Sept. 11 Victim Fund Off to Slow Start, Official Says
Only 10 families have completed applications for the federal government’s Sept. 11 fund, nearly nine months after the terrorist attacks that killed more than 3,000 people, the fund’s administrator said Saturday.
Kenneth Feinberg, a Georgetown University law professor, said the applications were made available about eight weeks ago.
“I’m fairly confident that by the end of next year we’ll have a success rate of over 90%,” Feinberg said. “It’s just taking more time than we thought. It’s a new process, and people are unsure about how it will work.”
The figure reflects a number of factors, from the complexity of the process to the possibility of filing lawsuits. Feinberg said four lawsuits have been filed.
Some people are waiting to see how early applicants fare. Applicants forfeit all rights to sue the airlines and others.
Feinberg says the minimum award is $250,000 and the average will be about $1.85 million.
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