NY Appeals Court Upholds Verdict: Port Authority Liable for Damages in 1993 Terrorist Attack
According to the New York appeals court, which is affirming a jury's verdict, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is liable for damages from the 1993 terrorist bombing at the World Trade Center that killed six people and wounded about 1,000 others.
The Port Authority was warned about the WTC’s vulnerability years before terrorists exploded a truck bomb in its underground parking lot, but the agency rejected steps to tighten security and the jury’s 2005 decision finding it negligent was reasonable, a five-judge panel of the Appellate Division of New York’s State Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.
At the time of the jury verdict, the Port Authority was facing 575 claims from individuals injured in the attack, WTC tenants, and insurers with subrogation claims for losses paid to tenant policyholders. Most of those claims have since been resolved, and pending claims—mostly for personal injury and business interruption—number fewer than 50, a Port Authority spokesman said.
“We look forward to resolving those cases as well,” the spokesman said.
Published on May 1, 2008
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