Camp Lejeune lawyers gave the court a status report on their settlement talks so far. The court had previously asked both parties to come up with a plan to resolve the issue and report back on their discussions.

October 31, 2023:

  • A joint status report was submitted to the court. 

    Camp Lejeune lawyers have been designing a detailed questionnaire to gather the necessary information from those affected. This is to determine the extent of the harm and calculate appropriate compensation. Their current focus is on the most immediate and severe cases. They’re also figuring out what kinds of documents or evidence are needed to back up the information provided in the questionnaires, and they’re deciding which side should provide these documents.

    Both sides are also working on a system to put a value on each claim. To manage all this data, they’re looking for a tech vendor to set up a secure database. However, there have been some disagreements, particularly about sharing certain types of data. While the plaintiffs’ lawyers believe this data could speed things up, the government is more cautious due to privacy reasons.

    So the government and the Camp Lejeune plaintiffs’ lawyers are trying to find a mutual ground to clear a path to settle a large number of these toxic water lawsuits.  They’ve made some headway but there is still a lot of work to be done.

October 29, 2023:

  • A demand for $3.33 trillion was filed on behalf of 117,000 Camp Lejeune claimants. The Department of Justice reports that the total amount demanded for the approximately 117,000 administrative claims currently filed with the Department of Navy is nearly $3.3 trillion.

October 27, 2023:

  • A 3% holdback on payments was requested. Leadership in the Camp Lejeune lawsuit is seeking a 3% holdback for its work on these lawsuits.  This attorneys’ fee would come out of the lawyers’ fee, not from the clients.

October 26, 2023 –

  • Update on Camp Lejeune Lawsuits’ Document Handling

In the ongoing Camp Lejeune lawsuits against the government, a new case management order was put out this week to ensure the protection of privileged information. Key points include:

1.       No waiver of attorney-client or other legal privileges, even if information is mistakenly disclosed.

2.       Parties can withhold documents that have these privileges.

3.       If privileged documents are accidentally shared, the receiving party must notify the producing side and return or destroy them.

4.       Disagreements over privileged documents can be submitted to the Court for resolution.

October 25, 2023:

  • The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) called for a ban on the use of trichloroethylene (TCE), one of the primary contaminants in the Camp Lejeune water. Trichloroethylene (TCE) is an industrial chemical that was one of the primary pollutants in the water supply at Camp Lejeune from 1953 to 1987. This week, the EPA proposed new regulations that would completely ban the use of TCE for all purposes due to overwhelming evidence that exposure to the chemical can cause cancer and other health issues. TCE has been directly linked to Parkinson’s disease, as well as liver, kidney, and cervical cancer.

The Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuit is a complex and ongoing case. However, the recent updates suggest that progress is being made. The EPA's call for a ban on TCE is a significant development, and the first settlement could pave the way for future settlements.

If you were exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, you may be eligible for compensation. You should contact an experienced Camp Lejeune lawyer to discuss your legal options.