9/11 Judge Snubs Lawyers
The city must fork out another $5 million to 10,000 Ground Zero workers -- and their lawyers can't take a cut of it, a judge has ruled.
NY Post - July 29, 2012
by SUSAN EDELMANThe city must fork out another $5 million to 10,000 Ground Zero workers -- and their lawyers can't take a cut of it, a judge has ruled.
US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein says the "contingency payment" was promised under a $680 million settlement if plaintiff lawyers held down the number of new suits filed in the next year at 120 or fewer.
About 300 new claims were filed, so the city refused to pay.
But most were quickly dropped after passage of the Zadroga 9/11 Victim Compensation Act in January 2011.
Only the 15 to 20 suits still in court should count, Hellerstein said.
Besides ordering the $5 million payout, the judge barred lawyers for the workers from taking an extra 25 percent fee.
