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How Do Camp Lejeune Lawsuits Actually Work?

You’ve no doubt seen the ads on television, but did you ever wonder how Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuits actually work? Our team breaks it down for you.

RPWB has filed its first administrative claims with the Navy JAG, the first step in the litigation process under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act. The JAG is tasked with reviewing the initial claim forms. After receiving a claim form, the government has up to six months to make a settlement offer (not likely), reject the claim form as incomplete or deficient, or ignore it altogether (most likely). After the six-month review window has expired, the lawsuit must be filed within 60 days in federal court in the Eastern District of North Carolina.

It remains to be seen how the government will handle the administrative claim forms and, specifically, whether it will make reasonable settlement offers. To date, no offers have been made. However, we believe that any settlement offers at the claim-form stage will be low and that most cases will proceed to litigation.  Once cases are filed in the Eastern District of North Carolina, we anticipate cases will move to trial and that the government potentially will use these verdicts to gauge values for future settlements. Given the wide swath of illnesses and diseases involved and that the U.S. Government is the defendant, there will be Camp Lejeune litigation specific intricacies and challenges, including Daubert challenges to scientific and medical experts. It will not be a quick process to litigate these claims. We expect at least a three- to five-year time horizon for the litigation to be meaningfully resolved.

In light of these complexities, litigating Camp Lejeune Water Contamination cases will require significant mass tort legal experience. Working with a mass tort law firm with experience representing Veterans and their families will be to your advantage.

RPWB attorneys represent Camp Lejeune water contamination victims nationwide. Due to our firm’s involvement in the leadership of the national 3M earplugs litigation and other cases, we have a wealth of experience with the unique complexities of helping current and former military personnel, including the challenges of navigating complex military and Veteran’s Administration records request processes.

We would be honored to put our experience to work for you.

The main criteria for our Camp Lejeune cases is that the person served, lived, or worked at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, between 1953 and 1987 for at least 30 days and subsequently developed: Parkinson’s disease, end-stage renal disease, kidney cancer, kidney damage, leukemia, liver cancer, multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, scleroderma, systemic sclerosis and major cardiac birth defects. We will also screen additional cancers and health conditions that may have been caused by the contaminated water.

Click here to learn more about Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Cases.

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      With Sixteen Attorneys Named to Best Lawyers List, RPWB is the Top-Listed Product Liability and Class Action Law Firm in the State

      Sixteen RPWB attorneys were selected for the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® list for numerous practice areas including personal injury, product liability, mass tort, class action and medical malpractice litigation.

      This marks the sixth consecutive year in which RPWB is the top-listed plaintiff law firm in South Carolina for both product liability litigation and class action & mass tort litigation.

      RPWB member Beth Burke was selected as personal injury lawyer of the year in Charleston, South Carolina. In addition to working on medical malpractice and personal injury cases, Burke serves in the leadership of the national lawsuit against 3M for supplying military personnel with defective earplugs. She also represents Marine Corps veterans who developed cancer and other serious conditions after consuming contaminated water at Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987.

      Beth Burke is personal injury lawyer of the year in Charleston, S.C.

       

      Here is the full list of RPWB attorneys on the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®:

      Mount Pleasant, S.C.

      Nina Fields Britt – Mass Tort/Class Actions Litigation

      Beth Burke – Mass Tort/Class Actions, Personal Injury & Product Liability Litigation

      Jerry Evans – Mass Tort/Class Actions & Product Liability Litigation

      Kim Keevers Palmer – Mass Tort/Class Actions Litigation

      Greg Lofstead – Product Liability & Mass Tort/Class Actions Litigation

      Christiaan Marcum – Mass Tort/Class Actions & Product Liability Litigation

      Tom Rogers – Medical Malpractice Law & Personal Injury Litigation

      Hoyt Rowell – Healthcare Law & Mass Tort/Class Actions Litigation

      Chris Tuck – Mass Tort/Class Actions, Product Liability Litigation & Qui Tam Law

      Ed Westbrook – Mass Tort/Class Actions Litigation

      Bobby Wood – Mass Tort/Class Actions & Product Liability Litigation

      Charleston, S.C.

      Michael Brickman – Antitrust Law, Mass Tort/Class Actions & Securities Litigation

      Charles Patrick, Jr. – Mass Tort/Class Actions & Product Liability Litigation

      Aiken, S.C.

      Dave Butler – Personal Injury & Product Liability Litigation

      Ken Wilson – Personal Injury & Product Liability Litigation

      Edwardsville, Ill.

      Jena Borden – Mass Tort/Class Actions & Product Liability Litigation

      Ones to Watch

      Three younger attorneys at the firm are recognized as “Ones to Watch,” a distinction for up-and-coming attorneys.

      • Chuck Dukes is listed for antitrust law, commercial litigation, mass tort/class action litigation, personal injury litigation and product liability litigation.
      • Matt Nickles is honored for personal injury and product liability litigation.
      • TAC Hargrove was selected for commercial litigation following his work on litigation associated with the failed V.C. Summer nuclear expansion project.

      About Best Lawyers

      Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers® has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Best Lawyers lists are compiled based on an exhaustive peer-review evaluation. More than 116,000 industry leading lawyers are eligible to vote (from around the world), and we have received more than 17 million evaluations on the legal abilities of other lawyers based on their specific practice areas around the world. For the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®, more than 12.2 million votes were analyzed. Lawyers are not required nor allowed to pay a fee to be listed; therefore, inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor.

      Our Experienced Lawyers