Women Who Have Had Miscarriages Can File Camp Lejeune Claims
Water contamination levels at Camp Lejeune were estimated to have been at three to ten times the level deemed to be safe, putting the unborn at the greatest risk
Thursday, September 21, 2023 - About 100,000 people have come forward to file Camp Lejeune Justice Act claims in the year since the Act was signed into law allowing for lawsuits to be filed in North Carolina should the Navy fail to honor one's settlement request or an expiration of time of six months should the claim go unanswered. The majority of the claims most likely are by marines and civilian employees who developed cancer and also by the survivors of those who died from the disease. Another demographic of Camp Lejeune water claims has gone unanswered because the science is not so clear. Tens of thousands of women have had Camp Lejeune miscarriages due to drinking contaminated Camp Lejeune water. Water contamination levels at Camp Lejeune are estimated to have been at three to ten times the level deemed to be safe, putting the unborn at the greatest risk. NBC News tells listeners that the highest levels of contamination were at the base hospital where pregnant women were cared for. Lawsuits that have been filed may stress that the Marines knew for about a decade that the water at the base hospital was contaminated but failed to warn them. One Marine Corps woman, LaVeda Kendrix, 65 suffered one stillbirth and nine miscarriages. According to NBC, the new Camp Lejeune water expedited settlement offer leaves most women like Ms. Kendrix who have suffered miscarriages and stillbirth feeling left out and still overlooked. " Today, as they continue seeking justice under a new law meant to expedite litigation, their cases have fallen under intense scrutiny, which has left many women, including 23 who spoke to NBC News, feeling as dismissed as they felt decades ago. "It's like we're invisible," said LaVeda Kendrix."
Public health officials estimate that up to 1 million US Marines, other servicemembers, civilian employees, pregnant people, and their children may have ingested contaminated water regularly and over a long time. The more time spent at Camp Lejeune from 1953 to 1987, the more water they are presumed to have drank, cooked with, and bathed in. The duration of one's stay at Camp Lejeune is reflected in the amount of the preset settlement that has been established by the Navy and Department of Defense. People who were for any reason living working or going to school at Camp Lejeune for at least 30 days may qualify for at least the minimum payout. Those who spent more than ten years on the base drinking the water and have developed one of a fairly long list of types of cancer presumed to have been caused by toxins in the water may be entitled to $450,000, the maximum payout under the new plan. In addition, Camp Lejeune water claimants who receive the expedited lump-sum settlement are to enjoy another 15% of compensation as attorney fees have been capped at 20% for settlement amounts. The cap was put into place this week by the US Justice Department and the Navy. The announcement of the cap in attorney fees one week after the settlement deal was announced is no coincidence.