Judge Rejects 9/11 Settlement

A judge rejected the 9/11 legal settlement of over $500 million for those sickened by debris from the former World Trade Center on Friday, saying it did not appropriately compensate the 10,000 police offers, firefighters, and other laborers affected by the attacks. U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein added that he was concerned that a large chunk of the money would go to legal fees and that the responders-turned-victims were pressured into signing on in 90 days without knowing just how much they could receive. The proposed settlement, which will now be renegotiated, would have offered the workers $575 million to $675 million, based on a complex point system. As Judge Hellerstein feared, at least a third of the money the plaintiffs received was expected to be turned over to their lawyers. “I will not preside over a settlement that is based on fear or ignorance,” the judge said.