Camp Lejeune Justice Act Updates

November 3, 2025

The federal court overseeing the Camp Lejeune cases has authorized the appointed Settlement Masters to manage a questionnaire process as a "critical" step toward a broad settlement framework by the end of 2025. This is a specific, court-ordered process for existing plaintiffs in the consolidated litigation to provide information via questionnaires, but it is not a random selection of 2,500 people for settlement offers or trials. The court aims to gather data from plaintiffs through a structured questionnaire process, which is overseen by the Settlement Masters, to help create a potential matrix for a global settlement.  The Settlement Masters have been tasked by the Court with providing a proposed settlement matrix by the end of 2025.

October 27, 2025

From February 11, 2023 to October 14, 2025, 3,672 Camp Lejeune Justice Act  complaints have been filed in this district. 144 cases have been dismissed; 130 of those were voluntary dismissals and the 14 others were pro se cases. The cases are divided as follows: Judge Dever – 921 cases; Judge Myers – 909 cases; Judge Boyle – 907 cases; and Judge Flanagan – 935 cases. Of 409,892 de-duplicated claims, approximately 172,241 claims contain at least one supporting document. Approximately 64,847 of those claims allege an injury type that may be considered for settlement under the Elective Option (EO) framework. 

Fraud Warning! 

If you suspect a fraudulent attempt to contact you, please review the following:

1. The Justice Department and the Navy will never request money or payment from you.

2. If an attorney is representing you, direct all inquiries to your attorney for verification. The Justice Department and Navy will not contact you directly and will only contact you through your attorney.

3. Emails from the Navy will be sent from the us.navy.mil domain. You may forward any email you receive to that address to verify authenticity.

4. If you receive a phone call claiming to be from the CLCU or offering assistance with your claim, and you are uncertain, ask for the person’s name and position, then call the CLCU at (757) 241-6020 or email at CLClaims@us.navy.mil to verify.   

5.  Steps to take if you believe your personal information has been compromised can be found here.  Please report fraudulent activity here.

Click below to read more:  

DOJ and Navy Warn Against Fraudulent Schemes

September 29, 2025

There are currently 3,637 Camp Lejeune Justice Act cases filed in the Eastern District of North Carolina.  That proportionally a much smaller increase than has been experienced in past quarters.  The government has filed over 30 motions primarily targeting expert testimony and requesting summary judgment.  Plaintiffs’ attorneys have responded to the motions.  Motions from the Department of Justice challenge causation, question exposure models, and are attempting to seek ways to limit the evidence that reaches the court for consideration in the cases.

 September 22, 2025 Camp Lejeune Update

• More than 3,600 lawsuits have been filed under the CLJA 2022.

• Over 400,000 admin claims have been submitted.

• Approximately 64,000 claims fall within the scope of the EO for settlement.

• The DOJ produced Medicare data late and failed to deliver key witnesses for deposition by the agreed deadlines.   The plaintiffs are now pushing to extend their own expert deadlines by just a couple of weeks to adjust.  

• As the court prepares to resolve key motions on expert admissibility and summary judgments, the next several months will determine when these cases finally reach a courtroom.

September 17, 2025

At last count more than 3,600 lawsuits have been filed under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, and the Navy has received over 400,000 administrative claims for compensation related to the base's contaminated water.  Of the total number of submitted administrative claims approximately 64,00 of them fall within the scope possible consideration of the Elective Option.  Both medical records and proof of presence on base are required to substantiate every claim.  In addition to proving a Tier One or Tier Two disease, a claimant must prove that they contract that disease within 35 years of the last time they were on base at Camp Lejeune. 

In mid-September the Department of Justice missed key discovery deadlines, producing some Medicare data and witness information later than agreed.  The PLG have made potions to extend their own expert deadlines by a couple of weeks to correct for the government’s late production. The court is preparing to resolve some key motions on expert admissibility and summary judgment. 

September 12, 2025 – Expert Battles

Both the plaintiffs and the government have asked the court for permission to exceed the standard page limits for their expert witness motions. Under the local rules, filings are generally limited to 30 pages or 8,400 words. However, both parties agree that the complexity and significance of the upcoming expert challenges make this limit insufficient.

These filings are Rule 702 motions, which determine whether expert testimony meets the standards of reliability required for presentation to a jury.

The plaintiffs seek additional space to address one expert whose opinions cover all of the diseases in the initial case group. The government, meanwhile, plans to challenge multiple experts focused on two specific diseases—leukemia and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma—and requests to file two extended motions, one 40 pages long and the other 45. The plaintiffs request a single 40-page motion.

Key dates and schedules

• Track 1 Plaintiffs: The discovery phase for Track 1 plaintiffs has concluded, and trials were set to begin in 2024. This initial group includes bellwether cases for five conditions: bladder cancer, kidney cancer, leukemia, Parkinson's disease, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. A pretrial schedule for Track 1 was released in August 2024, closing fact discovery in August 2024 and outlining deadlines for expert disclosures and motions.

• Expert discovery: A July 2024 court order expedited the expert discovery and motion briefing process for all Camp Lejeune litigation.

• Future proceedings: The court intends to stage discovery and trials by "tracks" to efficiently handle the massive volume of claims. Regular status reports are submitted by the Plaintiffs' Leadership Group (PLG) and the government to keep the court updated on ongoing issues, including trial sequences and evidence presentation. 

1. Water Contamination Phase

This portion of pretrial discovery focuses on the toxic chemical exposure from the water at Camp Lejeune. The PLG expert disclosure must be completed 75 days after the close of Fact Discovery. The Government must disclose its experts within 45 days of learning the PLG’s experts. The PLG then has 21 days to disclose rebuttal witnesses.

  2. General Causation Phase

 This phase handles discovery regarding the general causation for the Track 1 illnesses. The first task for the PLG is disclosing General Causation experts within 120 days after Fact Discovery closes. The Government then has 45 days to disclose its experts and the PLG has 21 days to provide rebuttal witnesses

3. Residual Expert Phase

This phase is related to specific causation, damages, and any other discipline not covered in an earlier phase. The PLG must disclose residual experts within 165 days of the Fact Discovery closure. The Government has 45 days to provide all the Defendant’s experts for this phase and the PLG has 21 days to respond with its rebuttal experts.

4.Damages

Below is the flowchart for Elective Option offer process:

May 5, 2025 Camp Lejeune Track Lawsuit Update

What are Track One lawsuits?

1. kidney cancer, 

2. bladder cancer, 

3. leukemia, 

4. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and 

5. Parkinson’s disease.

What are Track Two lawsuits?

1. prostate cancer; 

2. kidney disease; 

3. lung cancer;  

4. liver cancer; or 

5. breast cancer. 

December 12, 2024 New EPA Rule

The EPA has issued a final rule to phase out all consumer, industrial, and commercial uses of trichloroethylene (TCE), a harmful solvent linked to liver and kidney cancer, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and central nervous system damage. There was also issued a partial ban of certain commercial uses of perchloroethylene (PCE). PCE has been connected to cancers of the liver, kidney, and brain, along with reproductive and neurotoxic effects. TCE, widely used in products like hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants, degreasers, adhesives, and lubricants, has been a focal point in the Camp Lejeune litigation.

TCE concentrations at Lejeune reached up to 280 parts per billion (ppb) in some wells, far exceeding the EPA’s safe limit of 5 ppb. The contamination primarily originated from two main sources. The on-base Hadnot Point Industrial Area used TCE extensively for degreasing equipment and cleaning machinery.  Intensifying the issue, the ABC One-Hour Cleaners, an off-base facility, improperly disposed of waste solvents, which seeped into groundwater.

December 7, 2024 

The Lejeune docket has been relatively quiet with very few motions and orders filed as most of the effort on the plaintiff’s side is being focused upon getting the information to the government needed for settlement on individual cases for trial.

The assignment of one judge per injury plan is coming together.  The leukemia and Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma cases set for trial have been transferred to Judge Dever.

November 22, 2024 – Expert Witnesses

The judges signed off on a stipulated order governing expert discovery in the litigation. This order outlines the procedures and limitations for expert disclosures and depositions, designed to streamline the complex litigation process.

Key provisions include:

1. Expert Disclosures: Retained testifying experts must provide written reports in compliance with Rule 26(a)(2)(B). Supporting materials, such as reliance files, must be disclosed within seven days of serving the report. However, certain communications and draft reports are protected from disclosure to preserve attorney-client privilege and work product protections.

2. Protected and Required Materials: Communications between experts and lawyers are generally shielded from discovery, except for specific circumstances (this is not always the case). Facts, data, and publications considered by the expert must be disclosed unless they are otherwise accessible.

3. Expert Deposition Length: Depositions are to be conducted after all relevant expert reports have been disclosed. Each deposition is limited to seven hours unless agreed otherwise or extended by court order.

4. Supplementation: Parties are obligated to update disclosures as necessary, ensuring compliance with Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.