Camp Lejeune Justice Act, Florida Probate

Florida Probate Help for Camp Lejeune Claims

If a veteran or family member exposed to Camp Lejeune's water has passed away, Florida law usually requires a personal representative before compensation can be paid out. We handle that step.

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✓ No fee to you for the probate work unless there's a recovery ✓ We work alongside your existing Camp Lejeune attorney ✓ Statewide Florida probate practice

Between 1953 and 1987, contaminated water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune exposed hundreds of thousands of service members and their families to industrial solvents linked to cancer, Parkinson's disease, and other serious illnesses. Congress passed the Camp Lejeune Justice Act to let those affected, or their estates, seek compensation. A lot of the people this law was written for have not lived to see a settlement check. When that happens, Florida law generally requires a court-appointed personal representative before the claim can move forward or funds can be released.

Where Things Stand Right Now

The deadline to file a new administrative claim under the Act was August 10, 2024, and that window has closed. Whether a new claim can still be filed in your specific situation is a question for the attorney handling the claim, not something we advise on here. What we can help with, regardless of where the underlying claim stands, is the Florida probate side: if an estate hasn't been opened yet for someone who was exposed and has passed away, that's the piece we handle.

No jury has yet reached a verdict in the federal bellwether cases as of this writing. A panel of judges has pushed the government and plaintiffs' leadership to reach a broader settlement framework, and settlement talks are ongoing. None of that is a promise about timing or amount in any individual case.

These are general facts about nationwide litigation reported in the press, not a result obtained by LD Legal, and not a guarantee of any outcome in your case.

Why Probate Comes Into It

The Act names the estate directly: it authorizes "the executor or administrator of the individual's estate" as a claimant when the exposed person has died, and the government has required valid Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration before releasing any payment to a survivor, even a spouse. In many cases, opening the probate case in the veteran's home state, Florida, is enough on its own, without needing a second estate opened elsewhere, though this can depend on the specifics of the case.

How This Works

Already have an attorney

You have a Camp Lejeune attorney

We open the Florida estate and get a personal representative appointed with the authority to continue the claim or receive the funds owed, working directly with that firm.

Haven't started probate yet

Nobody has opened the estate yet

Whether or not you already have a Camp Lejeune attorney, if the Florida probate side hasn't been started, we can get that moving now.

Common Questions

Nobody has opened an estate for my loved one yet. Can you still help?

Yes. That's exactly the situation we handle, whether the underlying claim was already filed, is still being worked on by another attorney, or you're just now sorting out what needs to happen.

Do I need to open probate even if the claim was already filed before my loved one passed away?

Usually yes. The claim being filed and someone having legal authority to see it through are two different things. We handle getting that authority in place.

Is it too late to do anything?

The window to file a brand new administrative claim has closed, but that's a different question from whether a Florida estate needs to be opened. If you're not sure which situation you're in, we can help you figure that out.

Does this cost me anything?

In these cases, our probate work is done on a no-fee-to-you basis unless there's a recovery, with the exact arrangement spelled out in writing up front.

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This is attorney advertising. Attorney responsible for this content: Long Duong, Florida Bar #11857, LD Legal, LLC, Gainesville, Florida. This page does not offer legal advice about your Camp Lejeune claim or its deadlines; consult the attorney handling that claim. No result is promised or guaranteed.