Published
July 12, 2022
Updated
July 23, 2026
Contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune from 1953 to 1987 exposed as many as one million Marines, families, and civilian workers to toxic chemicals; the window to file a Camp Lejeune Justice Act claim has since closed, and filed claims are now working through settlement and litigation.
What's This Settlement About?
From 1953 through 1987, contaminated drinking water at North Carolina's Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base and its satellite sites put as many as one million people at risk for cancer and other serious deadly illnesses.Drinking and bathing water was contaminated with one of the following toxins: Trichloroethylene (TCE), Perchloroethylene (PCE), Benzene, and Vinyl Chloride. Allegedly, toxic chemicals, industrial wastewater, and oil were knowingly dumped into storm drains and were leaking into the drinking water supply for 35 years. Serious diseases have been tied to this water contamination, among which are:
• Aplastic anemia
• Bladder cancer
• Breast cancer
• Esophageal cancer
• Female infertility
• Hepatic steatosis
• Kidney cancer
• Liver cancer
• Leukemia
• Lung cancer
• Miscarriage
• Multiple myeloma
• Myelodysplastic syndromes
• Neurobehavioral effects
• Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
• Parkinson's disease
• Renal toxicity
• Scleroderma
These diseases centered around water sourced around Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune is a 246-square-mile United States military training facility in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Its 14 miles of beaches make the base a major area for amphibious assault training, and its location between two deep-water ports allow for fast deployments.
Status
Claims Closed
Camp Lejeune Justice Act filing window has passed
Claim Deadline
August 10, 2024 (Passed)
Estimated Payout
Varies
Depends on illness and length of exposure
Proof Required
Yes
30+ days at Camp Lejeune plus a qualifying diagnosis
2026 Litigation & Payout Update
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act filing window closed on August 10, 2024, so no new claims can be filed. For the roughly 400,000 administrative claims filed before the deadline, resolution has been slow. As of mid-2026, the U.S. Department of Justice reported settlement offers exceeding $907 million, with more than $723 million paid — still under 1% of all filed claims.Cases continue to move through the Eastern District of North Carolina. Court-appointed Settlement Masters have been meeting with the Department of Justice and the plaintiffs' leadership group on a broader resolution, the government's "Elective Option" early-payment framework remains available for qualifying diagnoses, and the litigation's test-case tracks have expanded to cover additional illnesses. In 2026 the court also limited the government's ability to automatically offset awards against certain VA, Medicare, and Medicaid benefits unless tied to the same injury. For how Camp Lejeune compares with the other major toxic-exposure cases, see our mass tort MDL tracker.
How Do I Qualify?
You qualify if you are an individual, including a veteran who resided, worked, or was otherwise exposed (including in utero exposure, before birth) for not less than 30 days during the period beginning on August 1, 1953, and ending on December 31, 1987, to water at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina (and surrounding areas -- see list below).This settlement will cover anybody who was there, no matter whether your health was damaged. However, damage to your health from water contamination can lead to larger monetary relief. Additionally, anybody already receiving benefits due to this case may still be eligible to get further cash compensation from this class action lawsuit.
Locations where exposure may have occurred:
• Marine Corps. Base Camp Lejeune
• Marine Corps. Air Station New River
• Camp Geiger
• Camp Johnson / Montford Point
• Camp Lejeune Greater Sandy Run
• Hadnot Point
• Holcomb Boulevard
• Onslow Beach
• Paradise Point
• Stone Bay Rifle Range
• Tarawa Terrace
Free settlement alerts
Get notified when new class actions open to claims
Join thousands of readers who get the latest class action settlements you may qualify for — delivered straight to your inbox.
For more class actions keep scrolling below.
