dojN001901.xml

dojN001901.xml

born-digital

email

yes

no

2002-01-16

Wednesday, January 16, 2002 3:37 PM
Victim'sCompensation Fund

Attachment 1;

January 16, 2001

To Our Elected Officials:

In the immediate aftermath of the tragic attack of the United States, on September 11, 2001, Congress enacted the Victims Compensation Fund of 2001, P.L. 107-42, to compensate the relatives of the victims of that brutal attack. As you know, this Fund was enacted as part of a comprehensive package to bail out the airline industry and imposed restrictions on the rights of the victims relatives to recover damages from court. We implore you, as our elected officials, to demand changes to the interim rules issued by Kenneth Feinberg, the Special Master. As it stands, Mr. Feinbergs self-imposed rules fail to satisfy the letter or the spirit of the legislation, which was enacted.

Specifically, we request that you demand the following changes to the interim rules:

Remove the Arbitrary Income Limits. The arbitrary income limits imposed by the Special Master are not only unfair, but also inconsistent with the letter and spirit of the law. Those victims from the financial industry are specifically harmed by this limit. They were targeted and murdered precisely because of the jobs they held and where they worked, the World Trade Center, the financial capital of the world and the embodiment of financial success. The families of those who achieved such success should see that reflected in their awards or at the very least should not be penalized for it. These victims personified American business, democracy and freedom. We ask that you demand Mr. Feinberg lift the arbitrary income limits so that each family can be treated fairly, commensurate with the support that the victims provided to their families before their untimely deaths.

Increase Non-economic Awards. Mr. Feinberg has arbitrarily restricted the non-economic awards for pain and suffering, no matter what the extent of the pain and suffering. This is unacceptable. In the words of Congressman , Every death is tragic. A murder is particularly tragic. But to have your loved one murdered in a burning building in full view of the world -- in a scene which will be repeated in the media for decades to come -- is a horror these families will never escape. The Special Master cannot take it upon himself to restrict the rights of the families. Therefore, we request that the interim rules be amended to more appropriately compensate the victims families for the immeasurable pain and suffering endured by their loved ones. As former Mayor Guiliani stated in his farewell address: We have an obligation to the people who died. Their families need to be protected just as if they had been alive, financially and every other way that we can help and assist their families. There should be no compromise about the every. We request that the interim rules be amended and the compensation for pain and suffering more accurately reflect that horror which was suffered. Justice demands no less.

Please act as expeditiously as possible so that these families will be treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.

Sincerely,
Individual Comment

2002-01-16