9/11 Workers Reach Settlement Deadline
The Associated Press: "Thousands of laborers, police officers and firefighters suing New York City over their exposure to toxic World Trade Center dust have until Monday to decide whether to join a legal settlement that could ultimately pay them as much as $815 million." More than 10,000 people, many of whom "claim to be suffering from illnesses caused by inhaling the pulverized remnants of the twin towers," have sued the city and various companies that handled the cleanup of lower Manhattan after 9/11. Most of the litigation could be over Monday, but many have yet to decide whether to take the settlement or reject it and take their case to trial, said Paul Napoli, "a leader of the legal team representing most of the plaintiffs. ... Under the terms of the deal, at least 95 percent of the plaintiffs must opt to participate for the settlement to become effective. Napoli said he was feeling good about hitting the target" (11/7).The New York Times: A subgroup of the 10,000 plaintiffs, "a group of workers who claimed they suffered health problems as a result of being exposed to debris from ground zero during its removal and transfer to a landfill on Staten Island," are eligible to receive a $27.5 million settlement," but "only if they opted into the larger settlement with the city," according to an order issued Friday by Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein of United States District Court in Manhattan, who is overseeing the litigation. Last month, a separate $47 million settlement was reached with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, owner of the World Trade Center, "on behalf of another subgroup of more than 9,000 workers" (Navarro, 11/6). This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.