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015 Camp Lejeune Toxic Water Class Action Lawsuit

Lawyers in the House with Montlick

Mic
Attorneys in Podcast: Mark Anthony Molina, Esq.

Military families have always been close to our hearts at Montlick.

For our special Veterans Day episode, we have the one and only Monica Pearson diving into HOPE Atlanta, an organization dedicated to serving our homeless neighbors, and how they help Veterans transitioning from homelessness.

Plus, our own Marine Veteran (and Montlick attorney) Mark Molina answers your questions about the Camp Lejeune toxic water case that’s all over the news.

And, our Director of Community Programs Melinda Jeffress discuss Montlick’s lasting commitment to military service members, veterans and their families.

Listen to the Podcast

The purpose of this show is to provide general information about the law. Our guests will not provide any individualized legal advice. If you have a personal situation and need legal advice, contact us for your free legal consultation with a Montlick attorney.

Read the Episode Transcript

00:04 ANNOUNCER: Welcome to lawyers in the house with Montlick. Wish you had a lawyer in the family. Now you do. Here’s your host, Veronica Waters.

VERONICA: Welcome to lawyers in the house. I’m your host, Veronica Waters. This week we celebrate Veterans Day, 11/11.

00:27 VERONICA: Every year we celebrate Veterans Day, which began as a marking of the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, celebrating the year after the end of World War One. But within a couple of decades, Armistice Day, as it was known then, morphed into Veterans Day and a way that we could honor all of our service members fallen and living. And now Veterans Day is here.
00:57 VERONICA: And I’m so happy to be in the studio with you because we have an extra special show today. Now we will talk about the law the way we always do. As a matter of fact, there is an enormous case that has been grabbing headlines left and right: Camp Lejeune. You may have heard about it and you may know that Camp Lejeune is a massive military base in North Carolina. It’s the biggest one on the East Coast. But what exactly is going on there? And why are we hearing so much about it these days?
01:26 VERONICA: We are going to have a skilled Montlick injury attorney here to lay it all out for you and give you the scoop and to let you know why, if you or somebody you know was connected to that base, you may have a part to play in this really big story. But first, I gotta say, Montlick does not need a special day of the year to pay tribute to service members. They do it all around the calendar all year long. And today, one of our very special guests is here to talk about that commitment.
01:57 VERONICA: She is a broadcast legend. She launched her career in Kentucky. Louisville was where she got her start. And I’m calling her a triple threat because she’s done print and she’s done radio and she’s done television. Fortunately, Atlanta, Georgia became the place that she would soon call home. And when she got here in 1975, she made history in not one, but two ways.
02:28 VERONICA: Because she became the first woman anchor and the first black anchor of WSB TV’s daily evening newscasts. And that is how the legend of Monica Pearson came to be. Now, she did not let retirement in 2012 stop her from getting her master’s degree, from getting back into radio and TV and launching even more of her signature interviews with style and panache the entire way.
02:57 VERONICA: All of these decades, Monica’s commitment to service and to community have remained unshakable. I am so happy to have my friend in studio with us today. Monica Pearson. Monica, thanks for being in the house.

MONICA: Hey, Ronnie. We’re known around here as Ronnie and Moni.

VERONICA: Really? You know what I’m thinking? We should get t shirts.

MONICA: We should. Ronnie and Moni tshirts. And what we should say Ronnie and Moni from Montlick.

VERONICA: Ronnie and Moni from Montlick.

03:26 VERONICA: Now, Monica, you have had a notable partnership with Montlick. for a lot of people I’ve seen, once we get out of the journalism, it opens up a lot of avenues for us.  For you, it opened up an avenue to a partnership with Montlick.. How did that happen?

MONICA: Well, I was actually called by several firms asking if I would be willing to represent them and to talk about them. And I said no to everybody until Montlick came along.

03:54 MONICA: And the reason was because of Montlick’s community service, because that is my heart and soul. What are you doing for people other than helping them solve their cases and get the payment they should receive for their injuries? But more importantly, what are you giving back? It’s not a case of we just make our money here and that’s it. It’s a case of, yes, we make our money here, but more importantly, we give back to the community to help it grow.
04:20 MONICA: And I will never forget how much fun it was to participate in A Heartwalk with Montlick, to also participate in a walk for Fallen Soldiers with Montlick. But then when my daughter, who’s now 42. You know, I can remember when she started driving and how much I had to try to learn on my own to help a teenager drive.
04:50 MONICA: And Montlick has all of that in the safe driving that they provide on their website. So it, to me, was a perfect match. It was a match literally made in heaven.

VERONICA: I have to ask you whether or not people had odd reactions. Oh, my goodness.

MONICA: I heard from a lot of news people who called me and said, quote, I can’t believe you’re doing that. You’re with an ambulance chaser. And that’s when I said, oh, no, no, no.

05:19 MONICA: Montlick does not chase anybody’s ambulance. Montlick is a reputable firm that, again, is providing service to the community not only through what they do in a legal way, but also what they do when they’re not doing it. And that’s important to me. Folks forget that the heart and soul of any company should be what they give back to the community. And Montlick does that. And so it’s like second nature for them.
05:49 MONICA: I’ve been up there and helped them pack cleaning supplies for women veterans who are getting ready to move into their own place. And every lawyer was in there grabbing stuff and putting it all in buckets.

VERONICA: They’re not working just in the courtroom.

MONICA: No, they’re in the community, too. They’re in the community. And when we delivered those packages. But to me, I guess, if more than anything else is that because, like, our lawyer friend here, Mark, he’s a former serviceman, he’s a Marine.

06:24 VERONICA: You never are a former Marine.

MONICA: Once a Marine, always a Marine. And I think about how what you went through in the service and how you’re fine. But what about those people who are suffering from posttraumatic stress syndrome like my uncle did?

VERONICA: I was going to ask you…

MONICA: After World War II.

VERONICA: …about that.

MONICA: And during that time, there was no service to really help you.

06:51 MONICA: The solution was, if you’re having problems, we’ll just give you a lobotomy. And my uncle was never the same after that. He never could hold a full-time job. So my love of veterans comes from my dad, who served in World War II. And a few people know this, but I actually considered going into the Air Force. And I was a member of Angel Flight when I was at the University of Louisville.

VERONICA: I was in Air Force ROTC at Mississippi State.

07:21 VERONICA: We have so much we do have a lot in common.

MONICA: We do have a lot in common.

VERONICA: We need to put little wings on our T-shirts.

MONICA: We do! But I really think it’s important that veterans who provided so much for us that it’s important for us to be there for them. And that’s one of the emphases in Montlick’s work. And then, of course, what I do for them is a Monica moment, which is just where I get to say whatever I feel.

VERONICA: About whatever’s on your mind that day.

MONICA: Yeah. And I love that. So Montlick and I are joined at the hip.

07:50 VERONICA: Yeah.

MONICA: They’re family.

VERONICA: We share core values.

MONICA: Yeah, you do.

VERONICA: We’re going to have Melinda Jeffress, who is Montlick’s director of Media and Community Support, Community Engagement, coming in later to join us and talk a little bit about your journey with Montlick, how that came about and all of the things that you all have done since then.

MONICA: Oh, but the fallen heroes is my walk.

VERONICA: Is that the thing that calls to you the most?

MONICA: I still, when I think about it, tear up.

08:20 MONICA: It was a walk in a race at Lake Lanier. And when you walked from station to station, you would see the name of a fallen hero.

VERONICA: Yes, they line the route the entire way.

MONICA: But what really gets you when the parents of that fallen soldier is there, when the mother, the children and how proud they are, it puts a face.

08:47 MONICA: Even though the picture is there, it puts a face and it gives a voice to that person who died in service to our country. Jenny Hardy and I, who’s also with Montlick, spent so much time stopping and talking and crying, we didn’t even care about how far we got. We finished the walk. But it was one of those things where it brought into focus the sacrifice that men and women make for our freedom.
09:16 VERONICA: I always get very emotional in thinking about my gratitude for service members. And I had uncles who also served in the army. And so I hold dear the ideals of America and how great she is when she lives up to those ideals, even though sometimes we have difficult times in this country. We don’t always get it 100% perfect. But I’m always so grateful for the service members who are there for us to make sure that we stay safe and that our democracy stays intact.
09:47 VERONICA: One of our veterans is with us today. He’s one of my favorite male injury attorneys, Marcus Molina.

MARK: Hello.

VERONICA: Once a Marine, always a Marine.

MAR: Yes.

VERONICA: Do y’all say oorah?

MARK: Yeah, we say oorah.

VERONICA: Can you do it like you say it outside?

MARK: Oorah!

VERONICA: Yeah. There we go. I love it. You’ve been a lawyer since 1993 and you’ve been with Montlick, what, almost four years now, right?

MARK: Almost four years.

10:15 VERONICA: And you once told me, Mark, that law school was tougher than boot camp. I’m not sure if I believe you, but I want you to tell us about your journey. What led you here to this moment?

MARK: What led me here to this moment? First of all, I was in the Marines at 17 years old. I joined shortly after the Marine Beirut suicide bombing in 1983.

10:39 MARK: And I had a friend who had joined, and we were in the Bronx, and there’s nothing like watching or seeing someone come back from boot camp in their dress blues or even the alpha uniforms from the Marine Corps. And when I saw this guy coming from the airport and I picked him up, I could not believe that this was my buddy who was now standing two inches taller, cut, not as good looking as me, but still good-looking. And I said to myself, wow, if he can do it, I can do it.
11:10 MARK: Then the Marines got bombed, that suicide bombing in Beirut, Lebanon. And my 17-year-old brain said, we’re going to go to war and I’m going to be in the service when we go. And my buddy, he was on recruiting duty and he helped me recruit in and join the service. From 83 to 89. Got an honorable discharge in December 89. Been married in there, 35 years as of July 18 this year.
11:41 MARK: And she was instrumental in getting me through law school. She’ll tell anybody who will listen that she’s the one who got me to be a lawyer.

VERONICA: Yeah, and tell us a little bit – how exactly did that happen again, sir? Come on.

MARK: When you’re in the service, you learn how to take orders, and that continues through marriage. So the orders were to go to law school. They were followed to the letter.

VERONICA: And you said, yes, ma’am.

MARK: Yes, ma’am. Like today.

MONICA: It’s called marriage maintenance.

MARK: So many legal jobs, many reputable places I’ve worked.

12:11 MARK: And then I decided to come to Atlanta and through many other jobs, then came back and considered where to come back to because now I had a choice. I can go anywhere I want with my background and my training and my legal background and my trial experience.

VERONICA: Yeah, you could have had your pick of firms.

MARK: I had my pick of firms, and I have friends calling me from other firms. And when I interviewed with Montlick, I had the vibe. I had the vibe and because we’re talking about veterans on Veterans Day. Happy Veterans Day.

12:41 MARK: Their commitment to veterans. The firm is 40 years old. I’m here only four years, and its commitment to veterans has come from early on, from almost its inception. So the firm has always been committed to veterans. I like that. I like the fact that they do all of these community outreach for veterans. And between that and the vibe and the people I met there, I said, this is the spot for me. And so far, so good.

VERONICA: What was your rank when you left Marines?

13:09 MARK: When I was discharged in December 1989, I was sergeant.

VERONICA: Sergeant. Sergeant Molina. Thank you for your service. You’re welcome. I don’t ever know how to say to that because I feel I’m more thankful to the veterans that came before me and the young guys who’ve come after me.

VERONICA: We are also grateful, and I know that. Mark. You were at Camp Lejeune. We’re going to hear from you firsthand about what’s happening at that military base. This is Lawyers in the House with Monica Pearson and Mark Molina on WSB.

13:44 You’re listening to our podcast lawyers in the house with Montlick. Join us 08:00 a.m every Sunday If you want to listen live on 95 Five WSB.

VERONICA: Welcome back to Lawyers in the House with Montlick on WSB. I’m your host, Veronica Waters, here with special guest Monica Pearson and retired Marine Sergeant Mark Molina. We’re talking about Camp Lejeune right now.

14:08 VERONICA: For years at this massive military base in North Carolina, it was poisoning the soldiers and the families who moved through there. Approximately 1 million service members and civilians may have been exposed to toxic drinking water that was in the ground thanks to military waste that was dumped nearby, got into the groundwater, chemical solvents, benzene. It led to a rash of conditions and health problems for generations of people moving through there.
14:41 VERONICA: Mark. You were at Camp Lejeune. Tell us a little bit. Paint a picture for us of what we’re talking here.

MARK: I want you to envision a small city where hundreds of thousands of young Marines, old Marines, are cycled through from boot camp through various parts of their career. And like any other city, you live there, you go to school there, you get medical care there. You’re educated, your family lives there, you shop there. All of the things that you do on any city, you do on Camp Lejeune, which is the biggest base, the Marine Corps base on the East Coast.

15:11 MARK: So when you think about the scope and the number of people that cycled through camp Lejeune from 1953 through 1987, hundreds of thousands into the millions of people who have been affected by this toxic water, because water we drink, we bathe, we got pools on the base, we have holes. I mean, all the things that you need water for, you use it for. The water that we use on Lejeune was contaminated and the government has set aside this money for compensation.

VERONICA: And we’re talking about a long list of diseases.

15:38 VERONICA: There is a list of cancers, blood disorders, there are skin conditions, neurobiological problems, infertility, miscarriages, so many things on this list. And Montlick is now available for people to make these claims.

MARK: We are available. We need to call 1-800-Law-Need or get on the website to contact us because we have to get your case rolling. We have to confirm that you were on the base or your loved one or anyone that you were in contact with, were there on the base for 30 days.

16:07 VERONICA: Cumulative. Like, you accumulate 30 days. It doesn’t have to be 30 days in a row. Just 30 days anytime in that four-decade period, right?

MARK: Correct.

VERONICA: Yeah. Now, is there a two-year time frame to file a claim from the inception of the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, right?

MARK: Correct. I’m concerned about getting you in, getting your case rolling, getting your case signed up so that we can put you in the pipeline and get you – if you or a loved one needs compensation, we can get the process started.

16:33 VERONICA: And just to make sure, this is not just service members, Mark,

MARK: Not just service members. Because I want you to imagine back the city scope, family members, wives, husbands, loved ones, children, people who visit, all the things that happen on any city happen on the base.

VERONICA: And so now people are fighting for justice for those that they have lost. Some are still living with these conditions and the government is trying to make it right because there was a time when military brass knew about this and covered it up.

17:02 VERONICA: More on Camp Lejeune. Still to come, later on in the episode, Montlick closing argument. We will also talk about Montlick’s community service. Still to come on Lawyers in the House. Stay with us. You’re listening to our podcast, Lawyers in the House with Montlick. Join us 08:00 a.m every Sunday on 95.5 WSB. Back with you here on WSB. This is lawyers in the house with Montlick. I’m your host, Veronica Waters.
17:32 VERONICA: We have some very special guests in the studio with me today. So excited to welcome back my friend Monica Pearson, broadcast legend and partner with Montlick for the last half decade or so. And we’ve also got Melinda Jeffress joining us now. She is Montlick’s marketing director. Just forgive me for me sort of mangling her title in the first part of the show. Listen, when you have this many hyphens behind your name, not everybody can get it right, okay? But we’ve got M and M in here. You know what?
18:02 VERONICA: The whole show is like M and M. It’s like M and M and M, right? All right, M and M here with me today. That’s the show today. So, Melinda, I mentioned earlier that it’s evident to me Montlick doesn’t need a calendar day to pay tribute to service members. It’s something that Montlick does all of the time. Before we get into that supporting our troops
18:31 VERONICA: lynch pin that Montlick has in place. Can you tell me about how you wound up at Montlick, miss media veteran?

MELINDA: Sure, absolutely. Well, my background is actually in media. I worked here at WSB.

VERONICA: Yes, you did.

MELINDA: And I loved what Montlick was doing from a community service standpoint, same thing as Monica. And actually, I had the same response as Monica: why are you going to a law firm, a personal injury law firm, in that fact?

18:59 MELINDA: And I kept saying, it’s not the same. They are not the same. There’s something special, there’s something different and coming over it’s in our hearts. It’s what we do. It’s our core values of giving back. And it comes from the top with David Montlick, and it just goes and filters all the way down.

VERONICA: It is something that I have as I’ve gotten to know lawyer after lawyer from Montlick. You see this real passion and commitment to doing right by people.

19:28 VERONICA: There is something special about the attorneys walking those hallways.

MELINDA: There’s something special about everyone there at the firm. And to be able to service our clients and know that we’re protecting the people who need us most and their hardest time, but to know that we’re doing it for the right reasons and that’s why we support our military and why we’re here and why we have Mark. It’s about doing the right thing. It’s always about operating at the highest level of integrity. And that’s what our military does.

19:56 MELINDA: And that’s what we do here at Montlick.

VERONICA: Operating at the highest level of integrity. Even when nobody’s watching.

MELINDA: Exactly.

VERONICA: Even when nobody’s watching. Camp Lejeune’s lawsuit that we talked about earlier, a lot of people are clamoring for those cases, but Montlick…

MELINDA: No, it’s something that we’ve been doing forever. We’ve been helping people and our veterans with helping for veterans benefit long before something of Camp Lejeune even came up to surface.

20:25 MELINDA: And again, it’s our core values. It’s what we do every day. And now, unfortunately, there is this issue with Camp Lejeune, but we’re here, and we’ve been here for almost 40 years now.

VERONICA: Let’s talk a little bit about some of these amazing projects. We can’t get into all of them. Listen, we do not have enough time, trust me. But check out Montlick.com and go to the firm overview and you’ll see so many things, so many proactive programs for safety, but all of these things about our service members, too.

20:55 VERONICA: Let’s get into you girls telling me some of your faves.

MONICA: I’ve already spoken about mine, which is The Fallen Heroes Walk, which I just think really brings forward to us what veterans have done, what service people have done, and they have given their lives for us to be able to have freedom, but they’ve also done it abroad to help others get what we have.

21:20 MONICA: And so that is my favorite, although for my husband John, his favorite would be Hope Atlanta and packing cleaning supplies and carrying them in for the women who are finally getting places of their own. You know, so many of our homeless people are veterans, and many of them are women. Women veterans.

VERONICA: Tell us what Hope Atlanta entails, Melinda.

MELINDA: Well, you know, Hope Atlanta has a large scope of helping Atlanta and the community, not just veterans, but in particular where we come in as a law firm, is helping those veterans get settled back in a home.

21:57 MELINDA: As Monica said, some of these service military men and women suffer PTSD. They can’t hold a job. They need help getting back. And how horrible is it that they’ve served our country and we’re not here giving them a roof over their head? And so for us, it’s those move-in kits. It’s everything. Not even just the cleaning supplies. It’s comforts, it’s sheets, it’s pots, it’s pans, it’s a broom. Everything that they could possibly need to get set up in a new home and start a new life.
22:28 MELINDA: That’s what we’re providing to them.

VERONICA: What have you seen this do for folks? And how did you get tied into Hope Atlanta, Monica?

MONICA: Well, it was actually through their former executive director, Jeff Smythe, who I had worked with at Meals on Wheels Atlanta. And he called me one day and basically said, I’m working with this organization. Many of the women are former veterans. Do you think Montlick would be interested?

VERONICA: And so that’s the beginning of connected hope in Montlick.

23:00 VERONICA: Yes. Gotcha.

MONICA: Okay. But it’s you know, Montlick has always been there for the vets. It’s so simple. And you know what? I love Christmas. Hope. And we’ll talk more about that the closer we get to Christmas. But actually packing gifts and taking them to veterans and their families, and I went along for that. And to see these little kids, seeing what they’re going to get, even though, you know, we tried to hide it from them.

23:31 MONICA: But the point was, Christmas has come, and so many of these families couldn’t afford… they gave us a wish list, and it was just that, a wish list, because they didn’t have the money to buy it. Montlick, the attorneys, we all got together and gave them Christmas.

MELINDA: It’s part of the Kiss Wish with our radio partnership.

VERONICA: Kiss Wish is so much fun. Every year, the smiles and those photos really tell the story.

23:59 VERONICA: It’s one thing for us to talk about what Montlick does, but I think it’s another to hear from folks who’ve actually benefited from these things, right, Monica?

MONICA: I would agree, because I’ve been told, you remember the man there was this one man we went to visit at this apartment complex, and he was so excited about the gifts, and he kept saying over and over to us, thank you so much. You really made our Christmas. We wouldn’t have had Christmas if it hadn’t been for you.

24:30 MONICA: And when you hear somebody say that, here’s someone who had served in the military. We would not have had Christmas if it hadn’t been for you. Breaks your heart.

VERONICA: We owe such a debt of gratitude to our veterans who have done so much for us, and, as you pointed out, so much for people around the world. America takes her fighting skills and strengths across the world to help make things better for folks.

24:57 VERONICA: And our debt of gratitude can never be repaid.

MELINDA: It’s the least that we can do.

MONICA: And I think that’s what you say. It’s the least that we can do. But to the people who receive what Montlick brings, it’s the most they’ve received. And it’s a lot in a lifetime for them, and they no longer feel invisible. And when you have a firm that says, we care and we’re going to show you by showing up and showing out, then all of a sudden they feel like someone knows they’re there.

25:32 MONICA: And to me, that’s what’s wonderful about Montlick, is that they show up and they gently provide for you what you need, and they don’t ask for anything in return. These are people who don’t need a lawyer. What they need is a handout and a hand up, and Montlick provides that.

VERONICA: Let’s take a little moment and listen to some of the folks who have been touched by Montlick’s actions.

[MONICA]: Good morning, Crystal.

26:01 [CRYSTAL]: Good morning.

[MONICA]: So you were an Army Navy veteran of 15 years, a mother of two, and married. And you and your family moved here, and all of a sudden you found yourself literally living in a hotel because you were scammed. And then when you looked for services, you had a hard time getting the help you needed. As a matter of fact, they even told you, the only way we can help you is for you to be homeless.

26:28 [MONICA]: So for two weeks, you and your family lived in a car in order to get the services you need. So how did Hope Atlanta, which Montlick supports, how did they help you and your family?

[CRYSTAL]: Hope Atlanta, if I can sum it up in so many words, they really saved my life. Well, Hope Atlanta was that breath of fresh air for me. From the time I walked into the office, I felt like I was somebody. I didn’t feel like a number.

26:57 [CRYSTAL]: I didn’t feel like I needed to be ashamed of something that I might have done to end up in this situation. They were there from the start. They would follow up. They provided services to me that I feel like were above and beyond. I was in a home, and it wasn’t… they didn’t just put me somewhere. They put me somewhere nice and decent. I was in a townhome. It was a three-story townhome. And I stayed there for two years until I moved into the option to buy.
27:26 [CRYSTAL]: And we bought our first home here in December last year. They just helped beyond measures, and I will forever be grateful to Hope Atlanta.

[MONICA]: You are a perfect example of what Hope Atlanta can do. The name is most appropriate. Crystal, thank you so much for telling us your story.

VERONICA: Thank you so much for that. Monica, that was awesome. So, Melinda and Monica, talking about all of the things that Montlick does for service members.

27:54 VERONICA: Can somebody fill me in on this Dream Room makeover I’ve heard about? We’ve been talking about making a home. What’s the dream room makeover?

MELINDA: Sure I’ll take that one. Each year, we partner with another television station down in Columbus, and it’s something that we do for the children. Oftentimes we talk about the military, servicemen and women, but we forget about their families. And that’s something with Montlick. We always remember that it’s not just the men and women serving, but it’s their families.

28:26 MELINDA: And the Dream Room Makeover contest allows us to make over a room for a child, a boy and a girl. So we obviously put the submissions out there, let families nominate their son or daughter. Sometimes it could be a teacher that’s nominating, because they understand these kids are moving. And if you think about the children of servicemen and women, they may every four years be moving to a new base or a new home. And so their home is their own stable place, right?
28:55 MELINDA: You know, their friends may be changing. Their school may be changing. But if we can make their home a good, safe place where they feel comfortable and make over room for them. That they… it’s one of those things where it’s just heartwarming to see the kids being appreciated. Because oftentimes it’s just the servicemen and women that get the appreciation. But the kids sacrifice just as much as the men and women that are serving.

VERONICA: So when the makeover happens, is that like a wish list kind of thing, too? Or do you guys just come in and completely surprise them, and you take over everything?

29:25 MELINDA: So it’s almost like the clearance house where we come in and we surprise, hey, you’ve won. And then what we do is we conduct interviews. We conduct interviews and say, what would you like? What’s your theme? What would you like for your new room to be? So we don’t just come in and do what we want. We actually talk with them, and we do what they want so they know that they’ve won. We surprise them, and then they go away. We come in, and for the whole weekend, we remake their room. They’re not allowed to go in. And then there’s a reveal, just like Dream Room.
29:55 MELINDA: Just like the home makeover show. Right? There is a reveal. It’s just like that. And we interview them again and the family… just as Monica said, you know, these families don’t expect anything. They don’t expect this. And so when we’re able to come in and surprise them, and sometimes it’s. Life changing for these kids. You don’t know if they’re going through depression. You don’t know because as kids are resilient.
30:21 MELINDA: But there’s often underlying factors that if we could do something that helps them and enlightens their world, we’re here to do it.

VERONICA: They’re like little hidden helpers of the family. Now, the firm’s founder, David Montlick, is not in studio with us. It’s just the two Ms and Lady V over here. But I couldn’t help but shout out David because please don’t mind me. I hope you don’t mind. I know you don’t want to toot your own horn, but I’ve learned that David and the firm have received some notable honors from the military itself.

30:51 VERONICA: The Association of the United States Army awarded David its Patriotism Award in 2012. The Greater Atlanta Chapter of the Association of the Army recognized Montlick and Associates as the most patriotic business. And we got to hear from David during those years about what this means to the firm and his commitment to service members and those core values: courage and service and what that means to him and to the firm.
31:21 VERONICA: Amazing stuff.

MELINDA: It is, Veronica, as I said at the beginning, none of us do this to and expect to receive an award. We do this out of the kindness of our heart. It’s something that David has done from the beginning of his conception of the firm, but something that he passes down to his children and it’s something that we as a firm pass down to our employees and our community.

VERONICA: More about Camp Lejeune. Thank you so much to Melinda Jeffress and Monica Pearson. The Montlick closing argument is straight ahead.

31:52 You’re listening to our podcast, Lawyers in the House with Montlick. If you want to listen to our radio show live, you can hear it every Sunday, 08:00 A.m. On 95 Five WSB.

VERONICA: Welcome back to lawyers in the house this week of Veterans Day here on WSB. So glad to have you with us. I’m your host, Veronica Waters. We’ve had some special guests on a very special show talking about our veterans, our service members living and fallen, and something that’s in the news affecting not just them, but their families.

32:26 VERONICA: It is time for the Montlick closing argument. Retired Marine Sergeant Montlick. Injury Attorney Mark Molina. Take it away.

MARK: Five things you need to know about the Camp Lejeune situation, folks. First, Lejeune is the biggest military marine base on the east coast. So the scope of this runs into the hundreds of thousands of people affected. If you were Marine, know a Marine, date a Marine, chances are they had some connection with Camp Lejeune for 30 days. If that person served 30 days cumulatively, whether 15 days here, ten days there and added up to 30, that makes you eligible.

32:58 MARK: You must start this process right away because I can’t tell you how long the process is going to take, but I can tell you that if you don’t start the process and get included, you will not get compensated. The other thing is, if you’re on VA disability for any reason that does not preclude you from the benefits that have been afforded by Congress for this particular compensation. And the diseases covered are a myriad of cancers, all types of conditions that are listed in our website.
33:24 MARK: And you need to contact us so that you can get into the process going, system started and everything going so we can start representing you.

VERONICA: So, Mark, I just want to make clear we were talking about so many soldiers who came through Camp Lejeune, but what if I lost someone? They’re no longer with us. Or what if I was just a family member of someone there? Or what if I was a civilian groundskeeper who worked there? For example,

MARK: Call us at 1-800-Law-Need.

33:54 MARK: We’ll process the case, we’ll intake it. We will document what time you are there, how you were connected with camp Lejeune. But if you don’t call us and we don’t get your case processed, we can’t help you.

VERONICA: I know you said you can’t tell how long it’s going to take. Some people might be wondering, though, how much money they might have coming to them. How much am I going to get?

MARK: It depends. Every case is different. Depends on the condition. We got to review your medical records submitted, see what the process entails. And this is all new. The money was just allocated by Congress.

34:22 MARK: But again, if you don’t call us 1-800-Law-Need, we can’t start the process and we’ll never know.

VERONICA: If you don’t start, you can’t finish it.

MARK: That’s right.

VERONICA: All right. Thank you so much. Mark Molina, Melinda Jeffress, special guest star, Monica Pearson here joining us on Lawyers in the House. Don’t forget, you can find us on all things social @MontlickLaw. Make sure you like and subscribe to us on your favorite podcast platform and check us out on Lawyersthouse.com. You can not only see us, but hear us there and you can submit a question to us.

34:54 Veronica: Montlick.com also has a page with everything that you need to know about the Camp Lejeune justice lawsuit. Thanks so much for joining us. We will see you next week on Lawyers In House. And to all of the veterans with us and those who sacrifice their lives and the families who support them, we owe you a debt of gratitude. Thank you so much for your service. You’re listening to our podcast, Lawyers in the House with Montlick. Catch us live every Sunday. 08:00 A.m on 95.5 WSB.