Two years have passed since terrorists attacked the nation and shattered the lives, families and futures of many of our fellow Americans.
To hear that recently a federal judge has opened the door for litigation against American Airlines, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the Boeing Co., we are saddened – but not surprised.
U.S. District Judge Alvin Helllerstein ruled Tuesday that families of those killed can proceed with lawsuits against the three companies. If they would have provided better security screening, about 3,000 people may not have died in the World Trade Center, Pentagon and hijacked planes, he said.
We recognize the argument of and empathize with the victims’ families. We know we never will fully understand what they have been through because of their loss. And yes, their losses do entitle them to compensation.
But none of the three groups stated above should be responsible for that compensation. Pointing the finger of blame to anyone except the terrorists will not help us move on as a country.
In fact, Congress foresaw this situation and created the victim’s compensation fund in part to spare the already struggling airline industry from costly lawsuits. Families who accept government money must agree not to sue the airlines or other government agencies.
Again, we are not surprised that many families have rejected the government’s offer of compensation and opted for litigation. Though the government fund has paid out more than $300 million already, many people see lawsuits as the only way to find answers and solve problems in today’s society.
A rush of emotional and time-consuming lawsuits is not the answer.
Allowing the lawsuits forces an unstable precedent in our nation’s legal system.
America has come back from this tragedy a stronger, more unified nation and to defeat that progress by plunging those involved into legal action would amount to nothing but a setback.
Further, if the lawsuits come to fruition, we wonder where that kind of activity will stop. Will families sue the flight school that trained a hijacker to fly but not land? Must every new builder now worry about liability in the rare chance that something overpowers the precautions he’s taken to strengthen his building? Would LSU have to spend millions to terrorist-proof our University to avoid a lawsuit if a tragedy occurs?
The government and several organizations are doing their best to give back to the families of those innocent workers, firefighters, emergency rescuers and flight passengers who died. We think it is in both their interest and the economy’s for them to forget the litigation and use this anniversary as a way of remembering and commemorating their loved ones – not as a day of retribution.