Hundreds of people have filed Camp Lejeune lawsuits over the harm inflicted by contaminated water at the military base. The upsurge of cases involving the numerous ailments caused by polluted water has put judges in charge of the lawsuits in a challenging situation.
So far, judges are tasked with evaluating hundreds of lawsuits. They vow to settle the trial as efficiently as possible to award the appropriate compensation to victims in desperate need of settlements to cope with the impact of their injuries.
If you lived at Camp Lejeune between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987, you could qualify for compensation for injuries from exposure to contaminated water at the base.
But before filing your case, read this post to understand how the settlement process is set to proceed.
Judges Streamline Camp Lejeune Lawsuit Settlement Process
Judge James Dever of the U.S. District Court posed a question to kick off the Camp Lejeune case hearings. He asked the Department of Justice’s attorneys how long the Roman Empire existed.
They said they did not know, upon which the judge turned to the plaintiffs. They also said they didn’t know. Judge Dever then went on to say that, in his opinion, the Roman Empire existed for roughly 1900 years.
It was a considerable length of time, regardless of the questionable figure. Judge Dever then explained that resolving individual Camp Lejeune lawsuits would take the same time, something he said he could not allow.
The number of Camp Lejeune lawsuits currently stands at thousands, a staggering number that can clog the workings of the courts. This can significantly delay settlement for most victims who need compensation for their incapacitating medical bills.
To avoid this, Judge Dever and other judges presiding over the case instructed government defense counsel to ask the Navy to settle the claims at the administrative level before they reached trial.
The judge expressed disappointment that no Camp Lejeune lawsuit had been settled administratively, yet Marine Corps is a Department of the Navy division.
The Mass Litigation Trend is Shifting the Settlement Process
Class actions are not new, but with the surge of mass litigation, judges’ roles in multidistrict litigation have changed from “umpire to manager. ” This is according to Arthur R. Miller, a law professor at New York University, in his views on the pending Camp Lejeune lawsuits.
Federal courts struggle to manage the mountain of lawsuits they are in charge of, forcing judges like Judge Dever to adopt novel approaches to deal with the increasing number of mass litigation efficiently and quickly.
This has resulted in the embrace of standardized approaches and the focus on administrative claim resolution, which, although quicker, might have some drawbacks, like claimants being dissatisfied with their settlement amounts.
Who Can File Camp Lejeune Lawsuits?
New plaintiffs are filing new claims daily in the ongoing Camp Lejeune lawsuits. A potential plaintiff must have been diagnosed with a condition brought on by the contaminated Camp Lejeune water to qualify for compensation.
These conditions include:
- Bladder cancer
- Liver cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Adult leukemia
- Multiple myeloma
- Parkinson’s disease
- Aplastic anemia
- Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
A potential plaintiff must prove that they resided at the military base between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987, and were diagnosed with any of these ailments.
Additionally, you must demonstrate that you stayed on the base for no less than 30 straight days during this period.
Veterans, guardsmen, and reservists who wish to file Camp Lejeune lawsuits must have received an honorable discharge from the military.
Get Legal Help with Camp Lejeune Lawsuits Today!
It is strongly advised that anybody whose condition was caused by contaminated water at the base speak with a skilled personal injury lawyer immediately. For many people, this is an obvious thing.
However, choosing which lawyer to hire can be challenging given the abundance of personal injury attorneys who pitch themselves as the best legal representatives.
Legal Giant knows that you have a vast pool to choose from. That is why we are here to help. We can streamline the lawyer hiring process by linking you to an experienced personal injury lawyer near you.
We partner only with the best lawyers, whom you can trust to do everything possible to get you the compensation you deserve.
Contact us for a free consultation and case evaluation today.
