A Manhattan Judge said Friday that he will not approve the settlement in the World Trade Center lawsuit.
Last week, many 9/11 heroes found out that they were entitled to $657 million; which is a figure that is based on a settlement that was reached in the World Trade Center lawsuit.
Later in the week many of these plaintiffs were left scrambling to contact their New York injury attorneys, working with them to determine exactly how much of the $657 million they would see. Many of them also want to know if the settlement is fair.
As reported in this blog last week, a settlement had been reached in their ongoing lawsuit against the City of New York (and several private companies) for injuries sustained by Ground Zero rescue workers in the aftermath of September 11, 2001.
The problem for many of the plaintiffs however, is that many are being asked to accept or decline the settlement without being given enough facts. The settlement states that it will only become fully effective if ninety-five percent of the plaintiffs accept the settlement. Many plaintiffs are beginning to feel rushed into accepting the settlement terms.
As a result, Judge Alvin Hellerstein declined to approve the settlement until it is negotiated further. He insisted that legal fees must be lowered and paid by an insurance fund set up by the city. Furthermore, Judge Hellerstein stated that individual plaintiffs needed to be given a proposed dollar amount before deciding whether or not to accept the terms of the settlement. He insisted that the scheme for distribution to individual plaintiffs would need to be supervised by the Judge.
A final hearing in the matter has been set for April 12, where the plaintiffs' New York injury lawyers will convene to further elaborate the settlement. If you have questions about settlement issues, it may be wise to consult a New York injury lawyer. If you have specific questions about this 9/11 lawsuit, please visit our Related Resources links.
Related Resources
- World Trade Center Lawsuit Settles for $657M (The New York Personal Injury Law Blog)
- Judge says World Trade Center settlement needs more work (CNN)
- NYC, Victims Settle at $657M in World Trade Center Lawsuit (FindLaw's Decided)
- Find NY Injury Lawyers (Findlaw)
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