A federal judge has encouraged lawyers representing the Justice Department and potential victims of the Camp Lejeune toxic water contamination to escalate efforts in resolving what could potentially amount to hundreds of thousands of claims. The judge of the case, Terrence Boyle, expressed his frustration, urging the involved parties to quickly address the huge backlog of cases, currently numbering over 1,500 and with thousands more forecasted.
Boyle is one among the four judges in the district who presides over the cases. He pointed out that he had initiated the hearing to discuss the progress on the rate of claims but added that his colleagues agree with the need to expedite the process in order to aid those veterans and others suffering from life-threatening diseases.
“At present, around 160,000 people have already filed claims seeking compensation for being exposed to contaminated water on the North Carolina Marine base between 1953 and 1987. The window for filing such claims will end in August,” Boyle noted.
What’s significant is the early resolution program that was announced in September 2023, which allows qualifying claimants to receive between $100,000 and $550,000. However, a recent analysis of existing claim data suggests that fewer than 14% of the claimants would qualify,” as reported by Bloomberg Law earlier this month.
So far, none of the cases has seen a trial and, according to the Justice Department attorneys, only seven cases have presently been settled by the early resolution program.
The legal representatives of both sides revealed differing strategies. J. Edward Bell III, the lead counsel for the plaintiffs, insisted that he would be prepared to go trial as early as next week if necessary. Conversely, Adam Bain, the lead lawyer for the Justice Department, stated trials should not commence until later in the year.
The court will have to resolve the disputes over the eligibility of jury trials, application of the Federal Tort Claims Act to the Camp Lejeune Justice Act passed by Congress in 2022, and specific causation issues. For more details, you can access the case through this direct link.
This recent call to action reiterates the urgent and complicated nature of these proceedings as pointed out by Judge Boyle, “There’s no case like this in the history of America.”