South Carolina Lawyer Named Lead Counsel in Camp Lejeune Cases

The founder and senior partner of a South Carolina law firm was named Wednesday as the lead counsel for the thousands of Camp Lejeune toxic-water lawsuits being filed in the Eastern District of North Carolina.

J. Edward Bell III, of the Bell Legal Group, and six co-lead counsels will lead the plaintiff attorneys in litigation that could become one of the biggest mass torts in history. Bell’s appointment, outlined in an order by four district court judges, also gives him more control over negotiations while likely making him eligible for extra fees.

Zina Bash, a partner at Keller Postman, was named co-lead counsel and government liaison. Five others were named co-lead counsel: Elizabeth Cabraser, of Lieff, Cabraser, Heimann and Bernstein; Michael Dowling of the Dowling Firm; Robin Greenwald of Weitz & Luxenberg; James A. Roberts III of Lewis & Roberts; and Mona Lisa Wallace of Wallace & Graham.

The appointments are for a year and will expire July 31, 2024, according to the court order.

J. Edward Bell III

Bell Legal Group

About 1,100 lawsuits have already been filed in the Eastern District but court officials are bracing for thousands more. The government has projected it might ultimately pay out $21 billion in Camp Lejeune claims.

Bell said he had worked for more than a decade and a half to pursue compensation for Camp Lejeune veterans who blame their cancer, Parkinson’s disease and other illnesses on exposure to contaminated water on the North Carolina Marine base.

Bell said in an interview that the appointment was going to be a lot of responsibility and a lot of work. “And I think I’m up to it,” he said.

Bell said previously that he had spent as much as $15 million over the years as he advocated for Camp Lejeune contamination victims, including pressing for the bill enacted last year that authorized veterans and others to pursue claims against the government. His firm also lobbied Congress to reject calls to limit the amount attorneys can charge claimants in the case.

The Bell Legal Group spent about $1.9 million lobbying U.S. lawmakers in two years. This year, as members of Congress restarted their efforts to curb attorney fees related to the case, the group spent another $530,000 in lobbying in the first quarter, according to opensecrets.org.

Potential victims have until August 2024 to file their compensation claims with the Navy, which oversees the base. About 75,000 claims have been filed so far.

Those whose claims are declined by the Navy or unresolved can sue in the Eastern District.

“No one really knows what these cases are worth,” Bell said. “And so both the government and the lawyers for claimants, everyone’s eager to have a jury or court say—this is the range of what this case is worth.”