WASHINGTON (AP) — A prominent New York attorney known as the “Queen of Torts” for her courtroom defense of some of the country's top companies is tackling a vastly different job — running the $2.78 billion fund to compensate ground zero workers and others who say they were sickened by the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attack wreckage.
The Justice Department tapped Sheila Birnbaum for the post on Wednesday, citing her previous work as the mediator in lawsuits brought by families of the victims of the attack. In that role she negotiated a settlement of $500 million for 92 families who sought claims.
“My first priority will be to sit down with the people who will be most affected by the program, and see how we can design a program that is fair, transparent and easy to navigate,” Birnbaum, 71, said in a statement announcing her appointment. “The fund needs to get up and running quickly. At the same time, I want to make sure we do it right.”
Want to continue reading?
Become a Free PropertyCasualty360 Digital Reader
Your access to unlimited PropertyCasualty360 content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:
- Breaking insurance news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Weekly Insurance Speak podcast featuring exclusive interviews with industry leaders
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical converage of the employee benefits and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, BenefitsPRO and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
