Government Cover-Up
In the 1980s the government was presented multiple tests showing the alarming levels of toxic chemicals in the base drinking water . However , instead of taking measures to protect the men , women , and children consuming this poisonous water , the United States Marine Corps knowingly allowed marines and civilians to be exposed . The government did not close the contaminated water wells until years after it learned of the problem . When the reality of the water contamination was finally revealed to the public , the government blamed the source of contamination on an off-site dry cleaning business which was dumping industrial waste in the wastewater drains . The truth about the government ’ s involvement in Camp Lejeune ’ s water contamination finally emerged in 2009 when it was revealed that approximately 800,000 gallons of fuel from base ’ s own fuel tanks had leaked into the main wells that service the base .
The Fight Began
Marines and their families began to fight back as news of this deadly contamination was brought to light . This is when Ed Bell , a lawyer from South Carolina , began his decade long fight to help victims of this contamination . In 2009 , Ed , along with several other mass torts firms , filed lawsuits against the government for its deceitful acts of negligence against US Marines . Thousands of these Camp Lejeune cases were consolidated as a multidistrict litigation .
While the Judge ’ s rulings in the early stages were favorable to the victims , the plaintiffs could not overcome the procedural defenses raised by the government . Eventually , the government prevailed on Statute of Repose , Statute of Limitations and Government immunity grounds . Ed spent years petitioning the Court to reconsider but was unsuccessful . This dismissal left over 4,000 plaintiffs with no means to recovery for their cancer or debilitating illness .
Lawyers involved began to accept the impossibility of recovering for Camp Lejeune victims . Ed Bell never lost hope . When other plaintiff firm ’ s accepted defeat and moved on to their next case , Ed kept fighting . Ed Bell refused to accept there was nothing more he could do for his clients . When the Court told him there was no legal cause of action for his clients , he created one .
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act
Ed Bell is considered one of the founding fathers of the Camp Lejeune Justice Act . While the Act was a joint vision by several contributing firms , Ed Bell truly championed this effort . Ed Bell and his firm spent thousands of hours and millions of dollars drafting this legislation and lobbying to get the Camp Lejeune Justice Act passed . After 15 years in litigation and in advocacy in Congress that vision has become a reality . On August 10 , 2022 , the Camp Lejeune Justice Act was enacted , granting a cause of action for victims of the water contamination against the government . This legislation is unlike anything we have seen before .
The United States will finally fulfill its obligation to service members , their families , and civilians who fell victim to the Camp Lejeune Water Contamination . The Act is a true work of genius . The Camp Lejeune