In bid to defend city, NYC lawyers challenge health claims of some 9/11 responders
By David B. Caruso, APWednesday, February 17, 2010
NY questions health claims of some 9/11 responders
NEW YORK — Lawyers defending New York City against thousands of lawsuits filed by Sept. 11 emergency responders say many of the claims are baseless.
They asked a judge late Tuesday in a series of court filings to dismiss some of the first cases headed toward trial.
The city’s legal team has detailed several instances in which people who claimed to have been sickened by World Trade Center ash were in poor health before the attacks.
One of the plaintiffs is a former Fire Department battalion chief who was granted a disability pension for breathing ailments in 1999.
Another is a 400-pound utility worker now blaming shortness of breath and other respiratory problems on dust from the trade center.
The lead lawyer for more than 9,000 ground zero workers is dismissing the city’s motions as posturing.
