Bipartisan support is building for a bill that would allow victims of contaminated water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune to seek jury trials.
The bill penned by North Carolina Republicans, Rep. Greg Murphy and Sen. Thom Tillis would make corrections to the Camp Lejeune Justice Act so plaintiffs could request jury trials, cases could be heard in more federal courts and attorneys fees could be capped at 25 percent.
Since Murphy introduced his bill on June 25, 32 co-sponsors have signed on, including 18 Democrats and 14 Republicans. Tillis’ bill, introduced in March, now has three Democratic and two Republican co-sponsors.
As many as a million people were exposed to contaminated drinking water at the base between 1953 and 1987,
And the Camp Lejeune Justice Act allows them to seek compensation for illnesses and deaths.
More than 400,000 damage claims have been filed with the Navy and more than 2,800 lawsuits are pending in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina.
Attorneys handling the plaintiffs’ cases have said only about 100 settlements have been reached with victims.
The lawsuits have taken three years to get ready for trials.
