Ground Zero Cases
The city is locked in battle with thousands of
Ground Zero workers who are demanding a piece of a
$1 billion fund created to pay claims against New
York City and its contractors arising from the
cleanup of post-9/11 debris.
More than 7,000 rescue workers,
volunteers and other laborers have joined in a
class-action suit, filed in September 2004, that
claims they became ill toiling in the toxic ruins.
They charge that the city failed to protect them, to
reveal the full extent of the health risks and to
enforce safety rules. They seek compensation for
their illnesses, some potentially fatal, and medical
monitoring for all who worked on or near the pit.
The plaintiffs argue that Congress created the
insurance fund, with the support of the mayor and
the governor, specifically to compensate city
employees and others harmed during debris removal.
The city has refused an offer by U.S. District Judge
Alvin Hellerstein to let mediators settle the
mounting worker claims, lawyers said.
The $1 billion in insurance was part of $21.4
billion in federal aid pledged to the city by
President Bush after 9/11.
Gov. Pataki and Mayor Bloomberg pushed through state
legislation in 2003 to create a "captive insurance
fund," a mechanism to reserve the $1 billion set
aside for claims against the city and its
contractors for debris removal at Ground Zero.
