Wide Range of Payments is Outlined in Ground Zero Suit

Read this article in the New York Times.

Under a new settlement reached this month, payments to rescue and cleanup workers who say their health was damaged at ground zero will range from a few thousand dollars to $1.8 million or more, lawyers for the workers said on Tuesday.

The lawyers released estimates of the payments in anticipation of a fairness hearing scheduled to be held in federal district court on Wednesday. The lawyers said that the estimates were based on still-unverified claims and that the actual payments might be higher or lower than the amounts specified in the estimates.

A claims administrator will review medical records and work history for each case and decide the amount that will be paid to each plaintiff or estate. Matthew L. Garretson, whose Ohio firm has been chosen for that job, said that under the terms of the settlement, the monetary value attached to each injury or illness is to be based on its type and severity and how strongly the condition can be linked to work at ground zero.