We're here to help.
If you, a family member, or any loved one have been harmed by the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, you may be entitled to financial compensation. We are here to help make that happen. DeMayo Law Group, Your North Carolina Law Firm™, is a highly qualified, professional law office here to help anyone affected by the events at Camp Lejeune.
For a free legal consultation with a camp lejeune lawyer serving North Carolina, call (877) 333-1000
Do I need a Camp Lejeune attorney?
There is a lot of noise out in the world about Camp Lejeune. We’re here to help make it clear for you.
Do you need a lawyer for a Camp Lejeune claim? The short answer is, yes.
Even though the government has all but admitted responsibility, an attorney can file a claim, satisfy the burden of proof, and provide sufficient evidence.
It is important to have a Camp Lejeune attorney licensed in the Eastern District of North Carolina who is intimately familiar with the process and documentation.
How much do I need to pay a Camp Lejeune attorney?
You do not pay us anything upfront when we file a claim and lawsuit on your behalf. Contingency fee lawyers, like ours at DeMayo Law Offices, Your North Carolina Law Firm™, only recover funds from our clients if we win your case.
The only time we recover fees is if and when you receive compensation. Our fees are standardized and are deducted from the amount you recover so that you never have to pay a penny out-of-pocket.
As experienced North and South Carolina lawyers licensed in the Eastern District of North Carolina, we are prepared to file individual lawsuits on your behalf to obtain your optimal outcome.
01. Proof of exposure in the relevant time period
Together, we must establish that claimants and/or their loved ones were exposed for at least 30 days between the time period of August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987.
02. A serious health condition, including cancer, linked to toxic drinking water exposure
Compensation under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 is available to anyone who can establish “one or more relationships between the water at Camp Lejeune and the harm” they or their loved ones have suffered through toxic exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. Medical conditions include:
Additional health conditions
- Leukemias
- Systemic Sclerosis/Scleroderma
- Multiple Myeloma
- Breast Cancer
- Kidney Disease
- Kidney Cancer
- Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
- Bladder Cancer
- Parkinson's
- Major Cardiac Birth Defects
- Liver Cancer
North Carolina Camp Lejeune Lawyer Near Me (877) 333-1000
03. Filing in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 only allows for claims to be filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. Victims outside the Eastern District must file in this court’s Southern Division. DeMayo Law Firm has offices throughout North Carolina in Charlotte, Monroe, Hickory, and soon in Raleigh and Jacksonville. We can arrange a consultation immediately if you think you have a case.
04. Filing within two years
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 includes a statute of limitations for claims.
A claim must be filed within two years of the statute’s enactment.
05. Meeting the burden of proof
To recover compensation under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022, individuals and families must present evidence that is either: “Sufficient to conclude that a causal relationship exists;” or “Sufficient to conclude that a causal relationship is at least as likely as not.”
In other words, simply filing a claim is not enough. Claimants will need clear evidence to receive compensation, which may include studies, medical records, and various other forms of documentation. Claimants will also need evidence that proves the long-term costs of their (or their loved ones’) medical conditions.
The only way that you or a family member can become eligible for financial compensation is to take the following steps. Act now so that you or a loved one can finally obtain justice.
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Step 01. Provide documentation that you were there.
Did you or a family member work or live at Camp Lejeune or MCAS New River between 1953 – 1987 and reside on base for at least 30 days? To qualify, you must be a Veteran, family member, or contractor who lived or worked at Camp Lejeune or Marine Corps Air Station New River for at least 30 cumulative days between August 1, 1953 and December 31, 1987.
Step 02. Provide documentation of your illness.
Have you or a family member been diagnosed with cancer, a neurological disorder, or other illnesses believed to be caused by toxic contaminated drinking water from Camp Lejeune? Please see the list of qualifying medical conditions below.
Note: When submitting your application, list one or more of the probable Camp Lejeune ailments and attach supporting documentation (such as a doctor’s report or test findings).
It has been reported that for over three decades, over 70 different carcinogenic chemicals leaked into the groundwater via on-base industrial activities, on-base waste disposal sites, an off-base dry-cleaning facility, and underground storage tanks, causing exposure to a combination of TCE, PCE, DCE, Vinyl Chloride, and Benzene.
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About Michael A. DeMayo
Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base in Eastern North Carolina.
Countless Marines, their families and civilians who lived and worked at the base from August 1953 to December 1987, were exposed to the deadly contaminated water supply. As a result of this exposure these people developed numerous cancers and other serious conditions making them below may be eligible to file a Camp Lejeune lawsuit.
Mr. DeMayo along with the DeMayo Law Group, PLLC (DLAW Group*), a team of lawyers and staff dedicated to working exclusively on the Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Litigation have been active participants in this litigation since before the Camp Lejeune Justice Act was signed on August 10, 2022. DLAW Group are members of a large, strategic group of notable national Mass Torts Law Firms and Attorneys who have been leaders in and participated in some of the largest national Mass Torts and Class Action cases in the country. In addition, Mr. DeMayo and Mr. Carl Solomon participated on behalf of DeMayo Law Group, PLLC clients early in the evaluation and initial conversations with the DOJ in efforts to present settlement models and grids to effectuate resolution. Our strategic group collectively represents over 100,000 individual cases. DeMayo Law Group represents many thousands of Marines and their family members that are currently being litigated in the Eastern District of North Carolina.
Currently, there are approximately 129,000 individuals who have filed claims with the Department of the Navy seeking help for their Cancers, Health Conditions and in some instances, deaths caused by contaminated water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. As our clients and others have been waiting for decades for their plight to be acknowledged, much less addressed. Until the Justice Act, many victims had no recourse or ability to get the answers they long deserved. Now that there is a remedy and an allocation of resources to make the victims whole, the Navy has short-changed the victims yet again with a proposal that does not provide adequate compensation for their service and health.
Everyone agrees that our Veterans need to be treated fairly and not as second-class citizens. The Marines and other victims deserve to have their medical bills and out-of-pocket expenses covered on what they have already spent on their health and will likely have to continue to spend for the rest of their lives. Not to mention the continuous high level of pain and suffering that they have and will continue to endure from the different cancers and health conditions caused by the toxic water supply at Camp Lejeune.
What is Fair?
When Congress passed the Camp Lejeune Justice Act (CLJA) in 2022, it required the Navy to set up a claims administration process to compensate the victims as the first step to let victims settle their cases without the need of going to court. Currently, the Navy has settled 3 total cases using the Elective Option (EO) out of 129,000 cases that have been administratively filed!
There is a two-year time Statute of Limitations on all of these cases. While progress has been made on a Master Complaint and Short Form Complaint, time is quickly ticking away. The Master Complaint was filed on October 6, 2023. Discovery has been organized into specific “tracks” based on the types of diseases involved. Specifically, Track 1 focuses on bladder cancer, leukemia, Parkinson’s disease and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The selection of diseases to be litigated in Track 2 and Track 3 will be proposed by the parties and determined by the Court at a later date. DLAW Group is actively reviewing our cases for potential bellwether cases.
The Elective Option. A quick settlement opportunity offered by the Navy.
The Justice Department and Navy recently announced a voluntary Elective Option (EO) to “quickly resolve” Camp Lejeune cases through expedited payouts. While a fast track has some appeal, at the end of the day, it’s anything short of fair and reasonable compensation. The victims who have waited for more than 30 years will be extremely disappointed in this “option”. First, we must clearly recognize that the Elective Option is a greatly reduced offer to settle in exchange for a “quick payment” and waiver of some but not all the government liens. There still could be outstanding private insurance coverage liens and potential Medicare Advantage, State Medicaid, and Medicare Part C plan liens that would have to be deducted from this quick hit settlement offer. Beware, this offer is specifically targeted at people who are desperate or just tired of this case.
In addition, the claim requirement still requires certified medical documentation that goes back over 60 years which can be difficult, especially when the Navy has all the records. There is currently a 120-day backlog on requests for Military records, and sometimes can take even longer to obtain this information.
Significantly, the elective offer does not use any of the traditional measurements of loss or damages that a jury would be allowed to consider including pain, suffering, out of pocket medical care, lost earnings and earning capacity, and children or dependents, among others. There is an additional death benefit if the victim’s death was related to toxic exposure, but $100,000 is not an adequate measure or compensation for the Value of a Lost Life. The damages offered in the elective option fails to account for the severity of the injuries sustained by the victims, and it ignores the fundamental concept of damages that our court system and law provide. It is a quick hit offer, much like what insurance companies offer at the start of a big case to “buy off” a case/claim cheap if the victim is uneducated or unrepresented by a lawyer. It might be a good start but, in our opinion, it is inadequate to compensate the victims that it covers and while there will be some victims who elect to accept this low and quick payment, for whatever reason, we will not recommend it to our clients.
At this time, the offered elective option values are disappointing, and do not work towards a successful resolution of a group of cases without some significant but reasonable adjustments. DLAW Group will continue working on our cases, accepting new cases, and working towards a reasonable resolution, while the litigation continues onward.
Should you have any questions, require additional information, or wish to discuss specific client cases, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. Your continued support and collaboration in these important cases is greatly appreciated.
DeMayo Law Offices, LLP and DeMayo Law Group, PLLC
In addition to the DLAW Group’s Camp Lejeune cases, DeMayo Law Offices continues active representation of victims in their cases for:
* Talc
* 3M
* Paraquat
* Roundup
* Hernia Mesh
* Boy Scout Abuse Cases
* Other Mass Torts (see demayolaw.com for a full list of our Mass Tort cases).
*(Mr. DeMayo and the DLAW Group have scaled a separate law firm to handle the largest and most important North Carolina litigation in our lifetime: the Camp Lejeune Toxic Water Contamination Cases. DLAW Group is uniquely positioned to handle this inventory of individual cases because of our experience and location in Charlotte, North Carolina. Mr. DeMayo has assembled an infrastructure or uniquely qualified lawyers, and the right personnel for each stage of this litigation. We have taken painstaking efforts to ensure that every detail and step of the process and procedure has been mapped out to maximizes recovery for each individual claimant.)
FAQs: Filing a lawsuit under The Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022
You may be eligible for compensation through the Camp Lejeune Justice Act if:
- You or a family member served, worked, resided, or were otherwise exposed (including in utero exposure) to water at Camp Lejeune for 30 or more days between August 1, 1953 through December 31, 1987; and
- You or a family member was diagnosed with cancer OR any of the listed conditions months or years after living or working on the base; or
- You or your child were diagnosed with congenital disabilities or other major fetal malformations, or your child died shortly after birth; or
- You are a woman who miscarried a pregnancy during or immediately after your time on base or suffered infertility.
Deceased individuals, regardless of how long ago they passed away, can also qualify for a claim through their family and/or representative. Their family may still recover if the death was related to the contaminated water.
One example of the damage that was done by Camp Lejeune contamination is Janey, a girl who grew up on the base and died of cancer at age nine. The Janey Ensminger Act is one of several government measures passed since the link between these illnesses and the contamination was established. If you believe you or a loved one qualifies for benefits but were denied your benefits, it may be time to seek the help of a Camp Lejeune water contamination lawyer at DeMayo Law Group, PLLC. If we review your claim and determine that you qualify for benefits, we will fight to get you the compensation you need to cover your expenses.
- Legal documentation that you are a veteran’s dependent (i.e. marriage or birth certificate)
- Evidence of your residency at the base between 1953 and 1987 (this can include tax forms, military orders, housing records from the base, etc.)
- VA Form 10-10068b: Camp Lejeune Family Member Program Treating Physician Report (your doctor must complete this)
In addition, you need to prove that you have medical expenses associated with a qualifying condition. Usually, this means that you must show medical records for the applicable dates.
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 covers all medical conditions linked to contaminated drinking water exposure. This includes cancers, neurological conditions, infertility and miscarriages, and myelodysplastic syndromes, among many others.
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act provides for lump sum compensation regardless of any other benefits you receive. Taking advantage of the Camp Lejeune Justice Act will NOT affect your other benefits.
The pollutants identified in Camp Lejeune water include:
- trichloroethylene (TCE) – solvent used for cleaning munitions
- tetrachloroethylene (PCE) – solvent used in a nearby dry-cleaning facility that cleaned millions of uniforms
- vinyl chloride (VC) – The chemical that results when TCE and PCE degrade in groundwater
- benzene – used to make chemicals found in plastics, resins, and nylon and other synthetic fibers
These chemicals are colorless and deadly, and they should never be consumed.
Many people, including veterans’ organizations that have been fighting for justice for Camp Lejeune Marines for decades, insist that the military knew of the pollution for many years before it quietly began closing the most contaminated wells in the mid-to-late 1980s. Moreover, many insist that, even after that time, contamination persisted in some active wells. There is reason to believe this is unfortunately true.
Generally, we tell clients to stay away from attorneys that give them estimates on the value of their cases because there are so many unknown factors at the onset of any case. The ability to know the value of any case at the start of any Litigation is akin to predicting the future. Factors that will impact the values of the Camp Lejeune Toxic Water Contamination Lawsuit claims can include Cancer type or types, the length of the treatment or suffering, the documented Health Care and Family impact, the “Damages” connected to the health concerns, pain and measurable suffering, and the implications for family members in the case of Wrongful Death claims.
While we can’t predict the future, several of the lawyers responsible for passing the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 are on record for predicting average settlement amounts on Camp Lejeune Cancer Cases of between $167,323.00 – $575,000.00 as the average. Remember this is only an estimated value from one group of lawyers. Our team of dedicated North Carolina Attorneys will not and cannot predict or guarantee results on any future claims but will seek to obtain the best results for everyone we represent!
Most Mass Torts, or “MDLs” (Multi-District Litigation) as they are commonly referred to, are subject to techniques and mechanisms that allow many large national Plaintiffs firms to consolidate their efforts and resources to help the common good. Law firms share their resources and knowledge to aid all individuals making claims. While these are common and have been employed with different degrees of success in Roundup, 3M, Boy Scout Abuse, Talc, and other ongoing litigation, Camp Lejeune Litigation is different.
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 specifically limits the remedies to individual lawsuits in the Eastern District of North Carolina. We are North Carolina lawyers who have practiced and lived in this state for over 30 years. We understand and recognize the state and local rules and know what will be required to litigate these cases. DeMayo Law Group, PLLC, a multistate law firm, has a dedicated group of over 106 North Carolina lawyers, paralegals, and medical professionals to provide the best possible outcomes on each individual North Carolina Case. Our goal and objective are to focus on delivering exceptional results and verdicts for Marines and their family members, so we positively impact this litigation for all claimants.
