Representing Veterans

Unfortunately for far too many who selflessly took a stand, service to country came with seemingly preventable hazards, such as exposure to toxic chemicals and materials, and severe injuries caused by the financial backing of terrorism. For even more of our service members, health risks and complications abound long after they’ve hung up their uniforms from injuries in the line of duty, continued medical care after serving and potentially dangerous and defective prescription drugs and medical devices.

Motley Rice is proud to represent veterans and their families in litigation that holds corporations and groups accountable for harm caused to the armed forces. We know our pursuit of justice wouldn’t be possible without your service, and take seriously our fight to protect you.

If you were harmed, or a loved one tragically lost their life due to a preventable hazard, such as exposure to asbestos and other toxic materials, or EFPs manufactured by terrorist groups in Iraq and Afghanistan, Motley Rice can help. Complete this form or call 1.800.768.4026 to talk with our attorneys about your situation and litigation related to the following:

Camp Lejeune water contamination

Countless service members, their families and civilians who lived and worked at North Carolina’s Camp Lejeune training facility between Aug. 1, 1953 and Dec. 31, 1987 may have been exposed to toxic water sources that are believed to cause birth defects, cancer and other life-altering diseases.

Asbestos-related diseases

Asbestos exposure is strongly associated with several potentially fatal lung diseases and illnesses that can develop decades after the initial exposure. A fibrous mineral once valued for its resistance to heat, electrical and chemical damage, asbestos is now known to be a deadly carcinogen with no level of exposure deemed safe. Asbestos has altered the lives of an untold number of workers, as well as put their families at risk of acquiring diseases caused by household exposure.

Common Diseases Associated with Asbestos Exposure

• Mesothelioma
• Asbestosis
• Lung cancer
• Laryngeal cancer
• Gastro-intestinal cancer

Occupational hazards

We can’t give you back the years of life taken from you because a company cared more about profits than your health, but we can fight for you. We can put our years of experience and resources to work to hold corporations accountable for their neglect, for their failure to inform you about potentially deadly exposures at your job, and we can do everything in our power to keep it from happening to anyone else.

Roundup exposure

Farmers, landscape maintenance workers, and homeowners often rely on weed killers for weed control around crops and in lawns. Allegations that a weed killer’s active chemical ingredient could be linked to blood cancers have fueled litigation involving plaintiffs who claim to have developed cancer after exposure.

Workplace chemical exposure

Workers can be unknowingly exposed to hazardous chemicals through groundwater seepage, illegal burying or depositing of toxic chemicals, vapor intrusion, improper workplace protection and other forms of unlawful and harmful pollution.

Flavoring chemical exposure

Flavoring chemicals provide pleasant aromas and tastes to consumer products, but when inhaled by workers and consumers, they may cause serious lung diseases and in certain cases, may be fatal.

3M earplugs

Motley Rice is reviewing claims that supplier 3M Company knowingly manufactured and sold defective earplugs to the government for U.S. troops to use in Iraq and Afghanistan between 2003 and 2015, causing some to develop extensive and avoidable hearing loss or tinnitus (ringing in ears) while fighting overseas.

EFP roadside bomb injuries

Explosively formed penetrators (EFPs) are a particularly deadly form of roadside bomb that place military service members and contract workers at an increased risk. It has been alleged that EFP attacks in Iraq and Afghanistan between the Fall of 2005 and December 2012 may have been facilitated with the help of certain banks accused of masking wire transactions in order to fund terrorist networks. 

Prescription drugs and medical devices

If you received a medical device or prescription drug, you likely thought it would enhance your life, give you more mobility, ease your pain or add convenience. Many patients, however, have experienced unexpected, painful and even fatal side effects as a result of dangerous medical drugs and devices.

Medical products that have come under scrutiny include:

• Diabetes medication Invokana and similar SGLT2 inhibitors that may increase risk of acute kidney failure and ketoacidosis
• Viagra, Cialis and other PDE5 inhibitors potentially linked to melanoma
• Blood thinner Xarelto, which may increase risk of pulmonary embolism, stroke and possible death in some patients
• Actemra, which is prescribed for rheumatoid arthritis, has been associated with heart attacks, strokes, cardiac arrest and interstitial lung disease
• Ethicon Physiomesh Flexible Composite, Atrium C-QUR, Composix® Kugel® mesh and other hernia mesh devices that may cause serious side effects, including hernia recurrence, mesh migration and infection
• Metal-on-metal hip replacement devices that may cause fractures, bone loss, device dislocation or loosening, and other complications.

Burn Pits

If you were exposed to an open-air burn pit while serving overseas, please consider documenting your experience by signing up for the VA’s Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry. Doing so contributes to research on the dangers of toxic burn pits, helping to improve conditions for service members and contractors. The registry contained 187,630 veterans and service members as of Oct. 15, 2019. Registering is free of charge and may be completed online. Learn more about the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry.

While Motley Rice is no longer accepting cases related to burn pit exposure, we encourage anyone affected to learn more about the legislative and other advocacy efforts that are ongoing related to this issue. At this time, the exclusive remedy for those who have been injured remains through the Veterans Administration for veterans injured through their service and through the Defense Base Act for contractor personnel. While we do not practice in those areas of law, your local state bar association is one resource you can use to find lawyers who can assist on those types of claims.

Supporting veterans

Motley Rice proudly supports veterans both in and out of the courtroom, with sponsorships including the Veterans News Network, Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, Patriot’s Point Naval & Maritime Museum and the 9/11 Silent Walk.