Camp Lejeune · Government filing
What evidence is the U.S. asking for in Camp Lejeune cases?
The Justice Department wants an early evidence check. Plaintiffs’ lawyers favor a census. Their filings explain what each side wants the court to do.
On November 10, the Justice Department renewed its request for an order requiring people with Camp Lejeune water lawsuits to produce evidence supporting their claims. The filing asks the federal court in North Carolina to decide how those cases should be screened.
What the government wants
The proposed procedure is called a Lone Pine order. For some illnesses, the government wants expert reports on two questions: whether the exposure can cause the illness and whether it caused that person’s illness. The requirements would vary by condition. Under the proposal, a plaintiff whose submission was incomplete would have an opportunity to address the gap before the government could seek dismissal.
Why plaintiffs’ lawyers object
The Plaintiffs’ Leadership Group argues that preparing large numbers of individual expert reports would be costly and that reviewing them would burden the court. Its alternative is a census to identify and count people with pending administrative claims involving specified illnesses.
Where that leaves the case
Document 942 is the government’s reply to the plaintiffs’ opposition. It records the arguments before the court. A judge would have to enter an order for new requirements to take effect. The reply itself sets no deadline for an individual family.