A judge presiding over the Camp Lejeune water litigation has ordered that the mental health records of plaintiffs not be made public.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert B. Jones ruled that access to those records is restricted to the Plaintiff’s Leadership Group – lawyers representing the victims – and DoJ attorneys representing the government.
Read more: Camp Lejeune Justice Act Series
The water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune near Jacksonville was contaminated with industrial solvents and benzene, and it’s considered one of the worst cases of water contamination in U.S. history. Nearly one million Marines, sailors, civilian employees, and military family members were potentially exposed, according to the CDC.
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act opened a two-year window for those that served at Camp Lejeune or MCAS New River for at least 30 days between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987, and who were diagnosed with specific illnesses to sue for compensation for their injuries.
More than 400,000 damage claims have been filed with the Navy and just under 4,000 lawsuits are pending in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina since a two-year window for litigation opened in 2022. That window closed last fall.
Attorneys handling the plaintiffs’ cases have said only about 100 settlements have been reached with victims.
