Families’ 9/11 liability suit could go to trial

Stephen C. Webster
Raw Story
Tuesday, Dec 16, 2008

A federal district court judge in Manhattan said Monday that he will decide whether or not a suit brought against US airlines by families of several victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, may proceed.

“I would like some truth and accountability, and I want the public to hear it,” said Mike Low, whose daughter Sara was a flight attendant on American Airlines flight 11. Low spoke with the Boston Globe for a Monday report.

The families of Barbara Keating, 72, Mark Bavis, 31, and Sara Low, 28, asked Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein to allow their full liability suit against airlines and security companies in Boston to progress to trial.

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The suit alleges that security at Dulles International Airport, Newark International Airport and Logan International Airport was negligent in allowing the alleged terrorists to board the flights.

To date, no family members of Sept. 11 victims have had a day in court. Over 3,000 families have instead accepted lucrative settlements from the federal victims compensation fund, with the average figure hovering in the range of $2 million.

For these families, it isn’t just about seeing justice. They seek to tell their fallen relatives’ stories, and establish a public archive to further explore the attacks of Sept. 11.

In a related post, the Globe said that the families are unshaken by news that the men the Bush administration alleges to be the plotters of the attack plan to plead guilty.

“It’s good for the country,” said the families’ attorney, Donald A. Migliori, of the guilty pleas. “But it’s irrelevant to our claims.”

The prisoners’ pleas are reportedly a show of contempt for the military tribunal process at Guantanamo Bay, where detainees do not have access to American due process.

In at least one instance, a guilty plea by a Guantanamo detainee was directly influenced by Vice President Dick Cheney.

For the families and their demand for justice, their wait may soon be over.

“We owe them a debt of gratitude, especially for their efforts to create a public archive of information,” retired FAA agent Brian F. Sullivan told the Globe.

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9 Responses to “Families’ 9/11 liability suit could go to trial”

1. Theywontchipme Says:
   December 16th, 2008 at 12:59 pm

   Let the Truth be Told!

   I’d rather be beaten with Truth, then tortured with lies.
   –anonymous

2. Carly Says:
   December 16th, 2008 at 1:09 pm

   what a joke.

3. Lasthorseman Says:
   December 16th, 2008 at 1:33 pm

   Words of Mass Diversion.

4. fogcutter Says:
   December 16th, 2008 at 2:21 pm

   In no way will this go forward and set a precedent.

   That being said, all of the crucial evidence has been destroyed so that if it did go forward, we could only come to the inevitable conclusion that it’s…inconclusive.

   Brilliant.

5. teoui Says:
   December 16th, 2008 at 6:55 pm

   No federal official is going to allow an independent branch of government use the subpoena power to inquire into the events of 911. Only those involved in the conspiracy are allowed to frame the narrative. Independent inquiries will not be allowed.

6. pissed in canada Says:
   December 16th, 2008 at 10:41 pm

   everybody has a price, it all revolves back to the mighty dollar, if i had a loved one who perished in those attacks, i would be severely asking myself questions when offered approx 2 million as a settlement. That is bribery money. No insurance policy i’ve ever seen pays for terrorist attacks unless you specifically ask for it. Most go out of their way to exclude “acts of civil insurection weither you are an active participant or not”. I’m glad to see that some have had to fortitude to not accept this bribe money and to try and get to the bottom of this. The settlements must come with strings attached such as not being legally allowed to go after the airlines, government or anybody else involved in the future.

   Here in canada the government already has bribe money aside for people who have adverse reactions to vaccines. If your child dies or gets really sick on the same day they are issued a vaccine, they pay you out and you must sign a gag order never to bring it up again. Fuckin sickening. Even vultures don’t kill their own.

7. Sue happy twits Says:
   December 17th, 2008 at 3:43 am

   These lawsuits are just pathetic.

   “I want some truth and accountability.”

   Bullshit. If they agree with the idea that terrorists hijacked the airlines, then they’ve got their resolution after a nation went to war in Afghanistan for them. If they don’t believe the official story, then why the fuck sue the airlines? That’s not going to solve anything, they’d know that the government would do a run around on it and keep any sort of evidence contrary to the official story from being revealed in the court system. They’re just grubbing for money.
   God damn pissants. Even if they believe the official story, they should instead be pissed off at how we’ve become a nation of victims and pussies. C’mon an entire airplane held up by a few guys with box cutters? Give me a break.

8. Neil Kerslake Says:
   December 17th, 2008 at 5:54 am

   Previously on 9.11 …

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2WdSyD769M