US News

WTC CASES FAST-TRACKED

The judge overseeing roughly 10,500 lawsuits by workers who say they fell ill at Ground Zero pushed 60 cases to the head of the line yesterday with an eye toward speeding settlements and resolving the staggering number of claims.

Manhattan Federal Judge Alvin Hellerstein set a framework for selecting a sample 30 cases filed by the most seriously ill workers and another 30 chosen from the vast array of complaints, all of which must be ready for trial by May 2010.

Originally set on tackling only the most severe cases first, Hellerstein shifted his approach after lawyers for the city balked.

James Tyrell, a lawyer representing the city, said the broader sample will allow everyone involved to “see how much is a good case worth and how much is a bad case worth.”

Hellerstein said, “I’m starting a dynamic to get us moving toward trial in the foreseeable future.”