Looking for the true story behind the 9/11 victims’ dollar value

Starring Michael Keaton and Stanley Tucci Netflix movie worthThe new film is based on a difficult but very realistic task of providing monetary value to the victims of the terrorist attacks on September 11.

Keaton plays Kenneth Feinberg, and his task is to find that value.He wrote a memoir What is the value of life? : Unprecedented efforts to compensate 9/11 victims Based on his experience, it reveals how he proposed his eight-part plan to define the value of each loss of life.

Feinberg has been asked in the past to set up compensation funds for similar purposes. He organized settlements, funding and compensation plans for 9/11 victims, BP oil spills, bank rescues, GM recalls, and other newsworthy events. As he said in Hyatt’s public speech, he believes that the most difficult thing is “not designing them” or “figuring out the qualification requirements”, and the most difficult part is “the emotions you face from innocent people” .

worth, Written by Max Borenstein for the screen (Godzilla), focusing on the emotional impact that Feinberg faced when he was appointed by the President as the special director of the US Government’s Victim Compensation Fund on September 11 George W. Bush in year 2001.

After reading What is the value of life? Written by Feinberg, Borenstein said he is passionate about adapting this story into a movie. He said: “Ken’s memoir is really interesting. In some ways, it is a very boring description of fund management, both real and interesting, but boring. Then, the not boring part runs through, because he interspersed The real quotes and stories were kept anonymous to protect them, but with permission.

“It’s incredibly moving and painful,” Bolenstein said.

Feinberg’s 8-part plan

In Feinberg’s book, he detailed each step of the eight-part plan he applied to the 9/11 compensation fund and determined how much a person received. The following is a brief overview of his plan:

1. Identify people with extensive and sufficient experience in legal cases.
2. Support and comply with laws regarding proportional compensation to victims based on future loss of income.
3. Accumulate reports and applications to initiate the direct compensation process.
4. By narrowing the gap between the maximum and minimum compensation paid, it is ensured that 85% of the money should not go to the 15% of the “richest” claiming families.
5. The process of this procedure should be reserved as a precedent for future courts to use in similar situations.
6. Strict intellectual honesty should be “irreplaceable hard work and legal craftsmanship”.
7. Acknowledge the support of Senator Edward Kennedy from beginning to end.
8. Prosecution is discouraged because it violates the spirit of the law to establish a compensation fund.

See the situation through Feinberg’s eyes

worth The writer Borenstein believes that witnessing this moment in American history through Feinberg’s eyes will eventually allow the audience to see the widespread impact and unexpected complications brought about by the 9/11 event.

He said: “This is not Ken’s story. This is an American story, but in a sense, it is a story of everyone. There are flaws, but he has experienced emotional evolution.

“he [Feinberg] Seeing loss and sorrow, and finally starting to heal from a human place. As a witness, he is forced to participate. Sometimes he makes mistakes, but there are countless ways that can go wrong. “

Critics of the Victim Compensation Fund

Keaton played the lawyer Feinberg, and Stanley Tucci played his foil, Charles Wolf. Wolf lost his wife Katherine on 9/11. He initially disliked the system of the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund. He established his own website called “Repair Fund”.

say Fox News, Wolf recalled the problem with the first fund he saw in the movie worthIn 2019, he said: “The first incarnation (of the fund) has a two-year application limit, but there is no funding limit. Congress Had to embezzle the money. “

Eventually, a second fund was established and activities continued to obtain financial compensation for the families of the victims and those who suffered long-term health effects from injuries and illnesses caused by the events of September 11th.

Jon Stewart has been campaigning for years until the president Donald Trump Eventually, the Never Forget Hero Act was signed, permanently reauthorizing the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund, which now supports firefighters, first responders, and survivors of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Wolf’s long-term website Fix The Fund now displays “The Fund is Fixed” when logging in.according to Fox News More than 51,000 victims applied to the fund and provided more than 5.5 billion U.S. dollars to those who suffered.

On November 17, 2003, Wolf published a letter he sent directly to Feinberg. After the initial conflict between the two, Feinberg changed his mind and his former opponent opened his arms.

Wolfe wrote: “This must be a comforting moment for you: let one of your sharpest critics deliver on their promise, not only to join his plan of criticism, but also to promote to his peers, this I have adjusted my attitude towards you and the program. Today, I have full confidence in you.”

The drama of the event can be seen in the new movie worth, Now streaming on Netflix.