First court hearing Wednesday for Camp Lejeune lawsuits

After a decades-long battle by Marines and their families, the first hearing under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022 is being held Wednesday to hold the government accountable for the toxic water at Marine Base Camp Lejeune from 1953 to 1987.

At the hearing, those who were directly affected by the toxic water at Camp Lejeune will speak.

Advocates Jerry Ensminger and Mike Partain, along with Attorneys Mikal Watts and Thomas Henson, will attend the first hearing in the Camp Lejeune case on Wednesday.

It's believed thousands were exposed at Camp Lejeune from the 1950s through the 80s.

Last year, they finally received Congressional approval to receive compensation for health issues.

In 2022, Biden signed the PACT Act, which encompasses the Camp Lejeune Justice Act along with other legal matters pertaining to toxic exposures related to military service. It gives service members more power to sue over the issue.

Ensminger is one of those expected to speak.

For years, WRAL Investigates has followed Ensminger’s fight for justice.

His daughter died at age 9 from Leukemia, which is one of the diseases linked to Lejeune’s water.

Mike Partain is a male breast cancer survivor -- another disease linked to Lejeune’s water.

Lawyers for the families said Wednesday will be more about figuring out how these lawsuits are all going to be structured and organized moving forward.

But they said those affected will get their chance to speak soon.

As of this morning, about 25,000 claims have been filed with the Department of the Navy and 300 with the Eastern District of North Carolina.

The CDC believes a dry-cleaning firm's waste disposal contaminated the water at Camp Lejeune -- leaving anyone living in the area exposed between 1953 and 1987.

Lawyers involved in the case said the government has already admitted to some fault.

Congress passed a law last year allowing for these lawsuits to move forward.

Trial attorneys from the Law office Henson Fuerst and famed trial attorney Mikal Watts, representing Camp Lejeune Legal, will preview what’s next for this case.

The hearing will be held Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina on New Bern Avenue.