N001937
Thursday, January 17, 2002 11:43 AM
Coalition for Victim's Compensation
January 17, 2001
To Our Elected Officials:
In the immediate aftermath of the tragic attack of The United States, on
September 11, 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 which
bailed out the airline industry and imposed restrictions of the rights of
the victims" relatives to recover damages from court. We implore upon you,
as our elected officials, to demand changes to the interim rules issued by
Kenneth Feinberg, the Special Master. As it stands, Mr. Feinberg's
self-imposed rules fail to satisfy the letter or the spirit of the
legislation, which was enacted.
Specifically, we request that you act on our behalf and demand the following
changes to the interim rules:
1. Remove arbitrary income limits.
The arbitrary income limits imposed by the Special Master are not only
unfair but also inconsistent with the letter and the 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, the embodiment of financial success. Those who achieved such
success should see that reflected in their awards. They personified American
Business and commerce, democracy and freedom. We ask that you demand that
Mr. Feinberg lift the arbitrary income limits so that each family can be
treated fairly; commensurate with the support they provided their families
before their death.
2. Increase non-economic rewards.
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 Peter King,"Severe death is
tragic. A murder is particularly tragic. But to have your love 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 from. 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 our loved ones. As Mayor
Giuliani stated in his farewell address: "we have an obligation to the
people who did die. 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 that ever." We request
that the interim rules be amended and that compensation for pain and
suffering more accurately reflect that horror which was suffered. Justice
demands no less.
Sincerely,
Individual Comment
Atlanta, GA