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NY Daily News- News backed on curbing lawyers' cut of aid
Monday September 04, 2006From NY Daily News:
News backed on curbing lawyers' cut of aid As The News pointed out yesterday, a third of the $1 billion potentially available to victims sickened in The Pit could go for lawyer's fees. "I think we ought to make every effort to see that this fund is treated much more as a compensation fund and less as a litigious fund," said Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). "This money [was not intended] to go to a law firm, as opposed to compensating those people who rushed to help." Under the initial 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, lawyer Kenneth Feinberg used a formula to distribute $6 billion to relatives of those who died in the towers in exchange for an agreement not to sue. There's $1 billion in federal funds available to insulate the city and contractors against health claims from Ground Zero workers. The News is calling for a compensation fund for ailing rescue and cleanup workers. More than 8,000 people who risked their health by working at Ground Zero in the days after 9/11 have joined a class-action lawsuit. But if the legal fighting drags on, the pool of funds will shrink significantly before getting to those who need it most, critics say. "It should be easier" for sick 9/11 responders to get health care, said Rep. Peter King (R-L.I.). "The general public is beginning to realize how tragic the situation has become, and it's going to be tragic for a long time to come. It's time to get moving on this." Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan, Joseph Zadroga, who lost 34-year-old son NYPD Detective James Zadroga to brain and respiratory complications in January, urged Congress to establish a compensation fund. "They should give people who are sick the opportunity to take that [payout]," Zadroga said. "They deserve something." With Michael McAuliff |
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