Disability Law

New York Post Reports on "Incredible Blunder" by Zadroga 9/11 Lawyers

By Troy Rosasco

On the heels of a unflattering article two days ago in the NY Daily News about the 9/11 lawyers at Worby, Groner & Edelman and Napoli, Bern,  Susan Edelman of the New York Post is reporting today on a potential mistake these lawyers may have made that could exclude them from filing Zadroga Act Compensation claims. 

Let's hope it is not true and that these heroes don't see their well deserved compensation go down the drain on a legal technicality.  I suspect federal district court Judge Alvin Hellerstein may have to come to the lawyers rescue on this issue - just to protect the innocent 9/11 heroes.

According to the article, the law firms of Worby, Groner & Edelman and Napoli, Bern have not yet gotten the needed signed "releases" accepting the settlement  from their clients, much less delivered them to the Port Authority.  If these releases are not received by the Port Authority by the time President Obama signs the new Zadroga 9/11 bill next week, any victim who subsequently signs such a release could be excluded from eligibility under the new Zadroga 9/11 Act. 

If this happens, such victims may then have no choice but to forgo the Port Authority settlement in order to now travel the long road to Zadroga 9/11 Act compensation.

This is not the way it was supposed to work.  The deal that was sold to these clients was that they should take the 9/11 litigation settlement now, use it to pay current medical bills, and then they would also be able to apply for Zadroga 9/11 compensation also.  What a mess...!  Stay tuned and pray for the best...

Full post as published by The New York Disability Law Blog on December 29, 2010 (boomark / email).