Guest Phil Alvarez, director of 9/11 Outreach and Education for the law firm Hansen & Rosasco, shares how his brother fought to the end like the hero he was. Luis Alvarez was an NYPD detective who worked in the toxic ruins of the World Trade Center for months, not knowing a silent beast would stalk him for the rest of his life, and dying of cancer caused by the chemicals in the air and the rubble. 

Before he died, Luis fought for every victim – past and future – of the terror attack, pressing Congress to pass a final, permanent victims’ fund, the “Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act.” 

This heartbreaking tale of determination is a testament to our everyday heroes and the advocates who never give up their fight to protect America’s workers. Take a moment to listen and reflect on the vital importance of worker protections.

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Guest Leo V. Boyle recalls the frantic 60 hours after the 9/11 terror attacks of 2001. He calls that time “law’s finest hour” as pro bono tort attorneys collaborated with Congressional leaders to craft the $7 billion victims’ compensation fund. 

Boyle shares how lawyers from across the country came together and rushed to head off potentially pointless class action suits in favor of protecting victims, survivors, and their families in apparent contrast to everything he’s ever stood for. What would be the point of winning a judgment if there were no one who could pay? It was a time when everything changed for tort law. 

Boyle’s tale coincides with the 20th anniversary of the most horrifying mass murder of our generation. The behind-the-scenes race to protect and provide for families is a story rarely told but truly represents the work so many in tort and workers’ comp law do. Don’t miss this episode.

Special thanks to our sponsor PInow.com.

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Guest Kenneth Feinberg was appointed by President George W. Bush to administer the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund after one of our greatest tragedies. In a very special episode of Workers’ Comp Matters, he shares how his team raced to administer $7.1 billion to families and victims of the 2001 terror attacks. 

Feinberg compares the unique, Congressionally mandated process to current Workers’ Compensation and the raw emotions that made his charge painfully difficult. Working with thousands of survivors and injured victims, his team worked thr`ough their anger, sadness, and skepticism to resolve virtually every claim in 33 months. He calls his pro bono service “a patriotic obligation.” 

The podcast is the first of two commemorating the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy and how a nation came together to support the victims, grieve, and heal.

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In the potentially dangerous spectacle of big time WWE pro wrestling, performers work without Workers’ Comp or other recourse. Guest Mary Catena, a scholar and attorney, studies the issue. 

While the WWE has successfully argued wrestlers are contract workers, Catena sees cracks in the wall. What might a favorable ruling mean for other contract workers – and employers?

Special thanks to our sponsor PInow.com.

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Workers’ compensation law is full of doctrines, some easier than others to understand. To help clarify the specifics of two particular doctrines 一 the “going and coming” rule and the “level floor” doctrine 一 Judson Pierce takes the opportunity to interview Alan S. Pierce to get a detailed look at how these two doctrines operate.

Special thanks to our sponsor, PInow.

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Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices