Amid a spike of over 1,000% in litigation—detected by ALM’s Law.com Radar—under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2022, those in the industry—and Congress—are wondering if the law’s lack of an attorney fee cap is best for clients. 

The Camp Lejeune Justice Act, CLJA, was signed into law by President Joe Biden in mid-2022 and it paved the way for those injured by toxic chemicals in the North Carolina Marine Corps base’s water supply from the 1950s through the 1980s. It lowered the causation standard for harm, qualified those who could sue and waived the government’s sovereign immunity from the claims. An administrative process was also created to address claims and make settlements, but the six-month window for agency responses is starting to close since the bill’s signing in August, opening the door to filings in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina.