Schedule an interview with Erin Brockovich & others

Atlanta, GA, Dec. 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On Dec. 8, Dec. 9 & Dec. 10, the retired Marine who uncovered the truth about the largest, most lethal drinking water contamination in U.S. history will join other victims and advocates with Camp Lejeune Legal, including famed activist Erin Brockovich, at an ongoing series of town halls in cities across Georgia. The upcoming events are open to the public and will offer information so that those harmed by the toxic water at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina may know their rights.

Brockovich, retired Marine Jerry Ensminger and male breast cancer survivor Mike Partain will host the events in Augusta, Clarkston and Atlanta, GA.

Brockovich, Ensminger and Partain are available for interviews in advance of the town halls.

This year, the government finally acknowledged the harm caused decades ago by the pollution at Camp Lejeune. Yet catastrophic water contamination has continued at military sites across the country. Just last year, a jet fuel spill at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii sickened thousands of military family members, yet senior military leaders insisted that the water was safe to drink.

WHAT

For decades, high levels of cancer-causing chemicals leached into the groundwater at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, the largest Marine base on the East Coast. Indiscriminate dumping of waste into landfills, leaking fuel tanks and other sources of contamination poisoned the drinking water of hundreds of thousands of veterans, their families – including children in-utero – and workers on the advance-force training base, resulting in birth defects and devastating, often fatal illnesses such as leukemia and breast cancer.

The Marine Corps knew about contaminated wells for years but did not shut them down. Even after the pollution was detected, the Defense Department obstructed efforts to understand the extent of the harm. The government downplayed the dangerousness of the chemicals and failed to inform victims of their exposure so that sickened veterans and their family members did not learn why they had fallen ill until many years after they first got sick.

After decades of political sparring and efforts to silence the facts about the scope of the contamination, President Biden in August signed into law the Honoring our PACT Act, which includes the Camp Lejeune Justice Act. Now, victims who lived or worked for at least 30 days at Camp Lejeune, or who were exposed in-utero, between 1953 and 1987 can take legal action against the U.S. government for their exposure to toxic water on the base.

More than 11,300 people living in Georgia have registered with the Marine Corps as having lived or worked at Camp Lejeune in 1987 or before.

WHO

Erin Brockovich has joined Ensminger and Partain in seeking justice for Camp Lejeune victims. Together, they pushed for the successful passage of a bill in 2012 to provide healthcare for Camp Lejeune victims. Brockovich achieved fame decades earlier by helping to win a $333 million settlement for victims in a separate case of water poisoning by Pacific Gas & Electric.

Jerry Ensminger is a true hero and truth-seeker of Camp Lejeune. A retired Marine master sergeant, Ensminger lived on the base with his wife, who became pregnant with their daughter, Janey, in 1975. At 6, Janey was diagnosed with leukemia. She died about two years later. Described as “a force of nature,” Ensminger has dedicated his life to fighting for other poisoned Camp Lejeune victims, testifying in congressional hearings and investigating the contamination even as the government fought against claims from victims seeking compensation.

Mike Partain is the son of a Marine. He was conceived and born at Camp Lejeune. Partain joined the fight for Camp Lejeune victims after he was diagnosed with male breast cancer at age 39. He has worked tirelessly to uncover the true story of the contamination and locate other men who developed breast cancer after spending time on the base. Partain and Ensminger were both featured in an award-winning documentary about the Camp Lejeune contamination, “Semper Fi: Always Faithful.”

More information: https://camplejeunelegal.com/

WHEN & WHERE

12.08.22

6 p.m.

Elk’s Lodge #205

205 Elkdom Ct.

Augusta, GA 30907

12.09.22

6 p.m.

DeKalb Conference Center

495 N. Indian Creek Dr.

Clarkston, GA 30021

12.10.22

10 a.m.

American Legion Post 140 Buckhead

3905 Powers Ferry Rd. NW

Atlanta, GA 30342

CONTACT: Brian Chasnoff Camp Lejeune Legal 210-259-9582 bchasnoff@camplejeunelegal.com