Little-Noticed 9/11 Lawsuits Will Get Their Day in Court

[underpants]

Source: NY Times

Now, in a concrete sign of movement in the families’ cases, the judge, Alvin K. Hellerstein of Federal District Court in Manhattan, has set a trial date of Sept. 24 — 2,205 days since 19 hijackers brought four planes out of the sky into the twin towers, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania.

The plaintiffs point to box-cutters carried by the hijackers as evidence of lapses in airport security. To further support their contention that the airlines could have been more vigilant, they cite, in their master liability complaint, a 1999 Federal Aviation Administration report saying Osama bin Laden had “implied” that he could use a shoulder-fired missile to shoot down a military passenger aircraft. (Also stated later in the article-the offering of terrorism insurance by the airlines to flight attendants)

Lawyers for the defendants in the coming damages trials — United and American Airlines; airport security companies; Boeing, the aircraft manufacturer; and others — say the lawsuits are misguided, that the aviation industry played by the government rules at the time, and that the terrorists knew what they could get away with.


Pain and suffering is another matter, more ineffable. The Sept. 11th fund awarded a flat rate of $250,000 for pain and suffering for each person who died in the attacks, and another $100,000 each to surviving spouses and children.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/04/nyregion/04cases.html?pagewanted=1&hp

[SpiralHawk]

1. "I'm suing Commander AWOL for stealing my book" - Florida grade school student

"That preppy deserter WANKER, Commander AWOL Bush, stole my personal copy of "MY Pet Goat

"And then the big phony just sat there reading it for half an hour after having been told TWICE that america was under attack on 9/11 Then he walked off with my book I want it back, I want a personal apology, and I demand an apology to all Americans for the BushCo republicon LIHOP traitory"

- Florida grade school student

[hang a left]

2. I am wondering if this is the lawsuit that names

this administration and the Saudis as defendants as well. The article just names the aviation and airline companies, then states "and others".

[SpiralHawk]

4. "Saudis are my good buds" - Commander AWOL

"So when 19 Saudis attacked America on 9/11, I immediately called for an invasion and occupation of Iraq - smirk, smirk, smirk"

- Commander AWOL

[TheMadMonk]

3. Sorry, but this looks like a bog standard Yankee lawsuit.

(Of the kind that should never be pursued or permitted to proceed.)

Let's see. Airport security should have somehow anticipated that a certain group of passengers were going to use an item that people have always been permitted to carry on aeroplanes. Along with shoelaces, bunches of keys (including extra-lethal janitorial size like mine), and any one of a hundred other items that could easily be used as an improvised weapon.

I'm not even sure how this made it to the starting gate.

Osama did not use any form of missile. So it would not mater if he stated his ability to bring a plane down with one as a categorical fact. In fact I will do it for him. Give a suitable surface to air missile and proper training virtually anyone can.

Can anyone point to prior documentation that would indicate the method the hijackers would use? Or what they planned to do once they secured control of the planes? PDB's not read and not forwarded to the parties being sued here don't count.

And the third reason. Terroism insurance for flight attendants? Pilots can have flight insurance too. Does that mean every pilot who purchases some, intends to deliberately crash the plane to set his family up for life? It was a, costs not much at all, exercise in keeping the peons happy. Were any of those policies issued? And more importantly if they were, were they honoured? Or did they go the way of put orders pre-911, "too ghoulish" for words?

This looks like a good old Yankee grab for cash. They can't get at the people actually responsible, so go after whoever has the deepest pockets who might be remotely connected.