New York judge shuts down bid to revive 9/11 family member’s damages lawsuit

New York, NY – A federal judge on Thursday denied an Ashton Plaintiff’s attempt to reopen or reconsider a prior ruling that rejected a damages claim tied to the September 11 attacks, holding firm that the plaintiff did not meet the stringent standards required to disturb the court’s earlier decision.

Court rejects “functional equivalent” argument

U.S. District Judge George B. Daniels refused a motion by Plaintiff Maxwell Sivin seeking vacatur—or, alternatively, reconsideration—of the court’s May 29 order that denied final damages judgments for claimants who are not immediate family members but argued they were the “functional equivalent.” The latest ruling leaves intact the denial of Sivin’s solatium claim and does not alter the court’s prior adoption of recommendations that limited sola