Wallace, Ellis To Help Lead Camp Lejeune Litigation

Two NCAJ members are among those tapped to lead the Camp Lejeune Justice Act litigation. In an order released last week, the judges of the Eastern District of North Carolina named Mona Lisa Wallace of Wallace & Graham as one of six co-lead counsels. The judges named Charles Ellis of Ward and Smith, P.A. liaison counsel.   

According to the order, Wallace will serve on a seven-person team that will “collaboratively lead and coordinate the activities of all plaintiffs’ attorneys” in the litigation. As liaison counsel, Ellis will serve as a point of contact between the court and the plaintiffs’ leadership.  

According to a Reuters report, the number of Camp Lejeune cases pending now totals about 1,100, and more than 70,000 administrative claims have been brought against the U.S. Navy.  

The Camp Lejeune Justice Act became law when President Biden signed the Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act last August. It created a process for veterans and affected civilians who were stationed at Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987 to bring health claims for illnesses caused by contaminated water on the base. As many as 1 million people may have been affected.