New Camp Lejeune Lawsuit Claims Contaminated Water Supply Caused Birth Defects

One of the latest lawsuits filed under the PACT Act and the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 seeks damages on behalf of five people who say that they suffered birth defects caused by in-utero exposure to toxic chemicals in the water supply at Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987. After decades of the federal government delaying and denying claims and escaping liability for injuries and illnesses suffered by military servicemembers and their families, this new law paves the way for thousands of Marines and other individuals adversely affected by toxic exposure at Camp Lejeune to pursue the financial compensation they deserve for their substantial injuries. There is a deadline in place for Camp Lejeune contamination claims, so don’t wait if you have been injured. Contact Robert Brown Law today to find out how we can help.

Two-Year Window for Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Claims

According to reports, industrial solvents and other chemicals from various sources contaminated the drinking water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina, and exposed Marines, their families, and others living or working on the base to toxic chemicals for decades. Several Camp Lejeune lawsuits have already been filed against the U.S. government under the Honoring Our PACT Act. The new law, which includes the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022, opens a two-year window for veterans, servicemembers, family members, and other individuals to sue the government for harmful toxic exposures occurring during military service. Each Camp Lejeune lawsuit involves similar allegations that the contaminated water supply at the Marine Corps base exposed Marines and their loved ones to harmful chemicals like benzene, trichloroethylene (TCE), tetrachloroethylene, perchloroethylene (PCE), and vinyl chloride (VC), including unborn babies who were exposed to these toxic chemicals in utero.

Victims exposed in utero suffered from severe birth defects, and many did not survive. Indeed, so many infants died during the contamination period that one cemetery where hundreds are buried has taken on the grim title of ‘Baby Heaven.’

Plaintiffs Seeking Compensation for In-Utero Exposure

This latest Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuit, filed late last month in the Eastern District of North Carolina, involves claims by five people who were born or conceived at Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987, when the water was known to have been polluted. The plaintiffs allege in their joint complaint that they each developed serious birth defects as a result of their in-utero exposure to chemicals in the water, which their parents allegedly drank, bathed in, cooked with, and otherwise came in regular contact with. “Victims exposed in utero suffered from severe birth defects, and many did not survive,” the Camp Lejeune birth defect lawsuit notes. “Indeed, so many infants died during the contamination period that one cemetery where hundreds are buried has taken on the grim title of ‘Baby Heaven.’”

One of the plaintiffs in the birth defect lawsuit, Cathlene Brewer, reportedly suffered defects of the eyes and ears, as well as other serious conditions and diseases as a result of her exposure to polluted drinking water at Camp Lejeune, where she lived from her birth in 1956 until approximately 1959, while her father was stationed on base. “Ms. Brewer’s exposure to the contaminants contained in the Camp Lejeune water supply caused or at least as likely as not caused her birth defects and other injuries,” the lawsuit states. “She was exposed to these dangerous chemicals in utero, and studies have shown that such exposure leads to birth defects and other injuries.” As a result of these birth defects, Mr. Brewer has suffered blindness, detached retinas, and hearing impairment, among other serious conditions and diseases.

You May be Eligible for Compensation from the U.S. Government

More than a million Marines and their loved ones were exposed to contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune and may now have access to financial compensation for cancer, birth defects, and other adverse health outcomes caused by toxic exposure. Over the next two years, thousands of claims are expected to be brought against the U.S. government over devastating side effects like Parkinson’s disease, leukemia, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, bladder cancer, liver cancer, kidney cancer, and other potentially life-threatening illnesses associated with toxins in the drinking water at Camp Lejeune. If you or a loved one served or lived at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987 and developed a serious health problem possibly caused by exposure to toxic chemicals, contact Robert Brown Law as soon as possible to discuss the possibility of filing a claim.