Hundreds of thousands of people are still awaiting justice more than two years after lawmakers passed legislation allowing victims of toxic water at Camp Lejeune to take legal action against the government.
North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis and Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal from Connecticut have introduced the Ensuring Justice for Camp Lejeune Victims Act.
The bill would speed up the resolution of claims arising from exposure to contaminated water at the base. The Navy has received more than 400,000 administrative claims, but only about 400 settlement offers have been made.
Tillis said veterans and other victims exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune are running into roadblocks that are denying them their day in court before a jury for the often-crippling and deadly medical conditions they have suffered.
Among other things, the bill would expand the number of courthouses that can hear the cases to the entire Fourth Circuit of the federal judiciary and not just the Eastern District of North Carolina.
Victims must show exposure to the water caused their illness, and the bill also makes it clear that jury trials are permitted and it caps attorney fees at 20% for settlements and 25% for awards at trials.
