The administrator of the 9/11 fund established by the U.S. Government says that all families should have received the same amount, regardless of the occupation and lifespan of the deceased.
This should have been obvious from the start. The idea of the U.S. government mimicking the tort system's valuation methods was a poor one. The compensation fund should not have differentiated between the banker and the janitor. For we the people of America, the loss is the same.
If there is a desire to reduce claims against airlines, the money granted by the Fund could simply be reduced ultimately by any award in such cases. This would reduce the ultimate amount of claims against airlines without forcing families to make the difficult decision of foregoing lawsuits against the airlines in conditions of uncertainty.
From the MSNBC story...
"Sept. 11 families would have been treated more fairly had they all received the same amount from the government’s compensation fund rather than awards based on incomes, the program’s administrator said Wednesday.
Special Master Kenneth Feinberg recommended in a final report that if Congress ever considers such a program again, it should offer a flat amount to all the victims, regardless of how much they earned, how much life insurance they carried or their individual family obligations."