Judge rules 9/11 lawsuits may go ahead
A judge in the USA has ruled that relatives of those who died on September 11th are allowed to file lawsuits against the airline companies whose planes were hijacked in the disaster.
The ruling also opens the way for legal action against the manufacturers of the four aeroplanes which crashed into the New York, Washington and Pennsylvania on 9/11, and against the developers of the World Trade Centre itself.
Families of those killed on 9/11 have until the end of the year to take up a US Government compensation package which waives the right to sue United or American airlines, but as yet few have taken up the offer.
Solicitors of the 70 families already announcing their intention to sue have argued that United and American Airlines should have made greater security provision to prevent the disaster, such has fitting secure cockpit doors.
The families insist that they are searching for answers as to how the tragedy was allowed to occur, and are not motivated by money.
The ruling comes after the funeral in New York of the last fire fighter killed in the Twin Towers.
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