Wilmington, North Carolina, Feb. 14, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Napoli Shkolnik filed a lawsuit in the Eastern District of North Carolina on Sunday, February 12, 2023, seeking compensation for injuries, damages, and losses suffered by Mr. Urquhart because of his exposure to toxic substances in the water at U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune.

On August 2, 2022, Congress passed the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 which President Biden signed into law on August 10, 2022. The Act provides an avenue to obtain compensation from the federal government for the effects of the toxic chemicals that contaminated the water consumed at Camp Lejeune for decades. The Act also required administrative notice prior to filing suit, which is effectively a statutorily required 6 month waiting period after properly alerting the Navy of the claim. With that waiting period now completed for Mr. Urquhart’s claim, Napoli Shkolnik has filed one of the first lawsuits on behalf of a former Marine exposed to toxic water at Camp Lejeune.

From the 1950’s until at least 1987, the groundwater at the Camp Lejeune military base was contaminated with toxic chemicals at levels that are 240 to 3400 times higher than what was permitted by the applicable safety standards. It is estimated that around 1 million U.S. Marines and civilians were exposed to these contaminants. Military personnel stationed there, their family members, and other civilians living and/or working on the base were - unbeknownst to them - drinking and bathing in contaminated water. As a result, these innocent individuals are at an increased risk of developing certain cancers (including breast cancer, renal cancer, kidney cancer, and leukemia), experiencing serious fertility issues and birth injuries, and other devastating health problems.

Hunter Shkolnik remarked “this law makes the federal government honor its obligations to those who have protected our way of life, it has been a long time coming and we will do our best to make sure that every military member and their families receive justice now.”

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ABOUT NAPOLI SHKOLNIK:

Napoli Shkolnik is a national litigation firm providing representation to persons in class action lawsuits and complex commercial cases, as well as victims of environmental contamination disasters, aviation accidents, defective prescriptions drugs and medical devices, asbestos-related illnesses, and other serious personal injury matters.