Finally Help May Be On The Way For Some 9/11 Responders

Finally help may be on the way for some 9/11 first responders suffering from medical ailments.



Judge Alvin Hellerstein of the Southern District of New York has assigned two special masters to examine some of the suits brought by nearly 10,000 plaintiffs.



Judge Hellerstein seems to be the only one concerned about what is going on at WTC Captive Corp as last year he also demanded that lawyers from both sides turn over information on each case and is pushing for trials and settlements.



As you know if not for some coverage by New York Post reporter Sue Edelman who continues to pursue this story very little of this is covered by the media.



We did a little more research on what is going on with World Trade Center Captive Insurance Company.

First of all click on the link below for a press release from a year ago relating to the company and the mishandling of claims. As usual there was little or no follow up to this.



Press Release: Status of Compensation for 9/11 Illnesses

http://www.where-to-turn.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=42103


Our first clue that nothing was going to come of this should have been that it was released on April Fools Day 2008.

As usual with how any 9/11 or WTC issue has been handled the joke was on us.

In response to the concerns addressed in the press release an audit by the Inspector General for the Department of Homeland Security found that the World Trade Center Captive Insurance Company did nothing Illegal and has the right to fight every claim.

This is like a scene right out John Grisham's "The Rainmaker" they will continue to deny every claim that comes in.

The only difference is in the book the client wins.

Here we have the Office of Homeland Security stating that it is perfectly legal for this company to use funds designated to help victims to pay legal and administrative fees.

The last time I looked grants and contracts for not for profits had to be justified by the number of people the program serviced.

Only a certain percentage of the grant or contract could be used for legal or administrative fees.

But it appears here that the World Trade Center Captive Insurance Company does not have to play by the same rules.

Over the last four years more than 99% of the costs charged have been administrative and legal.

Not a single dollar has been paid to anyone who suffered from toxic exposure as the only claims paid ($320,000) were for orthopedic injuries.

The company went as far as to try to have all the claims thrown out of court by arguing that the city had blanket immunity because the injuries were a result of a terrorist act.

But that didn't work so now they just litigate every claim.

So by the time they pay all the lawyers and staff, combined with what they continue to lose in the stock market it appears there will be little left to pay any claims.

And the claims continue to be submitted and at last count there were over 10,000 claims for respiratory and toxic injuries alone.

If they had no intention of paying claims they could have bought a rubber stamp marked "DENIED" for $1.99 and saved hundreds of millions.

The result for the victims would have been the same.



Hopefully Judge Hellerstein will have more of an impact then the Inspector General who called for tighter scrutiny of legal and administrative costs at the WTC Captive Insurance Corp.



Obviously that did not strike any fear with the WTC Captive Corp as over the past year they have continued to pay out millions in salaries and legal fees while continuing to deny every claim.



Maybe now some victims will get relief and just maybe some action can be taken against those running the WTC Captive Insurance Corp as they continue to spend like drunken sailors on everything but compensation for those injured.