MANHATTAN — A federal judge will hold a hearing on Friday to poll 9/11 first responders about whether they’ll agree to a proposed settlement with the city.
The settlement is worth between $575 million and $657 million, and will assign points to victims based on the severity and type of illness they suffered from exposure to the toxic plume at the World Trade Center Site.
Each point is worth $10 and individual payouts could range anywhere from $3,200 to more than $2 million, the Daily News reported.
At least 95 percent of the plaintiffs have to sign on by early June for the deal, but some are expected to complain at Friday's hearing that the law firms representing them are set to receive $200 million in fees.
Others say that the terms of the agreement are unclear.
“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," Cancer-stricken NYPD Det. Ernie Vallebuona told the News.
The former vice cop was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2004, and is among the thousands who worked at Ground Zero in the immediate aftermath of terrorist attacks.
After reading the 95-page agreement and 21 exhibits, Vallebuona determined his cancer, which is in remission, would translate into 32,500 base points, he told the newspaper.
"I'd like to go back to being a cop, but that's not going to happen. And the idea of $200,000 does not seem enough to protect my family if something happens to me," he told the paper.
A representative for the settlement fund said plaintiffs have to sign onto the deal before their awards will be calculated, the newspaper reported.
Judge Alvin Hellerstein will listen to the plaintiffs at 2 p.m.
