NEW YORK, March 19 (UPI) -- A judge in New York says emergency Ground Zero responders stricken with illnesses after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks must vote on a legal settlement.
The New York Daily News said a hearing conducted Friday by Manhattan U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein was intended to allow people sickened by toxic exposure at the site of the destroyed World Trade Center a chance to vote on the proposed settlement.
Former New York Police Department detective Ernie Vallebuona, among those who fell ill after helping in the cleanup efforts, said plaintiffs remain unsure how much of a payout each person would receive under the settlement.
"Right now it looks like we are being asked to accept the settlement before we have a clear answer of what each person is going to get," Vallebuona said.
Among the emergency responders helping out at Ground Zero were firefighters and police officers, along with other rescue and recovery workers.
The Daily News said the settlement uses a point system to determine the payout for each plaintiff, with points added or subtracted for the type and severity of an illness.
To be accepted, the settlement, worth as much as $657 million, must be approved by at least 95 percent of plaintiffs by early June.
