Trial date set for first 9/11 lawsuit

[go west young man]

Source: The Guardian UK

The first wrongful death lawsuit resulting from the September 11 2001 terrorist attacks will go to trial on April 12, a judge said today.

US district judge Alvin K. Hellerstein set the trial date over the complaints of aviation security industry lawyers who said they needed more time to prepare.

"There's a great deal of shock on the defence side," said Desmond Thomas Barry, a lawyer representing the aviation defendants.

It has not yet been decided which of three remaining wrongful death claims will go before the jury at the trial. More than 90 families have already settled their claims and do not need trials.

Hellerstein said he wants the trial completed in less than a month and will set limits on the time given to each side so that presentations to the jury are equal.

Once the trial is completed, Hellerstein said, he will begin trials for damage claims by people who suffered respiratory illnesses at the World Trade Center site.


Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/29/september-11-wrongful-death-trial

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Of course something like this will only appear in a UK paper. America and it's info-tainment distraction media have no interest in finding out more about the biggest and most important event of our lifetimes. Even though individual lawsuits may shed new light on that event. Nothing to see here move along folks.

[go west young man]

1. More and better information available here.

Link to Salon article. http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2002/06/06/suits/index.html

Excerpt: From January 2001 to August 2001, the FAA sent out warnings to the airlines but, according to Sullivan, who left the agency during this period, did not instruct the airlines to act. "When the FAA says that they have had no specifics about terrorist threats, they are lying bastards," said Sullivan. "These are legitimate threats that could have been carried out because of the vulnerability of the system. We made the FAA aware of this -- we did everything we could. When I saw that the planes that hit the towers came out of Boston I wanted to throw up."

Whether the above warnings and events, combined with the 9/11 terrorist attacks, add up to actionable negligence is a difficult question. (The law firms are concentrating on the airlines and the FAA because it is extremely difficult to sue other branches of the federal government, such as the FBI.)

[pjt7]

2. Judge Hellerstein has ruled on almost all

significant 9.11 cases & that seems criminal to me.

I don't think justice is served when the Fed puts all cases in one man's lap.

I'd like to see 60 minutes or another new agency do a spotlight show on this man.

[Crabby Appleton]

3. It was in the NY Times yesterday. nt