$657.5 million settlement for September 11 workers

Fri Mar 12 2010 08:31:20

Thousands of workers who suffered health problems after the September 11 attacks have reached a settlement worth up to $657.5 million (£437m) with an insurer representing New York city.

Thousands of firefighters, police and contractors who worked at "Ground Zero" in the ruins of the World Trade Center sued the city and its contractors for claims of injuries associated with their rescue and clean-up work.

The settlement will be drawn from a federally financed insurance fund, the WTC Captive Insurance Company, created in 2004 with a $1 billion grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The parties will appear before US District Judge Alvin Heller stein on Friday to request his preliminary approval of the settlement.

"This is a good settlement and we are gratified that these heroic men and women ... will finally receive just compensation for their pain and suffering, lost wages, medical and other expenses ...," said attorney Marc Bern, whose firm represents more than 9,000 of the plaintiffs.

Workers will be entitled to a payment based on the severity of his or her injuries which will range from thousands of dollars to more than $1 million.

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