NEW YORK, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- A surge of plaintiffs is expected to sign on to a settlement on toxic exposures at New York's Ground Zero, sources told the New York Daily News.
The deadline to accept the settlement with the city is Monday, and plaintiffs must opt in to be eligible for future federal healthcare coverage under the yet-to-be-passed Zadroga bill, which may sway many of the approximately 10,000 plaintiffs, the newspaper said.
"Expect a last-minute rush," a source told the Daily News.
"The chances are that three or four years down the road, I'm going to be a lot sicker," retired police officer Gene Klein told the newspaper. "I have no recourse down the road, other than the Zadroga".
About 85 percent of the plaintiffs have already agreed to accept the settlement with the city, sources said. The agreement requires a 95-percent acceptance rate or else the deal will be scuttled.
Those workers who don't agree to the city deal will have to pursue individual lawsuits, which legal analysts say could take years to settle.
The $7.4 billion Zadroga bill has passed the U.S. House and the Senate is expected to take it up next month.
UPI
