Anniversaries

Much has been made of the fifth anniversary of the September 11th tragedy. Americans are big on anniversaries, and particularly big on ones that match with significant numbers - 1st, 5th, 10th, 20th, and so on. My 12th wedding anniversary
is tomorrow, but judging by society's standards, you'd think the 10th was more important. I, personally, am always amazed by the ever-increasing number... I don't feel old enough to have been married for 12 years! Plus, in today's world, 12 years seems like a damn long time to be married.

Because my life is stupid, I didn't even realize that this September 11th anniversary was one of those "significant" ones until September 10th when all the television coverage was increased so much that even I noticed (I don't watch the news - I know, it's criminal, but it's always BAD news and I just don't need to hear it). Then I got this web release from Simmons Jannace & Stagg that related to September 11th. It talked about the September 11th Victims Compensation Fund, which is a no-fault sysem created to maximize compensation to people who lost family members in the attack. According to the web release, "Contingency fees by attorneys representing
families were disfavored."

That didn't stop an attorney who represented a woman who was widowed in the attacks. He filed a lawsuit in federal court to
receive $2 million as a contingency fee. Simons, Jannace & Stagg represented the Widow and was able to persuade the court to stay the attorney's action. Apparently, this is the first federal court decision holding that attorneys’ fee disputes arising out of the September 11th Victims Compensation Fund should be litigated in the state courts.

It would be interesting to know what the state court did in this case. I guess when tragedy occurs there is always someone looking to make a buck out of the deal. And there's nothing like an anniversary to bring it to light.

I don't expect anyone to make a buck out of my anniversary tomorrow, nor do I expect any tragedies to unfold. I believe it will be a low-key day, preferably ending in my planned dinner alone with my husband (a very, very rare occurrence). At least, I hope so!

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