Fob & Foster Represents Camp Lejeune Claimants Challenging Federal Settlement Offers

Fob & Foster Personal Injury Lawyers Asks Federal Court to Review DOJ Settlement Offers That Undercount Veterans’ Time on Base

BIRMINGHAM, AL, UNITED STATES, October 13, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Birmingham, AL (10/13/2026) — James Z. Foster, a partner at Fob & Foster Personal Injury Lawyers, has asked a federal judge to step in after the U.S. Department of Justice issued settlement offers that, he alleges, undervalue his clients’ time at Camp Lejeune according to their certified military service records. The emergency motion, filed September 10, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, covers six Marine veterans and family members who developed serious illnesses after exposure to contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune.

The dispute centers on the Elective Option, the voluntary settlement framework the Justice Department and the Department of the Navy created in 2023 to resolve claims under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act. Under the program’s public guidance, Camp Lejeune settlement amounts depend on two factors: the claimant’s qualifying illness and how long the claimant lived or worked on base.

Foster says four of his clients have certified service records indicating they were at Camp Lejeune for more than one year. Foster says the Justice Department instead placed all four in the lower 30-to 364-day exposure tiers, which cut their offers roughly in half. He describes the offers as follows:

Three clients received offers of $150,000 when the published grid supports $300,000.

One client received an offer of $250,000 when the grid supports $400,000.

Two additional clients were found ineligible, with “evidence insufficiency” as the only explanation given.

The motion also challenges the 30-day window the government gave claimants to accept, half the 60-day review period used earlier in the program, and the requirement that claimants sign an affirmation of their time on base, which Foster says is incorrect. The offers were set to expire September 27, 2026.

In its court response, the Justice Department asked the judge to deny the motion, arguing that the court lacks authority to review Elective Option offers and that the government is not required to explain its settlement decisions. Foster responds that the government has not disputed the underlying service dates and that, without court review, claimants have no way to challenge unexplained determinations in Camp Lejeune settlements.

Since the filing, Foster says other veterans and families have contacted his office reporting similar problems with their offers. “This isn’t something that’s just affecting these six people,” Foster said. “This is something that’s affecting a lot of people that have been given elective option settlement offers.”

Foster is licensed in Alabama, Georgia, and North Carolina and is admitted to practice in the Eastern District of North Carolina, where the Camp Lejeune litigation is consolidated. He currently represents roughly 700 Camp Lejeune claimants.

About the Firm

Fob & Foster Personal Injury Lawyers is a plaintiff-only personal injury law firm with offices in Birmingham and Mobile, Alabama. The firm has served Birmingham since 1986 and has recovered more than $100 million for clients. Its attorneys, Fob James IV, James Z. Foster, and Fob James III (Of Counsel), handle car and truck accidents, wrongful death, and catastrophic injury cases, along with mass tort and environmental claims, including claims for veterans and families harmed by exposure to contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune.

Veterans and family members with questions about Camp Lejeune settlement offers can speak with a Camp Lejeune water contamination lawyer at Fob & Foster Personal Injury Lawyers at (205) 407-6009 or learn more on the firm’s Camp Lejeune water lawsuit page.

Contact Information

Fob & Foster Personal Injury Lawyers
2226 1st Ave S, Suite 105
Birmingham, AL 35233
Phone: (205) 407-6009

James Foster
Fob & Foster Personal Injury Lawyers,
+1 205-778-2715
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn
Facebook

Media gallery