First-ever Camp Lejeune Justice Act trial begins in North Carolina

The first trial brought under the 2022 Camp Lejeune Justice Act opened in federal court in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, as a bench trial before Judge Terrence Boyle. The case involves former Marine Frank Mousser, who alleges his kidney cancer was caused by contaminated drinking water at the base, a claim the government disputes on causation grounds. Three more Track 1 bellwether cases are queued for trial, and the Plaintiffs' Leadership Group separately asked the court late last week to require a census of claimants with 25 specific diseases as part of a broader settlement framework, as settlement talks continue ahead of an October 30 target the judges set for a global resolution.

Why it matters. As the first adjudicated test of a Camp Lejeune Justice Act claim, the outcome could shape how the government and plaintiffs value thousands of other pending water-contamination claims.