$657M Settlement Reached With Ground Zero Workers
EmailABC's Aaron Katersky reports: An insurance company handling the claims for the City of New York, and Ground Zero workers all hailed an agreement reached Thursday on health care costs. “We believe that the compensation to each of the clients will be fair and just for the men and women who performed their duties at Ground Zero heroically and without any thought when they went down there of any compensation,” said Marc Bern, an attorney who represents thousands of plaintiffs. Lawyers for the city and the plaintiffs returned to Judge Alvin Hellerstein of the Southern District of New York Friday afternoon to discuss the terms of the settlement, which call for litigants to split as much as $657 million according to the severity of their illnesses. The judge put off a decision on the settlement until a hearing next week. “We’re just delighted that we’ve been able to resolve this case in a way that is fair and reasonable to everyone concerned,” said Michael Cardozo, Corporation Counsel for the City of New York. The settlement comes after more than six years of negotiations and includes money for first responders who may develop certain kinds of cancer in the future. “The benefit for that coverage is, under certain circumstances, up to $100,000 dollars,” said Christine LaSala, CEO of the WTC Captive Insurance Company, which is funded by federal money to cover the risks incurred in the aftermath of 9/11.
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This is actually asinine – why didn’t they send the insurance claim to Saudi Arabia? Saudi Arabia sent the Hijackers here.
Posted by: Ugotta B Kidding | March 12, 2010, 3:39 pm 3:39 pm
Yeah, well if the government wouldn’t have blown these building up in the first place and tried to blame it on Osama Bin Laden then we wouldn’t even have to worry about this.
The government should fork over all the money the people want, and take it out of NASA’s budget because space travel is nonsense.
Posted by: Josh | March 12, 2010, 3:46 pm 3:46 pm
Josh, So you are one of those types huh?
Posted by: LongT | March 12, 2010, 3:50 pm 3:50 pm
I lived in NYC at the time of 9/11. My daughter was just 1 month old. I was also about to start work in 2 world trade Center but as you know the Delays when starting a Job. Thank God I was in my Apartment over by the Brooklyn Bridge with a clear view of the Towers and the Brooklyn Bridge. I could see the river of people flowing out of the Brooklyn Bridge who crossed on foot covered in that White Ash. I wanted to go help but when I looked at my 1 Month Old Baby and My Wife I said, I know that Air and soot that hovered over the City has to be poisonous! I clearly remember Mayor Juliani on the News telling everyone not too worry the Air was safe and tested OK! My wife and I said, he’s insane or lying.. I guess we were right, he was lying… We kept our Windows closed for over a month.. the Air was very toxic and you could smell that burnt Semiconductor smell of fried Electronics for Months… Those first Respondeers were lied to when told the Air was safe.. Mayor Guliani and the EPA were lying… and now they all are sick.. Do you realize that all the Resuce Dogs that helped sniffing out all died as well shortly after.. unreal…
Posted by: FirstHandAccount | March 12, 2010, 4:05 pm 4:05 pm
Should we tell all of our wounded Iraqi and Pakistani Veterans to get lost and go back to Iraq and Pakistan and seek Medical help there? Why should we help pay for their injuries, it was the Iraqis and Pakistanis who injured them! The insensitivitey of American Right Wingers is unreal….
Posted by: FirstHandAccount | March 12, 2010, 4:15 pm 4:15 pm
Will there now be criminal prosecution for those EPA officials who said the air is clean days after the attack? Any gross negligence that results in the deaths of many should be prosecuted.
Posted by: Brian | March 12, 2010, 4:53 pm 4:53 pm
Heroes – Volunteers?
This was an act of war against our country…and you people sue…What about the poor soldiers who went to war to protect you so called heroes. they died, and are still dying from chemicals that your government dropped on them…where is the justice? if you don’t want to be in harms way stay home.. this country has become a country of lawyers and sue crazy people who forget that they are the ones who created this mess. They call it democracy…
Posted by: malcolm libbey | March 12, 2010, 5:33 pm 5:33 pm
As it should be. I’d agree an investigation of the EPA is in order as well.
Posted by: secondlook | March 12, 2010, 7:28 pm 7:28 pm
I think it is disgraceful that Americans
feel like they deserve to profit from a horrific act of war .
Posted by: Albert Aamold | March 13, 2010, 12:13 am 12:13 am
Notice that it took Obama getting into office before the right thing was done for these heroes. Bush didnt care about any of these people. clearly
Posted by: John | March 13, 2010, 4:05 am 4:05 am
Folks, Where do you think all of this money comes from? Us. Where does the line start for this gravy train? There is danger in life, always. Should the school bus driver receive compensation because he or she might be in a accident. or the police officer who might get shot or the roofer who might fall off the roof I’m sure the line of scammers will be a long one.
Posted by: michael Kleine | March 13, 2010, 9:10 am 9:10 am
This is a free country and I’ll sue whomever I want, whenever I want. What’s great about this country is you can make up something about anyone and ruin their lives and sue the heck out of them.
Posted by: rich | March 13, 2010, 10:04 am 10:04 am
You guys crack me up, if you had some of the diseases the 911 workers have now because of the asbestos and other toxic materials in the environment at ground zero, you would be wanting compensation too. There is huge evidence of government complacency at best regarding 911. And alot of evidence supporting actual government involvement. Before stereotyping people, get off you burger king butt and do some research for a change instead of downing more informed people.
Posted by: Sideeous | March 13, 2010, 10:06 am 10:06 am
Let me get this straight. The lawyers are either heroes since they litigated for the workers that cleaned up the devastation or they are scum because they are preying on the public purse. The workers are either selfless heroes or whiny public servants. The villain of this sordid mess is the EPA because they didn’t warn the heroes about “maybe the air wasn’t safe”? The super villains are Bush, the American government, and maybe [and this may be a long shot] a group of radical Islamic terrorist. It makes me believe that the evolutionists are right and we are a bunch of monkeys playing around with keyboards.
Posted by: ThinkingAboutThis | March 13, 2010, 1:05 pm 1:05 pm
TEST, how about we spend the same amount of money we paid Kenneth Starr (66 million dollars), to investigate Guilliani, Bush and Cheney’s involvements into 9-11 and the aftermath. After all, which is more important to Patriots, a terrorist attack or a politician getting desk-dunkers?
Posted by: able | March 13, 2010, 2:49 pm 2:49 pm
A lot more is owed to the entire world, including to hundreds of thousands of innocent, dead Iraqis, and thousands of loyal American soldiers, by the perpetrators of this BIG LIE.
Posted by: tropicgirl | March 13, 2010, 9:18 pm 9:18 pm
Getting coverage for these heroes sounds right to me, but if we are going to pay when things go bad, we should not need to pay higher salaries to people in jobs where things could go bad. Either we pay up front or afterwards, but not twice.
Posted by: vissionquest | March 14, 2010, 11:25 am 11:25 am
Google “9/11 Nukes – Radiation-induced cancers”
Posted by: David Howard | March 14, 2010, 3:10 pm 3:10 pm
“Why should we help pay for their injuries, it was the Iraqis and Pakistanis who injured them! The insensitivitey of American Right Wingers is unreal….”
So you’re blaming this on the Republicans? The Republicans are the ones who continue to support defending your country, while the Democrats and liberal Republicans want to withdraw. If we withdraw, prepare for another terrorist attack, this one worse than the first.
Posted by: Grant | March 14, 2010, 9:12 pm 9:12 pm
“TEST, how about we spend the same amount of money we paid Kenneth Starr (66 million dollars), to investigate Guilliani, Bush and Cheney’s involvements into 9-11 and the aftermath. After all, which is more important to Patriots, a terrorist attack or a politician getting desk-dunkers?”
If this had happened during Obama’s or Clinton’s presidency, would you be screaming for an investigation? NO. Give me some hard evidence that Bush or any of the others were involved, with sources included, and I’ll believe you.
Posted by: Grant | March 14, 2010, 9:16 pm 9:16 pm
I thought that’s what workers compensation was for? why the double dip?
Posted by: madmax | March 14, 2010, 11:09 pm 11:09 pm
“Yeah, well if the government wouldn’t have blown these building up in the first place and tried to blame it on Osama Bin Laden then we wouldn’t even have to worry about this. – Posted by: Josh”
Might be time to take the tin foil helmet in for a 2,000-dillusion check-up.
Posted by: Zinglesloff | March 14, 2010, 11:22 pm 11:22 pm
Is it true that the Rescue Sniffling dogs died shortly after? I’ve never heard of that? Are there facts pointing to that?
Posted by: Mulan4Peace | March 15, 2010, 2:13 am 2:13 am
There are so many smartypants comments I can’t believe it. You people are adults right?……It dos’nt read like it to me….
FACT… All the workers who went down to help clean up the world trade centre got sick from the toxic building materials. They will probably die earlier than they should because of it.
Compensation is the least that could happen for them….
Posted by: harmony6 | March 15, 2010, 6:24 pm 6:24 pm
I love how these people were praised and held their head high after doning this work. They were “MIGHTY AMERICANS” at that time. Now they are bilking the government for money. they are not heros but cowards. especially now that we are in dire economic times our government dosent have the money to pay out. they loved the limelight for helping out when this happened, now i hope they get the limelight for being cowards. any achievements given to these people should be ripped up when they get their check in the mail. They should have known the dangers about working there and took that into consideration before they volunteered. They should be proud to have helped the people of 9/11 without asking for compensation 9yrs later. typical american bull. I bet a bunch of money hungry lawyers are behind this one. Its not about health problems, Its simply about american greed. Land of the free, home of the greedy
Posted by: Justin | March 15, 2010, 7:15 pm 7:15 pm
Google “The FBI polygraphers will clean-up this mess”
Posted by: David Howard | March 16, 2010, 3:59 pm 3:59 pm
We shouldnt pay any money to them. that was there job. the families are greedy .
Posted by: david | June 10, 2010, 11:14 pm 11:14 pm