WASHINGTON – Attorney General Eric Holder today announced that he has chosen Sheila L. Birnbaum to head the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund program. Birnbaum, a life-long New Yorker, has decades of experience resolving complicated litigation.
Birnbaum will administer the fund created under the James Zadroga 9/11 Health & Compensation Act, signed into law by President Obama on Jan. 2, 2011. The bill reactivates the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund that operated from 2001-2003, expanding the pool of applicants to include first responders and other individuals who experienced latent physical injuries associated with the attacks or with debris removal.
Birnbaum gained recognition and regard from the victims community for her work mediating a settlement of $500 million for 92 families of victims of the September 11th terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.
“Sheila Birnbaum brings extensive experience, credibility and unique insight to this important role,” said Attorney General Holder. “She has worked closely with, and won the trust of, the families of 9/11 victims with whom she worked. I know that under her direction, the fund will be administered in a manner that is sensitive and fair to those who have suffered so much from the September 11th attacks.”
Birnbaum will publish proposed regulations to govern the program as soon as possible, and take public comment on those proposed regulations over the summer before finalizing them.
The fund is expected to become fully operational after funding appropriated for its administration becomes available on Oct. 1, 2011.
Birnbaum has an extensive career in public service. Among other positions, she has served as the first president and founding member of Judges and Lawyers Breast Cancer Alert; as a member on the New York State Judicial Commission on Minorities; as Executive Director for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit’s Task Force for Racial, Ethnic and Gender Fairness; as Chair for the Commission on Fiduciary Appointments; and as President of the New York Women’s Bar Association.
Defendant: Sheila L. Birnbaum
Criminal Charges: None
City and State: Washington, D.C.
Exact Date: 2011/01/02
Sentence or Outcome: None
Dollar Amounts: $500 million
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Key Facts
- State: Federal
- Category: Public Corruption
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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