Ground Zero Lawyer Lectures on Zadroga 9/11 Act to New York Supreme Court

It was an honor to have been asked to give a Continuing Legal Education Course on the new Zadroga 9/11 Act to the Justices and attorneys of the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Second Department in Brooklyn recently. The two hour presentation was given in the same courtroom where I was sworn in as an attorney over 20 years ago - and it hasn't changed a bit!  Here is a copy of my Zadroga 9/11 Act  Power Point Presentation to the Supreme Court.

Like previous lectures I have given on Zadroga 9/11 Act claims, I covered topics such as: who is a first responder under the Zadroga Act ?; are volunteers, construction workers, cleaners and other workers covered under the Zadroga Act ?; what medical conditions are covered under the Zadroga Act ?; what medical and compensation benefits are available under the Zadroga Act ?;   can you have a Zadroga Act compensation claim if you already received money from another 9/11 lawsuit ?; what toxic chemicals were found at Ground Zero and are they cancer causing ?;  who is the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund Special Master ?; what is the definition of the "crash site" under the Zadroga Act ?; what cancer conditions are covered under the Zadroga Act ?;  and what are the deadlines for filing Zadroga Victim Compensation Fund claims ?.

Once again, I would like to thank the Supreme Court, Appellate Division for allowing me to present this progam.

Brookhaven Lab Workers Get Compensation for Cancer Caused by Radiation Exposure

Newsday reports today that Brookhaven National Lab workers with cancer who were exposed to radiation at BNL during the Cold War will finally be able to receive the federal workers' compensation benefits that Congress intended when it set up a special compensation program for these workers in 2000.

The facts surrounding the Brookhaven exposures are eerily similar to the case our office won at trial regarding our clients who were exposed to radiation, TCE and PCE at the old Sylvania Nuclear Fuel Rod plant in Hicksville, New York. The current owner of the property, Verizon, is now fighting off multiple individual and class action lawsuits for cancer and other illnesses arising from the Hicksville nuclear site .

Prior to today's announcement, the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act had been a dismal failure for former Brookhaven National Lab employees. In a decade, only 17 of 123 cancer cases had been approved due to the difficulty in establishing "dose exposure". The new "special class" of BNL Cold War workers will make it dramatically easier for those with radiation induced cancers to collect a lump-sum benefit of $150,000 and medical care.

I suppose "better late than never" is the best that can said for the federal government's shoddy treatment of the Brookhaven National Lab  workers.