The Department of the Navy has announced that they will deny all civil claims made by people who were exposed to contaminated drinking water at a major US Marine Corps base.
According to an article published by CNN.com, hazardous chemicals were accidentally introduced into drinking wells from the 1950s to the 1980s located at Camp Lejeune, a military base in Jacksonville, North Carolina. The claims by some 4,400 claimants allege personal injury or wrongful death resulting from exposure to these harmful chemicals. The total amount claimed was approximately $963 billion, including a single claim for $900 billion.
Secretary of the Navy, Richard Spencer, said that the decision to deny the claims was made mostly due to a court decision that found similar claims against the US government were not exempted from the principle of sovereign immunity, thus restricting the type of lawsuits that can be brought against the government.
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Relevant pages: Veterans Disability