Second WTC Trial Delayed
Concerns about potential courthouse security issues associated with the 2004 Republican National Convention, scheduled to be held in New York this summer, have prompted a delay in the second phase of the trial stemming from the World Trade Center insurance dispute.
U.S. District Court Judge Michael Mukasey in Manhattan, who is presiding over the litigation between developer Larry Silverstein and the WTC carriers, said jury selection will now be held on Sept. 27 rather than in August, with the trial slated to start on Oct. 11?principally because of the Republican Convention, which is expected to take up a great deal of the courthouse's security staff.
The convention will be held between Aug. 30 and Sept. 2 at New York's Madison Square Garden. It is expected to draw numerous Republican Party members from across the country, as well as scores of activist groups planning large-scale demonstrations.
Judge Mukasey had earlier set sometime in August as the starting time for the second phase of the case, but he announced during a recent hearing that he had reconsidered the issues involved, mentioning the convention in particular, and that he has decided to push back the start date.
In phase two, Mr. Silverstein will be pitted against nine insurers, with $1.13 billion in property coverage money at stake.
In the first phase, Mr. Silverstein lost nearly $2 billion in potential insurance payments when the jury decided that the majority of the insurers represented in the trial were bound to Willis' "Wilprop" form, which defines the WTC attack as one occurrence and thus leaves no room for Mr. Silverstein's argument that the WTC destruction by two planes represents two insurable events.
Reproduced from National Underwriter Edition, June 4, 2004. Copyright 2004 by The National Underwriter Company in the serial publication. All rights reserved.Copyright in this article as an independent work may be held by the author.
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