WTC Insurers Sue Airlines Over 9/11 Attack (from ATSNN)

abcnews.go.com
Sept. 10, 2004 � NEW YORK (Reuters) - On the day before the third anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States, insurers for some World Trade Center buildings sued American Airlines, United Airlines and others, alleging their negligence allowed the deadly hijackings.
The suit, which was filed by London's QBE International Insurance and certain underwriters at Lloyd's of London, seeks over $300 million from each of the two airlines and various amounts from other defendants. The insurers want to recover monies they paid out for property damage and other losses caused to World Trade Center buildings 1, 2, 4 and 5 and nearby structures.

The case is among a number of Sept. 11-related suits filed recently in Manhattan federal court to meet the three-year statute of limitations deadline on Saturday. Among defendants in the case are the airlines' parents AMR Corp. and UAL Corp.

A spokesman for American said he could not comment on specifics in the suit, but said it was not unexpected and that similar cases have previously been filed. United said it does not comment on pending litigation.

Paul Butler, a Florida lawyer representing the plaintiffs, said he expects the lawsuit will be consolidated with a master case that has been pending in the court for about a year and one half. Last year, U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein refused to dismiss the master case brought against airlines, airport security firms, the World Trade Center owners and others by people injured in the attacks, representatives of those who died and entities that suffered property damage.




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