Ailing Ground Zero Workers File Suit
Ailing Ground Zero Workers File Suit
Workers Want Money For Health Care Costs
July 17, 2007
NEW YORK -- Ailing ground zero workers went to court Tuesday to demand that the company overseeing a $1 billion Sept. 11 insurance fund spend the money to pay for their health care.
The workers have already filed a class-action lawsuit claiming the toxic dust from the World Trade Center site gave them serious, sometimes fatal diseases. On Tuesday, they sought compensation from the WTC Captive Insurance Co., the company in charge of money appropriated by Congress to deal with Sept. 11 health-related claims.
"The WTC Captive has consistently refused to pay any of the ground zero workers who have become ill on the work site, including any compensation" for lost salaries, pain and suffering, medical treatment, medical monitoring or burial expenses, said the lawsuit, filed in Manhattan's state Supreme Court.
It was filed by attorneys representing thousands who became ill after working to clean up the site while breathing toxic trade center dust, including more than 100 who have died.
"She hasn't paid a penny to one of my 10,000 people," David Worby, an attorney representing the workers, said of the company's CEO, Christine LaSala. "It was their mandate." ...
Thanks, Joe.
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The Purpose of the Fund
...was precisely to defend against suits, NOT to compensate anybody for injuries. That's the beauty of it!
NYC Gov Contradicting Itself
There's another write up of this story here,
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/4975634.html
Here's a quote from that version,
'
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who was named in the suit along with LaSala and board members, said Tuesday that attorneys are wrong about the company's structure.
"They just don't know the facts. The truth of the matter is, Congress didn't set up a victims' compensation fund," the mayor said. "We'd like them to do that, we've asked for that; they set up a captive insurance company. And the insurance company can only pay out monies if somebody sues us in court and wins a judgment against us."
'
So here we have a fund that can only pay out if it is justly sued.
Let's look at another quote from that article,
'
The company said in a statement Tuesday that the lawsuit was "completely without merit" and that WTC Captive has been operating as the federal government intended it, insuring the city and its contractors from Sept. 11 claims.
'
So the company (& Bloomberg) say that the fund can only pay out if it is sued. Then they say that the 9/11 first responders suit is completely without merit.
Apparently the intention of this fund is to protect the city government FROM having to pay claims. It wasn't intended to assist citizens, rather it was intended to absolve the city government (and their 'contractors') of any responsibility.
Incredible!
And I mean that in the true sense of the word.
I hope this get's major coverage in some sort of media.
If and when the WTC Captive Insurance Co
every decides to dole out the legal claims, I bet they will want non-disclosure and hold harmless releases signed.
That's how most of the other witness in Washington have been shut up and telling fairy tails about the huge jet that crashed into the Pentagon.
They offered William Rodriguez a million dollars for his silence. Fortunately for us he didn't take it.
They are perfectly willing to wait until your so downtrodden that you will agree to their terms.