THE family of a man who was killed in the September 11 attacks is taking the US Government to court.
Derek Sword was one of nearly 3000 people who were killed in the worst terrorist attack in US history – commonly known as 9/11 – when a hijacked plane flew into the south tower of the World Trade Centre in New York in 2001.
The Scotsman now reports that his family is taking legal action against the US Government for denying them access to compensation.
Specifically, Sword’s family has attempted to gain access to the billions of pounds in compensation which was shared with thousands of families impact by 9/11 though the Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism (VSST) fund, which was set up by the US Congress.
But given Sword nor any of his loved ones are US citizens, the family have been denied.
Sword – who worked for investment bank Keefe, Bruyette & Woods – had recently proposed to his girlfriend. His body was never found.
His brother, Graeme, and mother, Irene, are among 154 plaintiffs in a civil action against the US Government.
“He was living in New York, working for a US firm, engaged to be married, and was going to settle down there,” Graeme told The Scotsman.
“He was in exactly the same situation as the US victims, the only difference being the passport he was carrying at that moment in time. That day impacted everybody in the same way and it seems odd to distinguish based upon that.
“It seems like bureaucracy and an unfair anomaly. You’d like to think it could be resolved so that all this time later, people can move on. I don’t see any difference between a US national and someone who wasn’t.”
He added: “It is coming up for 25 years since 9/11 and nothing ever brings Derek back. There are certain times, certain anniversaries, where it all comes back to you - that is always going to be there. But in terms of the bureaucracy and the litigation, to still be working through who’s eligible and who’s not for certain compensation, you’d have hoped by now that people would be trying to resolve this so that families like us can move on.”
