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9/11 Wrongful Death Suits Come to a Close

By September 21, 2011July 16th, 2019Wrongful Death

It’s somewhat hard to believe, but earlier this week the final wrongful death suit stemming from the 9/11 attacks was dismissed from a New York court. After ten years and many personal struggles, the wrongful death claims that have been made in the wake of that fateful day have finally come to an end, for better or for worse.

The lawsuit was filed by Mary Bavis, mother of Mark Bavis, on her son’s behalf. Mark was on United Airlines flight 175, the flight that struck and ultimately brought down the South Tower of the World Trade Center in New York. In short, the suit alleged that United and the airline’s security firm, Huntleigh, were negligent in allowing the terrorists who hijacked the plane to board in the first place, a negligence that ultimately lead to Mark Bavis’ death.

However, on the 19th of September of this year, Bavis and her attorneys filed papers agreeing to dismiss the suit. No details about the nature of a settlement have been released to the public. Attorney Joseph Rice, one of the councilors for the Bavis family, said, “A resolution was reached out of court between the Bavis family and the defendants.”

The case was originally scheduled to go to trial on November 7th of this year. It now will go into the history books as the last of the 95 cases of wrongful death suits filed in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

“We’re pleased that the parties have resolved the case,” said attorneys for security company Huntleigh.

The Bavis family declined to file a claim of compensation with the $7 billion compensation fund, in favor of filing the lawsuit against Huntleigh and United Airlines. Part of the issue is that the compensation fund included stipulations for not filing lawsuits, and limited the total payment. However, the Bavis family apparently feels the issue is settled, and now one aspect of this sad chapter in American history can come to a definite close.