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9/11 Lawsuits May Shine A Light on What Really Happened That Day

By Andy Hoffman

This week, there was an fascinating AP story illustrating one of the most important functions of the civil 
lawsuits?disclosing significant information about important public matters to the wider public.  This instance concerns two of the brave families of 9/11 victims who perished on the hijacked planes, who decided to forgo compensation from the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund in favor of suing airline security companies and others. 

According to the story, the families? attorney Mary Shiavo, the well-known former DOT official and airline safety advocate, said the settlements ?are likely to include language requiring evidence to be displayed at the National 9/11 Memorial & Museum,? and that  ?public display of evidence collected for trial by lawyers in the case was important to the families, [calling] the museum a fitting place for it," adding, "the materials were likely to be put in the museum's reading room.?  This would be a major, publicly important achievement for these families.
 
Mike Low, one of these two family members who sued on behalf of his daughter, Sara, who was aboard American Airlines Flight 11, told CBS News in September, "If it was about money, I would have been gone a long time ago.  It's about ferreting out all the untold stories of the days leading up to 9/11 and 9/11.  It's accountability, it's exposure, it's shining a light on some of those areas that have been successfully hidden from the public?.When the trial is complete, I will have done all that I can do?.And when I see that old man in the mirror in the morning, I'll be comfortable."

Full post as published by ThePopTort on January 08, 2010 (boomark / email).