation involves federal court procedures, complex causation science, government defense strategies, and the unique procedural framework of the CLJA. The Department of Justice represents the United States and employs experienced federal litigators who will contest causation vigorously, particularly for conditions beyond the eight VA presumptive conditions. An experienced Camp Lejeune attorney can gather and organize your evidence, retain the expert witnesses necessary to establish causation, navigate the E.D.N.C. case management process, and negotiate or try your case effectively. Most Camp Lejeune attorneys work on contingency — fee terms vary by attorney.

To support a Camp Lejeune claim you need two categories of evidence: (1) proof of presence at the base during the contamination period — this includes military service records (DD-214, orders, unit records), dependent ID card records, base housing lease documents, school enrollment records, employment records for civilian workers, and any other documentation placing you at Camp Lejeune for at least 30 cumulative days between August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987; and (2) medical records documenting your diagnosis — including pathology reports, diagnostic imaging, treatment records, and specialist notes. For conditions beyond the eight VA presumptives, your attorney will also need to retain qualified expert witnesses to provide scientific testimony establishing the causal link between your specific exposure and your specific diagnosis.

Yes — the CLJA is not limited to veterans. Family members who lived at Camp Lejeune as dependents during the contamination period are fully eligible for CLJA claims if they meet the 30-day presence requirement and have a linked diagnosis. This includes spouses, children (including those born on base during the contamination period), and other dependents who resided in on-base housing, used on-base facilities, or attended schools on the installation. Children who were born to mothers who were pregnant while living on base may have claims for birth defects or childhood cancers. The same administrative claim deadline (August 10, 2024) applied to all family member claimants — there is no separate window for dependents. Family members who did not file by that date cannot bring CLJA claims.