The government and the plaintiffs in the Camp Lejeune consolidated litigation submitted their first joint status report. Aside from updating the court on the status of the plaintiffs’ leadership committees, the parties also requested that the court issue an across-the-board extension to September 1, 2023 of individual deadlines in all pending Camp Lejeune cases. The extension will give the parties time to submit a global case management order, which is due by the end of August.
In summary:
- The number of administrative claims filed with the Navy JAG has exceeded 70,000.
- No settlement offers have been made at this time, almost a year after the Camp Lejeune Justice Act (CLJA) was passed.
- The pace of lawsuits being filed under the CLJA continues to accelerate, with nearly 200 new cases filed within the last 10 days.
- A status conference is scheduled for April 5, 2023, before Judge Dever of the Eastern District of North Carolina.
- Plaintiffs' counsel and JAG have jointly requested an extension of all individual case deadlines until September 1, 2023, while they work on a proposed Global Case Management Order.
The August update on the Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuit shows that the litigation is still in its early stages. The number of claims filed is significant, but no settlement offers have been made yet. It is still too early to say how long the litigation will take or how much compensation, if any, will be awarded to the victims.
However, the fact that the pace of lawsuits is accelerating is a positive sign for the victims. It shows that they are not giving up and are determined to seek justice. The upcoming status conference will be an important opportunity for the parties to discuss the progress of the litigation and to set a timeline for future developments.