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  • World Trade Center Settlement Gets Backing Needed to Take Effect
    – New York Law Journal
    (November 22, 2010) Enough plaintiffs have accepted a massive settlement of claims alleging respiratory and other health problems from the post-9/11 response and cleanup at the World Trade Center site to seal the deal. Read more…

  • 10,563 Ground Zero 9/11 Workers Agree On $625 Million Settlement
    – Medical News Today
    (November 21, 2010) 10,563 ground zero workers who inhaled toxic dust and risked health consequences have agreed on a $625 settlement and ceased suing - the amount could go as high as $815 million.
    Read more…

  • 9/11 Health Deal Gets OK
    – The Wall Street Journal
    (November 20, 2010) More than 95% of Ground Zero workers agreed to accept a settlement of long-running litigation over respiratory diseases and other injuries suffered in recovery operations following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack.
    Read more…

  • Deal settles most lawsuits over WTC toxic dust
    – The Associated Press (AP)
    (November 19, 2010) A deal reached by New York City and workers exposed to toxic dust that blanketed ground zero after Sept. 11 will resolve an overwhelming majority of the lawsuits over the city's failure to provide protective equipment to the responders. Read more…

  • Ground Zero workers exposed to toxic dust take pay deal
    – BBC
    (November 19, 2010) Thousands of workers exposed to toxic dust after the 2001 terror attacks in New York have accepted a legal settlement and ceased litigation. Read more…

  • Lawyers: Sickened 9/11 Workers Reach Settlement Deal With City
    – NY1
    (November 19, 2010) By Friday, more than 10,000 people who became ill from working conditions at the World Trade Center site following the September 11th terrorist attacks had accepted a settlement deal with the city. Read more…

     

Press Release!

City’s Counsel Certifies Eligible Plaintiff’s List for 9/11 Settlement

New York, New York,  October 6,  2010, for immediate release:  Attorneys for the City of New York and its contractors today filed their certification of the list of eligible plaintiffs for the settlement of the In re: World Trade Center Disaster Site Litigations pending before the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.  This certification is an important step forward that was required by the terms of the Amended Settlement Process Agreement bringing the long-fought litigation one step closer to an ending for these defendants.   Plaintiffs’ Liaison Counsel Paul Napoli said: “We are extremely happy to hear that the City’s counsel has certified the eligible plaintiff’s list, bringing us one step closer to finalization of the Settlement.  Those people on the list will benefit from the settlement as long as they return their signed releases by the November 8 deadline.” 


At a conference held on October 5 to discuss the status of the Settlement and of other negotiations with defendants for additional settlements, Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein said of the settlement: “I think this is a good deal, and if we get more settlements, it will be a better deal.  People have to realize that the alternatives are very tough.  This is not an easy litigation.  There are potent defenses.  There's a lot of work that needs to be done.  There's a high risk in a trial. There are appeals.  It's going to be very hard for people to make recoveries in the cases.  I'm not saying it's not  possible.  Of course it's possible, but the efforts will be huge and the risks will be high.  And this is a fair deal.  I think it's a fair deal. …  People look at their injuries and they look at their recoveries and some of them may feel I'm not recovering enough. No one recovers enough.  These are difficult physical and mental injuries that people have to experience and feel that they should be paid for it.  Some of them feel that way, but this is a settlement, a settlement of disputed issues, a settlement where no one is giving up claims or defenses.  And the prospect of gaining immediate certain recovery versus the uncertainty of risk and expense and confusion and difficulty and prolongation of an injured life it seems to me the balance is clear that people should come in.  Of course, they have to make this decision for themselves.  But we have this November 8 date, and people have to make these decisions for themselves and do the right thing for themselves because, as I look on it, it seems to me that the choice is rather clear.”

 

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