Fighting for 9/11's first responders

Published: Oct. 30, 2019, 11 a.m.

Tens of thousands of people worked at Ground Zero after the World Trade Center attacks in 2001, looking for survivors, sifting for human remains and breathing in the dust of the pulverized buildings. Their actions were heroic and lauded at the time, but as the months and years passed, many began to become gravely ill. William Groner was part of a legal team who brought a mass tort case that secured settlements for more than 10,000 such clients. In 9/12: The Epic Battle of the Ground Zero Responders, Groner and journalist Tom Teicholz tell stories about the individuals involved and the twists and turns of a legal battle with billion-dollar stakes. Groner speaks with the ABA Journal's Lee Rawles about how this battle changed him personally, the challenge of "being ahead of the science," and why the heroism his clients showed is now more important than ever.

Special thanks to our sponsor, Headnote.