Case Name: Camp Lejeune Water Litigation v. United States of America
Case Number: 7:23-cv-00897
Court: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina
Status: Ongoing

Camp Lejeune Water Litigation v. United States of America

Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Litigation

DiCello Levitt represents thousands of military service members, civilian employees, and families seeking accountability and compensation for decades-long toxic water exposure at Camp Lejeune.

With toxic exposure tied to devastating illnesses, survivors of Camp Lejeune’s contamination crisis are finally able to hold the government accountable.

For more than three decades, the drinking water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina was dangerously contaminated with toxic chemicals. More than a million military members, civilian employees, and their families were unknowingly exposed while living, working, and raising children on the base.

DiCello Levitt represents thousands of individuals harmed by the contamination, including service members, family members, and surviving relatives seeking compensation under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act. The litigation seeks accountability for one of the largest environmental health disasters in U.S. military history.

Key Developments and Court Decisions

August 2022 — Congress passed the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, allowing individuals who spent 30 or more days at Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987 to seek compensation from the U.S. government.

February 2024 — The court ruled that claims brought under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act must be tried by a judge rather than a jury, concluding that the statute did not expressly grant claimants a right to jury trials.

February 2026 — The court granted in part plaintiffs’ request to accelerate the first bellwether trials, holding numerous expert-admissibility and related summary judgment motions in abeyance so that representative Track 1 cases could move closer to trial.

Case Overview

Between 1953 and 1987, the water supply at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina was contaminated with toxic chemicals at levels unsafe for human consumption. The contaminants included trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, vinyl chloride, and benzene.

For decades, Marines, civilian employees, and military families lived and worked on the base without knowing that the water they drank, cooked with, and used in daily life was contaminated. More than a million people were exposed during the period covered by the litigation.

Exposure to Camp Lejeune’s contaminated water has been linked to serious health conditions, including leukemia, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, multiple myeloma, Parkinson’s disease, infertility, birth defects, and other chronic illnesses. Many exposed individuals suffered permanent injuries, and many families lost loved ones to illnesses alleged to be connected to the contamination.

The Camp Lejeune Justice Act, passed in August 2022, created a path for those harmed to seek compensation from the U.S. government. The law applies to individuals who spent 30 or more days at Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987, including those directly injured and surviving family members pursuing claims on behalf of loved ones.

DiCello Levitt represents thousands of people affected by Camp Lejeune’s water contamination. Drawing on its experience in environmental justice and toxic exposure litigation, the firm is working to help survivors and families pursue meaningful compensation and accountability for decades of exposure.

This litigation is not only about financial recovery. It is about holding the government accountable for the consequences of toxic contamination that affected generations of military families, civilian workers, and veterans.

This case is Camp Lejeune Water Litigation v. United States of America, Case No. 7:23-cv-00897, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. The DiCello Levitt team is led by Mark DiCello and includes Diandra “Fu” Debrosse and Mark Abramowitz.