Published October 8, 2026
The federal judges overseeing the Camp Lejeune water contamination litigation have kept the plaintiffs' lawyer leadership team in place for another full year. In an order filed September 29, 2026, the four-judge panel in the Eastern District of North Carolina reappointed the current Plaintiffs' Leadership Group (PLG) for a term running from November 1, 2026 through October 30, 2027, finding that settlement talks with the Justice Department are moving forward.
The new order is a notable shift in tone. Over the summer, the court had reappointed the leadership group for only four months, from July 1 to October 30, 2026, and the judges said a central purpose of that short term was to force progress toward a global settlement (see our coverage of the October 30 deadline). In the September 29 order, the court concluded that approach had worked: the parties are making progress, but more work remains both to finish negotiations and to carry out any deal that is reached. Swapping out leadership now, the judges reasoned, would be unnecessary and could disrupt the talks.
The order was signed by Chief Judge Richard E. Myers II and Judges Louise W. Flanagan, Terrence W. Boyle, and James C. Dever III. J. Edward Bell III of Bell Legal Group remains lead counsel. A footnote notes that Joseph B. Rice of Motley Rice, a member of the leadership group, died on September 3, 2026.
Longer leadership terms do not mean the court has relaxed its timeline. The order says the judges still expect plaintiffs' leadership and Justice Department leadership to use their best efforts to reach a global settlement by October 30, 2026, and to keep streamlining their approaches to settlement. Lawyers from both sides must keep meeting with the court-appointed settlement masters every week, in person or by video, and can skip a week only with written approval from the settlement masters.
The court also reminded plaintiffs' attorneys who are not part of the leadership group that the PLG is charged with pursuing settlement on behalf of all plaintiffs, warning that conduct by outside counsel that undermines those efforts could lead to sanctions.
According to a litigation tracker maintained by the law firm Miller & Zois, Justice Department figures as of September 18 showed more than $879 million in Camp Lejeune settlement payments and more than $1.1 billion in settlement offers. Separately, the first two kidney cancer cases are on the court's trial calendar for later this fall (see our earlier report), so the coming weeks could bring either a broad settlement framework or the first courtroom test of the government's liability.
If you or a family member lived or worked at Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987 and later developed cancer or another serious illness, see Atumio's Camp Lejeune case page for a free eligibility review, or start your case review directly.