Parties have agreed on what plaintiffs need to prove in the first Camp Lejeune bellwether trials, after negotiations for a global settlement have failed so far
The U.S. Navy has only made Camp Lejeune settlement offers to a small fraction of the more than 300,000 water contamination injury claims presented by Marine veterans and family members injured at the base.
As the filing deadline for Camp Lejeune lawsuits approach, parties are looking at both settlement options and a series of bellwether trials to resolve the litigation.
Nearly two years after the Camp Lejeune Justice Act was enacted, the U.S. government has only identified 136 claims that may be eligible for an elective settlement offer.
Lawyers will select 25 Camp Lejeune lawsuits involving kidney cancer, bladder cancer, leukemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma or Parkinson's disease from a group of 100 eligible cases, which will be prepared for a series early test trials.
New Bill would allow Camp Lejeune water lawsuits to be set for trial in various different courts throughout the Fourth Circuit, and ensure that juries determine the amount of damages each plaintiff receives.
Plaintiffs will have to wait until after Camp Lejeune lawsuit bench trials are completed before appealing a ruling that prevents juries from deciding the claims.
Judges overseeing the Camp Lejeune lawsuits will hear proposals from the U.S. government and plaintiff's leadership counsel over which illnesses and diseases should be selected for a third round of bellwether trials.
Individuals exposed to contaminated water at the Marine base only have about five more months remaining under the Camp Lejeune injury claim filing deadline.
While working to reach a global Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuit settlement, the U.S. Government has agreed to make over $4 million in payments for cancer, kidney damage and Parkinson’s disease claims
