All I was doing is what I was trained to do.
-That's how I think of it, so…
You realize how weak and fragile you are.
This was his first day going to that office.
-We had his picture posted. -He was happy.
I have pulmonary fibrosis…
When I saw the building come down, I just prayed, you know.
I don't know if we were just in denial.
-Thought he'd end up in the trash. -They're done digging.
-Don't know how it could get easy. -Have to come to terms with it.
-The rest of them, all gone. -I lost a son.
You want other information?
I'll say this.
I'm angry.
I'm angry with God,
I'm angry with our country, also, because they let this happen.
My beautiful boy…
…was burned alive
because of them.
We don't… We don't even have a body.
If someone took your child…
and blew them up…
He didn't even have a fingernail.
How do you go on from there?
How do you calculate that?
-What is life worth?
Not a trick question, people.
Who's gonna give us a number? Uh…
Back row. Uh, you there, Mr. Barron.
Big boy voice here, counselor. Tell us, where are you from?
I was raised in Wichita.
Kansas. Farm boy.
Good, good, good. You were raised on one, a farm?
My girlfriend's father owned one. He grew sorghum.
Sorghum.
Girlfriend's father grew sorghum.
Miss Paula Tano.
Miss Paula Tano, you are now Mr. Barron's girlfriend's father.
Don't laugh, people, it's very sad.
Mr. Barron just died, tragically crushed by a combine harvester
in Miss Paula Tano's sorghum field.
Mr. Dickerson, you're now representing Mr. Barron.
And where's Miss Chen?
Miss Chen, you're representing Amalgamated Caterpillar,
manufacturer of said combine harvester,
which took poor young Mr. Barron's life,
in the Kansas state civil action
of Mr. Barron v. Mr. Barron's girlfriend's father's sorghum farm
and the Caterpillar company.
So, Miss Chen, how much do you offer Mr. Dickerson to settle this?
All right, let me rephrase.
How much is Mr. Barron's life worth?
Give us a number.
Two million?
Hey, I'm in law school.
I could be earning that before I'm 30.
If you aced the final, maybe, and if you weren't dead, but you are.
This is now Mr. Dickerson's decision, along with Mr… Your name?
-Patel. -Patel.
Mr. Patel is the poor bereaved mother of Mr. Barron.
Three million?
Two-point-seven.
Deal.
There you have it. There's the deal.
To be clear, you haven't stumbled into a philosophy course.
Where the law is concerned, this question actually has an answer.
And the answer is a number,
and that's the job.
No. Yes, 55 per victim.
Yeah, and both sides agreed to walk. That's right.
No one thinks it's fair, but fair is not the goal here.
It's finish and move on.
Yeah. Well, thank you, Senator.
Mr. Feinberg, you have a message from Judge Clinton.
Thank you, Vic.
Just remember me when POTUS calls about a vacancy on the Supreme Court.
I saw Rehnquist the other day. He's looking pale.
I said he's looking pale.
He-- Hello?
I think I lost him.
-Probably a good thing. -It was a joke.
Usually the funny ones, you don't have to announce that after.
I just saved the taxpayers a year's worth of courtroom.
Do you think he really hung up?
I'm sure he's off commissioning a monument.
-I have a forum to run. -No way.
Mr. Darryl Barnes, Esq. I have an important question for you.
-Is this birthday cake? -Margo in Accounting.
Mmm.
-Is that the important question? -No.
Did she save any for you?
Gloria, where are we on that email?
"And so I would ask…"
And so I would insist…
Not "ask," "insist."
…that you be on time.
I have a very busy schedule that day,
so punctuality will be imperative.
Please promptly advise.
"Love, Dad"?
Huh? Yeah, yeah. Love, Dad.
-Okay. I'll type this up right now. -Thank you.
Remind me why we're building this
instead of buying that cute little place on Cape Charles?
-Fog. -You could still commute.
The numbers show Cape Charles is more than twice as likely
to be fogged in on any given day.
-That's not a real statistic. -Two-point-two is the statistic.
If you wanna retire to that.
Well, I have heard that people that base their future happiness on weather data
-are 100% less likely to be fun.
Why does he only just looks at me? Do you mind?
You're not retiring anyway.
Good night, Kenny.
Because they want to put in another shoe store.
We need another one of those.
They wanna take out those beautiful arched windows.
You know, the ones that have the Corinthian carved cartouche-y things.
They wanna take them out and put in modern ones
so they can hawk more sneakers. It's just…
Not on your watch.
No. No. Now you're mocking me.
There's chicken piccata in the fridge.
I'm going to post this. Just wait.
Power to the people.
Yep.
Yeah, you can take it first.
-Who's that? -You can take it apart.
-Hey, love. -Morning.
You can snap that back in,
take it apart and… A shorter wing span. Just putting--
All right, come eat, please. Breakfast is ready.
-Quickly. -Yay, breakfast!
-Thank you. -Owen, slow down.
Oh, this way.
Gotta go. Love ya.
And here's, uh, exactly the one that I got.
-What are we doing after school? -All right.
Mom!
I can't see anything.
-Right now, I don't see anything.
Are you sure?
…freaking out, hold on.
Yeah.
Yeah, how you doing? What's going on?
-Excuse me, sir, is there any-- -Can't talk.
Excuse me?
-What's happening? -Did you find her somewhere?
Turn on the TV.
Oh my God.
Yes, we see it.
The shock from the attacks in New York and D.C.
-reverberate across the entire nation.
Our correspondent, Tanya Riddle, has been told
that state officials are working to strengthen security all across…
Officials at Somerset County Airport
confirm the crash of a large plane north of that airport.
The army has been placed at Prescott, Delta.
Firefighters and police officers
are frantically trying to help
those people who have been hurt, who perhaps have not been rescued.
With tragedy so great,
tonight, a city comes together searching for safety and comfort.
…of a hundred waiting for their turn
to go into the World Trade Center area.
…the days to come, to the rescue those who may be alive.
So we have, at this point,
well over a thousand people confirmed dead.
The 300 that are missing that he talked about,
the 800 at the Pentagon,
266 who were on those airplanes today, passengers and crew.
Uh, we're now up to about 1300,
and it is expected to go much higher.
Twenty-four hundred people altogether were killed in Pearl Harbor.
They were military personnel for the most part.
It was a military attack on military installations.
We know who did it.
This is a different kind of a war in a new century.
…that involves so many people?
Well, I think all of that is going to have to be sifted out.
I think that in the midst of our outrage and anger,
uh, President Bush is right,
we have to show the world how we respond to this
uh, both with determination, uh…
-So, what did you tell Kennedy? -That I'd think about it.
That you're my partner, and I'd have to talk to you.
Hah. Hmm.
I mean, I know why he asked us.
We're one of five or six firms with this kind of experience.
If that. If that.
-Yeah. Asbestos, Agent Orange. -Yeah.
Those were hot-button cases too.
Yeah. I'll let you know how the committee hearing goes.
-Yeah.
Thanks for coming.
-I know Teddy appreciates it. -Sure.
We want our best trial lawyers.
We'll be needing your support on this thing.
-Yeah. -Your people okay?
-Kids, family? -Yeah. Yeah.
Mike was at his dorm at NYU. He's all right.
He was shaken up, but, uh… What thing?
A new bill on the floor.
The Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act.
-Wait, they're bailing out the airlines? -More like the whole economy.
If the victims of these attacks or their families
attempt to sue the airline industry for damages, we will go bankrupt.
And never mind whether they win or not, the legal costs alone…
And that's when we might as well just hand those terrorists the victory,
because we're paralyzed.
Deliveries, commuter travel.
The whole economy grinding to a halt.
What we're facing is a national emergency.
-Mm-hmm. -Lee?
Ken?
-Help us come up with another way. -Right.
Ah, brass tacks here.
You're trying to prevent lawsuits from the victims.
-That's what they're saying. -That's not what we're saying.
It's called due process.
Limit. We're saying limit civil suits against the airlines.
Denying recourse to the people most impacted by these attacks.
Stop grandstanding.
What we're proposing is a treasury fund
offering tort-style compensation to the victims.
For their economic losses, something for pain and suffering.
Yes, but coming from us, Congress, not the courts.
And in exchange, the claimants promise not to sue.
-Corporate bailout. -Chrissakes, Lee.
-What, you're calling it charity?
Yes. Government-sponsored charity.
With strings attached?
Ken, help me out here.
A lawsuit could take decades.
Yes.
After it crashes the economy.
And the victims might still lose.
This is for their own good, and the nation's.
Yeah. How many, uh…
How many victims are there?
Well, we don't really know yet.
A special master we select will have to negotiate all settlements.
A flat fee would be another option.
The same dollar value for every loss of life.
But those towers had CEOs and janitors.
They won't all say yes to the same number.
And even if they did,
anybody wanna go on record with what that number is?
Yeah, well, pretty soon somebody's gonna have to do the vulgar work
of putting numbers on a check.
So you're saying, what, you wanna do this job?
Well, no, I mean…
Well, I mean, we're discussing it right now, so…
Look, you're telling me you're not sick about it,
watching all this on TV?
-Of course I'm sick about it. -Well…
Well, it's just tough stuff, Kenny.
I know, I know. It is very tough, yeah.
And you're not exactly…
What?
You're not a rabbi or a priest, you're a lawyer.
I know. And that's exactly what these people need right now.
There's a process here, you know. I hire a team,
I draft an objective formula,
and I dispense reasonable payments.
Just like that?
Yeah, it's no different than my previous cases in that regard.
Look, this is something I'm good at.
This is something…
This is something I can do to help.
Judge Weinstein told me how you reached a settlement on DES.
Ten years of courthouse war.
You brought both sides to a motel room,
told them they could stay as long as they wanted,
but they couldn't leave until they reached a settlement.
-Is that really true? -It is.
-I did let them order room service.
You know, Attorney General, I…
People are rational animals.
I find if you… if you force them to the table,
most behave in a way that makes the most sense.
It's hard to believe you live in Washington.
Well, in politics, uh, conflict sells.
I find that what works best is compromise.
No one walks away too happy,
just happy enough to walk away.
And when you walk away today, what outcome makes you happy enough?
I'd like to have the job, John.
No one wants this job.
Well, that narrows down your options.
I suppose it does.
Except that you're a Democrat,
Teddy's former chief of staff. Did you hope I'd overlook that?
Well, I was hoping you could see that as a good thing.
I mean, you said yourself, this is a hot potato.
You know if you give it to an insider,
you know, a party man or friend of the president, then…
-They'll blame us if it fails. -Right.
Pick me, it's the opposition's fault.
Unless for some reason, you know,
by some miracle, I pull this off, in which case…
Don't we look open-minded,
reaching all the way across the aisle to find you.
It is felt, and I'm speaking for the White House here,
that for the program to succeed in staving off
a full-on economic cataclysm,
no fewer than 80% of eligible claimants must opt in.
That means voluntarily choose not to sue.
Uh, that shouldn't be a problem.
Well, congratulations, Special Master.
-You got any more surprises for me? -Yeah.
I'd like to work for free.
Uh, hey, everyone come in here for just a…
Uh, Camille and I want to thank you
for shouldering the firm's day-to-day responsibilities
while we devote our time to this pro bono.
Uh, it's not gonna be easy, and we sure welcome all of your help.
But if we do our job the way I know we can,
well, we just might make a difference.
So thank you. And, uh… Thank you.
Thanks again.
This is you psyching yourself up, or considering a quick escape?
When's the last time I took on something I couldn't handle?
-Well, Brockton track meet, 1961.
I came in second.
And you still remember who beat you.
Phil Leonardo.
And I was robbed, by the way.
You don't know how to lose, Kenny.
Yeah, well, this one's, you know,
not that kind of case.
There is no winning.
That's what I'm afraid of.
Ken. Call for you.
It's the president.
Wanna take it here?
-Yeah. -Line one.
Yeah, this is Ken Feinberg.
Please hold for the president.
-Well… Hello, Mr. President.
-Ken? Is this Ken Feinberg? -Yeah.
Ken, I wanna congratulate you on this thing.
-Yeah. Yeah, Ashcroft was impressed. -Well--
Listen, you're taking the heat on this, okay?
Now, I would not wish this job on my worst enemy.
They tell me you're type of guy that takes no prisoners.
-Well--
I'm kidding you, counselor. I like to josh.
-Did I scare you off? -No, sir.
No, no, sir. I'm still here.
No, there you are. Okay, good.
Well, thank you, Mr. President. Thank you very much.
And, look, you won't regret this.
Sure hope not.
Okay.
-Morning. -Good morning.
Ah, I assume you've all met, but this is Priya Khundi.
Priya graduated first in my class last year, Georgetown.
And after she passed the bar, I offered her a place here,
but she, very politely, turned me down
for a big, fancy company down on Wall Street.
Their main office was on the 98th floor of the North Tower.
-Ah. -So we're very lucky to have her.
Do you all have copies of the statute?
H.R.2926,
the Airline Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act.
Okay, who's read it? Great.
-Did it take you long? -Not really.
-You wanna know why? -Because it's short?
Uh, yeah, that and there's no law in this law.
What it says is the victims and their families will be compensated
based on economic value lost.
What that means, they left up to the special master. Us.
It's up to us to write the rules.
Ken and I have done it in other cases
and it is always messy, so get ready for it.
Like, who's eligible? Who gets how much? Where we draw the line?
Where do we start?
Eighty percent, Priya.
That's our target from the DOJ.
If we don't hit that number, the plan won't work.
Any fewer claimants come aboard,
the lawsuits that result could crater the economy.
-So we're told. -No pressure, people.
For every claimant, we'll need to calculate a dollar value
for the human loss, whether it's loss of limb or loss of life.
Most of the people who died that day were providers for their families.
We can't bring them back,
but we can help their loved ones pay their bills.
Now you people understand
we're not gonna be able to haggle every case subjectively.
That's where the math comes in.
So we're, uh, we're gonna need a rubric.
These are the latest actuarial tables
from the top casualty in life insurance companies.
We'll use these numbers as a basis.
Here, you guys study up on these
and help Camille come up with a proposal.
Okay, so West Street, South Ferry,
Lower Broadway,
and Canal Street.
Okay, here's one.
What if there are multiple dependents? How do we decide who gets the money?
Where there's a will, we follow it.
-And where there isn't one? -We follow the state law.
The state they died in, or the state they came from?
-The state of residence. -What about domestic partners?
What do we do about them?
Let's talk about the deadline.
The statute gives us two years and a month from today.
That's December 22nd, 2003.
That feels short.
-Well, not for families in grief. -We could file for an extension.
Ah-ah-ah. Don't you dare. No, no, no.
If we extend it, they'll hem and they'll haw, and they won't act.
Deadline is our friend here.
Okay, what are we forgetting?
Their names.
So far, we have a dozen lists, but nothing comprehensive.
The flight manifests and the Pentagon, those are the easy ones.
NYPD and FDNY, they have lists.
The big companies like Cantor Fitzgerald, they're putting some lists together,
but as for the records of who passed through the doors that day…
They're all gone.
We don't even know how many names we're looking for.
Relax. We've done this kind of thing before.
No, this one is raw. Those aren't lawyers out there.
Good, I can't stand lawyers.
What are you, running for office?
Come on, be a person, not a politician.
Mmm.
Thank you.
-Okay. Good luck. -Thank you.
Good afternoon.
Uh, thank you for coming.
Uh, as you may know, I am Kenneth Feinberg.
I am the special master
of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund.
Um, I would like today to tell you--
Um, I'd… I'd like to tell you how the 9/11 fund will work.
You've all been given copies of this, the presumptive claims formula.
Yes.
Um, and quite soon,
we'll be sending this along to Congress for a comment period.
What?
Upon approval, there will be no further changes.
-Mr. Feinberg? -I got a question.
-I'm sorry. -I got a question.
If you could hold your questions till after my remarks.
Now, I'd ask you to refer to the table at the top of page two.
So as you can see, the formula is actually fairly streamlined.
Why do we need one?
-Please just hold your question. -Why do we need a formula?
Yeah.
Why isn't it equal payment for everybody?
Yeah!
My daughter's life was worth just as much as anybody in a corner office.
Unfortunately, that aspect of the law has been out of our control.
My boy was a firefighter.
Was he… Was he worth less
than the… than the guy pushing pencils and trading stock?
-No.
Certainly not… not as a human being, no.
Their… Their lives ended the same way.
But their mortgages did differ.
How dare you!
He's just trying to shut us up so we don't sue.
-Hi. -Hi.
-Have they… Has it started already? -They're just starting.
-Good, okay. -Would you like a claims form?
Uh, no, I have my own. I printed it off the web.
And there's a typo on page three that you should know about.
-And also, there are… -Okay.
-I should sign in here, right? -Yes, please do.
There… And there are more issues that need to be addressed.
They're substantive, okay. And they need to be addressed.
Okay.
I mean… Look, as a legal professional,
I know chasing a lawsuit is a big mistake.
-Did you lose anybody? -Look--
-Did you lose anybody in your family? -I just… Let me explain.
Congress mandated that I calculate the economic value.
-Economical.
Please.
You're just afraid of being sued.
-I understand how it is.
-Understand? -Look, please.
-What I mean is, I sympathize. -Who did you lose?
Listen, as a legal professional, I will tell you,
it will be years in court.
You might win, you might not.
This is fast money and it's tax-free.
Put your thinking caps on.
This is the only game in town.
-How dare you! -You think this is a game?
-I'm sorry. -This isn't a game!
-What do you know about law? -Who do you think you are?
We lost brothers. Now they sent some Jew lawyer…
I wish… I wish we could spit on your grave the way you spit on ours.
-Please. -Wait, everyone. Wait, wait.
This man, he did not cause our situation.
He's here to tell us how the government intends to deal with it.
And I for one would just like to hear him out.
Thank you.
Thank you. And I… I was…
Uh, look, as I was…
This meeting is only…
It's purely introductory, that's it.
Any questions you have that aren't answered in the pamphlet,
well, I will make my staff available for private hearings
every business day between now and the filing deadline.
What do you think?
Maybe a poor choice of words here and there.
Here and there?
-Camille? -Yeah.
-We need to get back to the office. -Mr. Feinberg?
-Mr. Feinberg, give me a minute, please? -Yeah?
I'm Frank Donato. I'm sorry to bother you.
No, not at all. Not at all.
Hi, Ken Feinberg.
What happened there? Did you break that?
My son, Andy, broke his last year.
Rugby injury.
South Tower.
Yeah, I'm just curious about this number.
Sure.
Jeez. Thank you for… for your courage.
My brother, too, Nick. Nicholas. Same line of company.
Ah. Is he here?
Well…
Gosh, I'm sorry.
Yeah. I, uh, I lost track of him after the first one fell,
and the captain says he went back in to help.
Well, that…
That takes a hero.
Yeah. Except there wasn't any use.
I mean, the engineers, they knew the second one was coming down.
They told PD to call out evacs, but our radios, they're garbage.
They hardly work in high-rise buildings, if you believe that, in New York City.
Look, we've been filing the same damn reports for years,
and you can guess where they tell us to shove 'em.
That's why things went so sideways like they did, negligence,
top-down, cheap, fucking…
-Sorry. -It's all right.
When you file your report, whatever it is that you do at the end of this,
I want Nicky's story in it, to make sure they change things,
so that it don't ever happen this way again. Can you do that?
-Well-- -Can you promise me?
-We can certainly look into-- -Not just talk.
I want it to change.
That's why I'm here.
-Why I'm still here. -I understand.
-Believe that. -Can you hold? Camille.
Can you come over here?
-Frank, this is Camille Biros. -Hi.
She's my deputy administrator.
And if you talk to her, she can explain the whole process.
No, I don't need to hear anything else. I just…
I need you to give me your word on this thing.
Ken.
Then me and my wife,
Nicky's widow, our whole family, we'll sign up for your fund, no problem.
Yeah. Well, we're certainly going to take a look at it.
Website at the bottom. First meeting tomorrow.
There you go, folks. First meeting tomorrow.
-Yeah. -First meeting. Would you like one?
There you go. First meeting is tomorrow, if you'd like.
So Fix The Fund. Here you are. Take a few of these, hand them out.
We need to talk about this.
Yeah, not now though.
Website on the bottom, okay?
-Hello. -Oh, hi. How are you?
Hey, I wanna thank you for your help back there.
-Oh. -I gotta tell you, I was…
Here you are. Website at the bottom. First meeting is tomorrow.
…a little worried when you stood up. I'm glad you did.
Oh, well, I believe in civility, Mr. Feinberg.
-Yeah. -Charles Wolf.
And you'll be seeing a lot of me.
Oh, good to know. And it's Ken.
I think you'll find that I'm one of your harshest critics.
Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.
Well, my wife died that day,
and everything about this formula offends me.
Oh.
Here you go. Take one of those. And I'll give you one too.
I've set up a page on the World Wide Web.
Website's there at the bottom.
It's called Fix The Fund. And here you go. Fix The Fund.
There you go. There's two there. And, um, if you'd like to visit it
and come to our meeting, we have the first meeting, uh, tomorrow…
Here you go. Take that please.
And we'd… I'd love it if you would attend.
Also, I have this for you.
This is something… And there are a number of notes
and corrections and things. It's important you address those.
Here you are. Take these, folks.
Take a look at the website on the bottom. There's a couple of them there for you.
-Nice to meet you. -All right.
Fix The Fund.
-We're not gonna rewrite the formula. -They don't trust us.
They don't understand this is for their own good.
The airlines would bury them in litigation until they had nothing left.
You think I don't know that?
This is different. Didn't you feel it in there?
Our other cases like this, Agent Orange, Asbestos,
those were settled after years in court. People had moved on.
These people aren't there yet.
Camille, they're emotional right now.
We need to be objective toward them. That's all.
-Hey, that's for you, Feinberg!
Fuck you!
What the…
Families got in last night.
Cleary Gottlieb helped us out with the immigration status and the INS,
so we'll use their conference room.
Coming?
Sorry, it's just, you know, small spaces these days, and heights.
I'll be fine. It's…
I know you've been informed, but I wanna reassure you
that your citizenship or your immigration status
will have absolutely no effect on our process here today.
Everything you tell us will be kept strictly confidential.
We're all looking at your tables and not liking what we're seeing.
You're only factoring in yearly compensation.
What about commissions, bonuses? We represent high-worth individuals.
That kind of income comes and goes. There's no guarantees with that.
-That's why we stick to the salaries. -That's unacceptable.
You'll also have to strike this rule deducting life insurance.
This is not a negotiation here--
Why should our clients' families be penalized for planning well?
Come on.
-No one's being penalized.
Thank you, Lee.
We're just being paid off to keep our clients out of court.
That's an oversimplification.
That's the purpose of the fund, Ken.
I was in the room, too, remember?
I do wanna point out that the law requires
we base awards on income,
but we've decided on a floor payout
for all lost lives of $200,000.
Now, mind you, that's just a minimum.
Is that split between more people, or just the families here?
Uh, no, it's not a split at all. It's per decedent.
This is a report by an economist, a distinguished one,
predicting future compensation growth rates for our clients.
We suggest you use those numbers as a baseline.
We're here as friends, Ken.
Your formula may be enough for waitresses at Windows on the World,
but our clients expect a little more.
And if they can't get it from the fund,
they'll seek that remuneration elsewhere.
That bad?
Pack of wolves out for blood.
Yours?
Grateful.
-Are they all here to meet with the staff? -Yeah.
Priya and the others are helping out. I'm meeting with as many as I can myself.
Oh good, good. Very good.
Most would rather meet with you, you know.
They lost loved ones that are gone forever,
and nothing you do will fill that hole.
You'll feel cold and cruel at times
because you can't make them happy, but…
…that's the job.
So just try to remember why you're doing it.
I… I hope this is all right.
The stenographer will be here just to keep a record of our conversation.
Sure.
Is… Why don't you, um…
Why don't you tell me about your loved one,
Ann-Marie?
Uh, Page 14, um, Part 2K
talks about supporting documents I should enclose,
like financial stuff, so I…
I dug up all his files here,
what I could find.
Honestly, I don't know where to start.
Let's see if we can make sense of it.
It asks here if she was suffering from any medical disabilities.
What does that mean? If she was, you gonna cut the amount of money?
-Well, not necessarily. -Bullshit you guys are pulling.
This is like going to an insurance company.
Gotta watch your back with every thing you say with them,
and it's the same thing here.
My kids need money for the both of us.
They won't have anybody left.
There's no way to cut me a check before the official deadline?
That morning, she was scheduled for a different flight,
but another girl called in sick,
and so, it was my sister.
Uh…
And she's the one who called the tower on the radio.
Air Traffic Control,
they played it for me.
She must have been so scared.
She sounded so calm.
So the elevators came, and everybody piled on,
but there wasn't enough room, and so Greg said,
"That's okay, everyone. You go ahead."
There were two women who weren't ready, and so he said, "I'll wait with them."
And so everyone else got out, and another elevator never came.
And I know that part of the story
because he called me when they were trapped there
to say that he loved me
and the children.
He said…
He told me that he was trapped,
and he was having difficulty breathing.
I could hear the women screaming in the background
that they didn't wanna die.
And just then he heard an announcement. They were…
I heard it too.
They were announcing on the loudspeakers, "Please evacuate the building."
And Greg was…
He always had a sense of humor. And he…
While he was talking to me, he actually started to laugh.
He was joking to me saying that,
"I think I know I have to get out of the building."
And he was laughing so hard,
until he said, "I have to go now
because I can't talk anymore, because I'm having trouble with air."
I know I'm not officially his next of kin.
We never made it to Vermont.
And Tom's parents don't, uh…
Well, they're a pretty traditional military family.
They pretend I don't exist.
But I'm the one he called,
before the end,
not them.
Machine picked up.
I wasn't home.
-I'm so sorry. -Yeah.
I know the rules.
State law says we were nothing to each other.
But I'd like you to hear his voice.
-Hi, hon.
By now I guess you've heard about the mess in New York.
Um…
Well, a plane just hit here, too, on the western side of the building.
-It went right through the E and D rings. -Okay, that's…
Could you turn that off?
I don't know if they're showing it on the news.
That's enough.
I love you.
That's enough. I don't wanna listen.
He was a civilian contractor at the Pentagon.
They were gonna have a civil union, but Tom's parents…
-They won't even take Graham's calls. -And what did you tell him?
I told him that Virginia state law has no protection for same-sex couples,
and our rules are tied to state law.
Well, that's it then. I mean, our hands are tied.
-We can't insert ourselves in-- -Why can't we make exceptions?
There are others.
Last week, a widow came in with cancer.
She needs more than we can give her by the rules, and she needs it expedited.
Can't cherry pick one case over another.
We can't write new rules for every claimant.
-I know this is personal to you--
You weren't in those rooms, okay?
-You didn't listen to them. -We're not therapists.
Am I right? It's not our job.
I…
It's not like I don't care. Of course I care.
How could you not care? That's why we're here.
But I need to stay impartial for this to work.
We set rules for a reason. We set deadlines for a reason.
That's the job.
Camille, go on, tell her.
Priya.
-Hey.
-You okay?
Yeah, just…
He thinks I'm taking it too personally.
Come on, that is out of line.
No.
No, he's right, you know.
It is personal for me. I…
If I can't be objective, then maybe I shouldn't be here.
I just… I think I just need some air. Yeah.
-All right.
-Hey. -Yeah.
See you tomorrow?
Yeah.
Oh.
-Gloria.
Call the restaurant
and see if Dede and the kids are still eating dinner, would ya, please?
They called an hour ago, Ken.
The kids had trains to catch.
Oh, they said to tell you, though, that they understand.
Whoa.
All right.
I understand that, and I'm sorry,
but our staff already went home.
Come back tomorrow, I'll make sure that we get you into see…
Is there a problem, Gloria?
Oh, Mr. Donato, right?
Yeah, we… we had an appointment, but we hit traffic, so we're late.
There's no one here.
The whole staff is gone.
Oh, well, I'll take this one.
-Come on into my office. -Not me,
them.
So, uh…
Frank told me about your husband.
-Nick. -Yeah.
Yeah, Frank thinks this is a scam.
That it's, like, blood money to cover up mistakes.
Well, at least, you're open-minded.
I just think that the boys might want their dad's story told in your report,
if that's a thing.
Hmm, sure. Sure.
Are you gonna take notes or somethin'?
Ah, right.
Uh…
Actually, our stenographer already went home for the day.
Oh.
Can't you type?
Wha-- Uh…
Hold on a minute here. There we go.
Uh…
Why don't we…
uh, start with your name?
Okay. Karen Donato.
My husband, Nick…
Nicholas Donato, was a New York City firefighter.
Ladder 179 out of Staten Island.
Yeah.
Do you…
Tell me more about him.
Do you have like a list of questions you could ask me maybe?
Uh, well, actually I… I don't… I don't usually do this part myself.
Yeah, I just… It's harder than I thought it was gonna be.
Yeah, I understand.
Uh, well, if you're uncomfortable--
My husband of eight years, and I can't even think of anything to say.
Well, uh, he must have been a good… a good dad.
Yeah.
Oh God, he was a great dad.
He would come home every night after work,
he'd throw the ball with Nicky Jr.,
he would read Patty a book.
He didn't even mind when Tyler made number two.
-He said he liked changing diapers. -Well, that's a hero.
Yeah.
He was my whole world.
-Can I have a tissue, please? -Yeah.
Here we go.
Thank you.
You know, everybody keeps telling me to move on.
I don't know how to do that.
-I'm never gonna get over him. -Well, it's still very soon.
No, never.
-I'm really sorry. -No, no, no.
That's all right. Look, um,
I just want you to know there's no pressure to sign on to the fund today.
Your status as a single mother--
No, I'm not gonna take any money.
Not now, no, but--
No, there's no money in the world that's good enough for Nick.
-I didn't mean-- -You know, I had him in my life.
We had so many…
dreams and plans…
…and things we were gonna do.
And then he was just gone. He was gone.
He didn't even eat breakfast. He was just gone.
And now you're trying to give me money,
Frank wants me to make a stink,
there's lawyers calling me and telling me to sue everybody,
and the phone just won't stop ringing.
But it's never the phone call I want.
It's never the call saying that they found his body.
That they're gonna bring him home.
And no offense,
I just want you,
I want all of you to please stop calling me.
Please leave me alone.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry I wasted your time.
Kenny?
I met a widow today.
Three kids.
Can you imagine?
No.
I didn't know what to say.
Well, sometimes, there isn't anything.
-That one's blocked.
Anyway, it's hard to see.
I'll… I'll call when I get out.
People are collapsing from the smoke.
Bye. Bye-bye. Bye. Sorry. Sorr--
-Hi, hon.
By now I guess you've heard about the mess in New York.
-Um…
Well, a plane just hit here, too, on the western side of the building.
This is not the preferred option
of the president of the United States, or any member of this body.
This is the last option.
We can make the case
that it is obvious that Saddam Hussein continues
this buildup of weapons of mass destruction,
and his desire and effort even in…
Up to and including nuclear weapons.
But we are not the ones who are forcing this issue.
The president and his resolution did not force the issue.
It is Saddam Hussein who is forcing this issue.
And we will…
Final stop on this express train,
New York Penn Station.
Next stop, New York Penn Station.
Well, I… I think the most important thing is that we stand united.
Because the only way that they're going to respond to you
is if they know you're speaking as one.
-Excuse me for a moment. -Of course.
You came. Thank you.
We start in a few minutes.
An enemy in our midst.
-Ah, hi. Priya Khundi. -Yes, I remember.
Did Mr. Feinberg send you here to spy on us or to listen?
-Actually, he doesn't know I came. -Ah.
Well, it's easier for him if we just remain numbers, right?
More manageable?
He's right, it is.
Hmm, I understand. Yeah. Yeah.
-But you came.
-Yeah, um, I've been following your blog. -Mm-hmm.
Your wife, Katherine, she had a job at Kyle and MacAllan.
Yes. Yeah.
That, um, was her dream job.
Well, it would have been mine too.
I… I was, uh…
I was gonna start that week.
Oh my.
Well, I'm glad that you…
Yeah.
So can I ask you then?
What would your life be worth on your boss's spreadsheet?
I'm not married, so, um, less than Katherine's.
And do you think that's fair?
No.
But your boss does?
He doesn't think fair exists.
Do you?
Honestly, I don't know.
But I did come here to listen.
This is the latest, huh? This is…
You're sure this is the latest? These totals are accurate?
Technically, we rounded up.
Uh, it's all right, it's okay.
We're 12 months out. That's an eternity. It's like I say,
people will wait for a deadline. They're just avoiding it for now.
They're not avoiding it. They're just avoiding us.
I mean, look at this.
Oh, yeah, yeah. Fix The Fund. I remember, yeah.
This is my pal. This is my buddy from the town hall.
His web page is receiving more than twice the visits ours does every day.
He's got a mailing list of almost 7,000 names.
So does the phone book.
I went to see him.
I told her it was okay to go.
Look, he's a leader.
He's a gadfly.
He's earning people's trust.
Every income level, first responders… That's what we should be doing.
If he says so, all of them will sue.
What's he asking for?
You should ask him yourself.
Charles.
Mr. Feinberg.
I'm sorry they left you in here with the music running.
-Oh. -Uh…
-Soothes the soul. -Yeah.
Yeah, this was the Lincoln Center cast, if I'm not mistaken.
Bartoli was otherworldly.
Wow, you're an opera fan. I was on the board that year.
My wife, Katherine, she was, uh…
She sang soprano in an amateur touring choir.
I sing tenor. That's how we met.
Well, she must have had a lovely voice.
Yep.
Would that help her fit into your formula?
Do you read my website?
I will confess I don't, because I'm not a computer guy.
-Ah. -My staff handles all that,
and they tell me you're a very reasonable man.
And as I understand it,
you've taken on somewhat of a leadership role
uh, amongst the people that we serve.
-Mm-hmm. -That's nice. Good. Good.
-Uh, why don't we talk? -That's why I'm here.
Tell me what you want.
Because we could make some adjustments.
We could, uh, you know, raise the baselines.
So you think this is about the money?
Hmm, of course, yeah.
That it's greed?
No. No, no, no, no. Not greed.
Money, yes. Greed, no.
Money puts food on people's tables
and it puts roofs over people's heads.
There's nothing dirty or demeaning about it,
but let's not pretend like it doesn't matter. It does.
It helps people move on.
Who?
-What do you mean who? -Do you know any of our names?
Have you met any of us yourself?
As a matter of fact, I have, yeah.
Huh.
And what were they worth?
Oh.
Well, now… Now you're talking about numbers,
and you know, pretending--
Throw it out.
Throw what out? Throw what out?
-Throw out your formula. -I can't. I can't.
We need to have something rational.
I got it. I understand. I got it.
But my wife is not a statistic.
No, certainly not, but we do have to go by a set of rules.
Okay. Will your rules help Graham Morris?
Graham Morris. His partner died two weeks before their civil ceremony,
but your fund would give his full claim to his parents
who condemned his lifestyle.
-I recall him. -They were estranged.
Completely estranged, Mr. Feinberg. Is that fair?
We're just the administrators on that.
Let's go to the section of your rules
that limits injuries to only those that occurred right away.
We have cleanup workers who come to our meetings.
-They have polyps from asbestos. -I think the thing--
They were on that site for weeks, for weeks, breathing in that crap.
-Hmm. -But according to your rules,
unless they got to that site within three days of the attack--
Ah, that's because we have to draw the line somewhere.
If we award every worker who was injured on that site,
I mean, where does it end? You understand?
I don't know, you tell me. That's up to you.
The law gives you broad discretion as special master, does it not?
-Yes, it does. -Okay.
And responsibilities. Responsibilities to the taxpayers,
to objectivity.
I… I can't bend the rules for every case that doesn't fit the mold.
Why not?
Congress did.
You know they did.
When the law said that we could sue two airlines out of business,
Congress rewrote that law like that,
in a day.
Why?
Because the big corporations asked them to.
But when 7,000 citizens come to you and they ask you for respect
and ask not to be treated like some numbers on a spreadsheet,
you act like that law came down from Sinai.
Please, Mr. Feinberg, don't. Don't. Don't.
Don't tell me you can't give us what we want.
Just tell us that we are not the top priority.
Admit that,
to yourself.
Over here.
-Hello? -Is this Kenneth Feinberg?
-Come here. Come here. Goddamn it.
-Hello? -Yeah, hi. Is this Kenneth Feinberg?
Yes. Who's this?
Bart Cuthbert, sir.
Uh, we haven't met.
I represent a claimant to your fund.
Uh, this is a private line.
Fund matters should go through my office.
Right, the office, yes. I spoke to someone at the office
who said you took the meeting on this case yourself.
Uh, it's a young woman by the name of Karen Donato.
Widow of Nicholas?
Yes, we spoke.
He was a fireman with three sons aged, um, eight, six, and four.
-Look-- -What's this about?
Well, it's an unusual scenario, you see.
Look, I don't mean to cause you any trouble, Mr. Feinberg.
Ken. Ken. No, go ahead. I'm used to it.
All right. Well, Ken, you see, my client, Melanie Vale,
was Mr. Donato's mistress.
-I'm not… I'm not sure I heard correctly. -You heard correctly.
Melanie Vale and Nick Donato have two daughters of their own
ages one and three at the time of the attack.
Uh, I have DNA results to prove paternity.
My secretary can fax them over to your office.
Mr. Feinberg?
Yes.
Uh, all right. Well, I'm looking forward to going over the papers.
Like I said, I'm not trying to make trouble here.
I just want you to know that when you cut that check for Mr. Donato's life,
it needs to go to five children instead of three.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
-Hey, mister.
So your office said that you had, uh, some more questions about Nick.
Yeah. Really it's more just of a… a record-keeping thing.
I told you we don't want the money.
-Of course. Yeah. -Okay.
Uh… Oh, look. There's your wedding pictures.
No…
Okay, this is just for show.
-The real one was at City Hall.
Before I was, you know, as big as a circus tent.
You know, I… I told him that I didn't need anything all grand and fancy
just to prove that he loved me, but, uh…
You know, he worked doubles for a whole year.
He wouldn't take a nickel from my family or anybody.
Just so we could have that picture on the wall.
He was like that.
And that, I'm assuming, Nicky Jr. there?
Oh no.
Uh, that was a girl. We lost her. She was a preemie.
-Oh, I'm sorry. -That's okay.
Eden.
Most dads don't want little girls, but Nicky always did.
Hey.
You didn't need to come.
Sorry, excuse me.
You didn't have to come.
-I got cereal for the kids. -Thank you.
-Hey! Hey!
-I'll be right back. Sorry. -Sure.
Hi, Frank.
I just wanted to, uh,
discuss Nick's claim.
I already told you, we're not making one.
Yeah, I know, of course, but I just…
You know, just in case Karen decides to…
Here, let me… Can I show you something?
This… I wanna show this number here.
That's just, uh…
That's a presumptive calculation. That means…
I know what it means to presume.
You and Nick were… were very close.
Yeah.
He was my kid brother.
So I… I have to assume
you would know
if there was something that Nick
wouldn't necessarily want Karen to know.
My brother was a family man.
Of course. Of course, yeah.
We are not signing nothing.
Frank, this is money for those boys.
It's tax-free. It's not every day the government--
Nicky died 'cause of people like you holding the purse strings.
Now you think you could come here and make it right
by tossing money on his grave?
Get out of his house.
All right.
See, this is Tom Jr.
Don't you think he looks older?
Tom Jr.'s the one not in uniform. He was a civilian contractor.
His brother, Dave, rejoined to fight for him.
That's very brave.
They were only 11 months apart.
Like two peas in a pod growing up.
I had a chance to meet Tom's partner, Graham Morris.
-The gold digger? -Tom.
What my husband means to say is that man is a liar.
He and Tom were living together. He said that they had plans to--
They were roommates.
Tom had girlfriends. He would…
-Mrs…? -Biros.
Mrs. Biros, this boy had a long history
of being infatuated with our son.
He tried to get his hooks in him, but Tom did…
We knew our son.
These guys just crawl out of the woodwork.
I'm sure your office sees a lot of those.
I didn't get that sense from him.
Isn't that always the way?
Rumor has it that your numbers are a little stagnant.
Still plenty of time.
You had plenty of time, and you've signed what, 900?
That's… That's not enough, Ken.
You know, I…
I sat down with your friend, Charles Wolf.
-Wolf? Well, good luck with him.
He's fighting for the "left behind," by the way.
He's not trying to help the rich get richer.
See, it's that kind of accusation that has people calling you insensitive.
Doesn't matter.
Anyway, I emphasized our common ground.
A rising tide lifts all boats.
I think I'm mixing a metaphor.
But the point is, if his supporters join our cause,
we have enough participants to certify a suit.
Hold on here.
Are you threatening a class action?
No, I'm offering to help you out here.
Bullshit.
You can afford to roll the dice,
to win or lose a case over the course of 15 years,
Most of those people cannot.
Well, with all due respect, you haven't met these people, your staff has.
And I got news for ya.
They hate your guts.
Well, maybe they do, maybe they don't.
What I'm offering them is a choice,
and I'm here as a friend to give you the same.
Raise the ceiling on the top awards, and I'll deliver everybody to your fund.
Wrapped in a bow.
Let's win this together, Ken.
This isn't the latest number, is it, Ken?
Fifteen percent?
John, we still have four months till the statutory deadline,
but I'm… I'm confident.
Oh, I know.
Confident.
Companies are getting nervous, Ken.
John, I didn't know we were, uh, having a meeting with the airline lobby.
I'm just here to listen.
We're told Lee Quinn is planning to bring suit
unless you give more money at the top.
Look, Quinn is not the issue.
You really want to change the law to help people?
There are plenty of emergency workers and firemen.
They inhaled toxic chemicals. Didn't get sick till months later.
-This law doesn't cover them. -No.
That would be unproductive.
If you change rules, this gets kicked back to the Congress for a comment period.
-Have you experienced a comment period? -No.
They'll be on their soapboxes ten months after the whole statute's kaput.
The whole economy is in the toilet.
Nobody gets anything, including re-elected.
So, yeah…
No.
Quinn only cares about the people at the top
'cause that's where he gets his paycheck.
-His lawsuit is a problem for us. -Look, I work for the taxpayers.
We pay our share of taxes too.
Yeah, but you don't have to look the victims in the eye.
As the special master, you have broad discretionary power,
even within your formula.
All we're asking is you use it here to make Quinn happy so he goes away.
Like I said Ken, neutral party.
You have DOJ's support, whatever you decide.
Mr. Feinberg?
-I thought I might see you here. -Uh…
-Hello, Mr. Wolf. -Hi.
I think Katherine would have appreciated this modern stuff, but I don't…
I… I can't understand music that you have to,
you know, struggle to listen to.
-You know?
I… I do. Well, Puccini, it ain't.
We can agree on that.
So I thought you'd be in the seat of honor.
Oh.
-That bad, huh? -Yeah. Yeah.
You know, um…
the reason I even wanted to do this, was I really believed
I should serve my country in its time of need. I did.
Maybe part of that's ego,
but… here we are.
I've got, what, 1100 families on board
and 6,000 more to go.
Uh-huh. Yeah, well…
I just want you to know that I know the fund's not perfect.
There are people who just don't fit within the rules that we wrote.
I know that.
I honestly don't know
what to do.
Remember that you're not the bridge.
Okay.
Sounds like a fortune cookie.
Katherine and I,
this town that we lived in years ago in Upstate New York.
-Uh, Ithaca, you know. -Uh-huh.
There was this gorgeous bridge.
Depression-era. Beautiful. To me? Beautiful.
And developers wanted to knock it down
'cause they were gonna put in an interstate.
So I got on the city council,
and I spent two years, and all of our savings,
fighting for that hunk of concrete.
And when they demolished it,
I sat around the house moping for a couple of weeks,
feeling sorry for myself.
And then Katherine,
you know, she looked at me one day, and she told me that.
"You're not the bridge." Mmm.
It is rubble,
I'm not.
I am still here.
Mmm.
Fighting a new lost cause, but you know…
-Which is me, I suppose. -No. No, no, no.
No, that's… See, I have nothing against you, Mr. Feinberg.
-Look-- -I wanna make that clear.
-Okay. -Okay?
I just… Look, I may have screwed this whole thing up.
Very possible.
But if I try to fix it now,
if I even go on record saying this thing even needs fixing,
trust me, courts are gonna throw it back to Congress and they'll let it die.
Nothing for anyone, just dead.
-Then it deserves to be. -Why?
-Because it's not perfect? -No. No.
Because it's not just.
But I can't change that.
Well, something has to change.
Find it.
Call off the search party. I found him.
Did you sleep here?
I guess so.
I was going through these cases, the uncommitted ones.
What's going on with that, uh… the civil union suit you're working on?
Um, that's one of dozens.
It won't be an issue for New York residents
'cause Pataki just extended the spousal benefits
for gay people whose partners died.
Virginia legislature feels differently.
Then we gotta call the governor, right?
Look, obviously we can't help everyone with special interests.
We still have to set limits, but it's a start.
Now, that's the civil union, right?
Some of these poor people, these first responders, this is trickier.
They didn't know they were sick for months.
-Look at these. This is… -Ken.
I know. We're gonna have to take the heat on it.
We're gonna have to set the formula aside.
-Ken-- -I know. I know. I know.
I know. We're in the weeds here. That's where we should be.
If we do this, we have to go the whole way. Can't go halfway.
We have to consider every claimant individually.
If they can't come here to see us, we'll have to go and see them.
You understand? Good.
What? You don't like it.
We love it.
Oh. Good.
All right, set some meetings. I'm gonna get coffee.
Me and a few of the other stronger guys,
we pried open the doors so that everyone could… could get away.
But that's… that's when it happened.
Uh, the oxygen ignited all the fuel and…
that was it.
Guy like me thinks he's tough.
Thinks he can handle anything that's thrown at him.
That's until you look in the eyes of a five-year-old and a six-year-old,
and you tell 'em that, uh…
that you've been lying to 'em,
and that, uh, Mommy's not coming home.
…and asked me if he was wearing his wedding ring, and I said, "No. Why?"
You need something?
Oh, I thought I'd join in, uh,
just perhaps listen, but--
Sandra, is that okay?
Go on. Whenever you're ready.
I used to ask each time he flew for school or work,
I would ask for his itinerary.
Just so I could breathe a little easier
knowing he landed…
back on solid ground.
It takes a parent to know that feeling…
and I'll never have it again.
It's a fishing fly.
He made them…
We made them together.
My wife and I want you to keep it.
Well, thank you.
Thank you.
We were told, uh, because he suffered about 90% burns over his body,
he might not appear to be the same person we know him to be.
And then we got a call from the medical examiner's office
saying that there was a mix-up
and we had to make another identification.
It turned out we spent four days
at the bedside of a stranger…
…while Alex…
While he died.
You know, my wife and I, we were thinking,
"Gosh, those poor people."
Because at first, you assume it's… it's happening to someone else.
And then within a few hours,
they, of course, confirmed that she was there for a meeting.
We realized we were one of those people.
I mean, it… it was staggering.
Sure. I'm sorry.
I was on the 85th floor.
We actually started going down the stairs early.
Well, you can call me Jean.
Jean, tell me more about your son.
Like, when did he move away from Iowa?
In 1997.
He got a job as an analyst right away.
He was actually so excited.
It's up to you,
but I think you should take what the government's giving.
-I got bad anxiety. -Jerry.
I don't know. I don't sleep much at all.
-Yeah, I can't imagine. -I had to move out of the city.
Couldn't bear seeing the hole in the skyline.
I want to do everything I can to expedite this process.
-Well, Florida's nice. -Yeah.
"It seems as if I don't feel anything,
but inside I do."
"Inside, I wanna burst and just talk to everyone
about what I'm holding in."
"I wanna say how much pain I have,
and I wanna say all the pressure that I have."
"I have to control myself emotionally."
"I have to help with them and be strong for them,
but also still be strong for me."
"My dad was good at that."
"I have to be the man that he was."
It's not enough.
So we keep going, right up to the deadline.
Maybe we get the word out wider, make a public statement.
Nah.
If you announce this publicly, it starts to look like
there's a change in policy, then the law goes back to Congress…
What if someone else announces it?
So you're meeting with people.
Yeah.
And I hear you've been telling them that you're throwing out the formula.
Nope. The law gives me discretion, which someone reminded me.
So I'm going to use it.
But I promise you, if people come aboard, I will do everything I can to help them.
Guaranteed by what, your word?
Oh, Charles. I… I mean…
What?
No, I'm sorry.
Mr. Feinberg, you've been telling us for two years
that you're nothing but a numbers cruncher for the government,
and now you're asking us to trust you.
No, I'm asking you.
You already have their trust, and you earned it.
Help them trust me too.
Are you just trying to win?
No, I'm trying to make things right.
When's your deposition with Lee Quinn?
Uh, Monday.
He's gonna tell you you wanted kids.
Forty-year-old married female who was pregnant,
or even she's just trying to get pregnant,
the damage settlement shoots way up.
Way up. Skyward.
And Quinn's gonna coach you through every step.
When to cry, when to quiver your lip.
How do you know this?
'Cause we're the same guy.
That's what I'd do.
Ashcroft stood you up?
Uh, he's under pressure of his own.
Do you think it's a message?
Give Quinn what he wants?
I'm not suggesting it.
There's still time. You always say they'll come in at the deadline.
What if I'm wrong?
What if I'm wrong, Camille?
Sorry.
You did everything you could. Everyone did everything they could.
-A call for you, Ken. Lawyer from Queens.
Name's Cuthbert.
Take a message, please.
He already left you three. It's about the Donato case.
He says if you don't tell the widow, he will,
and tell you that you have until tomorrow.
Ken?
Grab my bag out of the trunk, please.
Come on, guys. It's time to come in.
Karen isn't home yet.
She told me you called.
Said you wouldn't tell her why.
When will she be back?
Put away your checkbook.
We're joining the lawsuit.
Well, you'll… you'll do whatever you have to do.
Yeah. But you know better, right?
No, I… I would not presume or judge.
Bullshit.
You see her being loyal to a dead guy, you can't imagine why.
Frank, the signing deadline is Saturday,
and after that you won't see me anymore.
It's the first thing you said I'm glad to hear.
I'm still gonna have to talk to Karen first.
Yeah, like I said, she's not home.
Tell me, I'll pass it along.
I don't think you would, Frank.
In fact, I think you already know.
You don't have to protect him anymore. Nick's gone.
You didn't know Nick. He was a good man.
This is not about Nick.
He went back in for me.
Into the tower.
-Did you know that? -No.
For all I know, he heard the evac orders on his radio,
and he said, "Fuck it, my brother's in there."
He died trying to save me, and you think I should…
I should forget about that?
Don't you have a family?
If you died tomorrow, what's the worst they'd find out about you, huh?
-Maybe you're not such a hero either. -I'm not a hero.
Yeah, well, Nick was.
Nick was. He was a family man. He was a good man.
And that's why he'd want his children taken care of.
All of them.
Frank, if I were you,
honestly,
I don't know what I would do.
I can't imagine.
I might… I might wanna sue the hell out of everyone.
But you're not the only ones left behind.
I know you know that.
That family wants the money so they can just move on,
and I think they deserve it,
and I think Nick would think so too.
That's why I'm…
I'm gonna count them as equal beneficiaries.
I just thought Karen should know,
and I wanted to tell her myself
so she didn't have to read it in the public record.
What are their names?
-Karen, go back in the house. -No.
I wanna know.
Uh, Jenna and Belle.
He always wanted girls.
-You happy?
Mail's here.
-Do y'all wanna sign for these together? -I'll sign.
What's it look like there? How many we got?
-How many do you have? -Thirty. Maybe 40.
Me too.
I'm sorry.
You did the best you could.
Did I?
I'm still sorry.
You just ask the question?
Five.
One, two, three, four, five.
You're working too hard, Ken.
-Get yourself a drink. -No, I'm… I'm fine.
Let's just get on with it.
Don't think I don't respect it.
Your whole crusade.
-That's not what this is. -No, I know. I know.
You're Robin Hood. You're solving everybody's problem
one good deed at a time.
You poisoned the well.
You did, Lee.
You poisoned the well. You played on people's fear
and their pain and their anger,
their distrust of government,
to act against their own best interest.
Look, my girl's birthday is today.
Caterer's coming.
-You gonna meet these numbers or what? -Give me a pen.
Look, I know, I know it hurts,
but fair is not the goal.
It's finish and move on.
What?
I said that.
Yeah, you probably did.
You've always been my hero, Ken.
I watched you argue in front of Fuld, 1984.
You had hair then.
Doubt you believed a word you said, but, man, did it sound good.
-What are you doing? Ken.
Don't be an idiot.
Ken.
Come on, man.
Change your high, Lee.
Ken.
Ken!
Ken.
-What is going on here? -The families.
It's been like this all morning. Some calls, some walk-ins.
Suddenly everyone wants to have a private meeting.
-Why?
"By now, many of us have sat down with Mr. Feinberg, looked him in the eye."
"We've told him it's not the money that we're after."
"It's for our own government, this system, to treat us all with dignity, respect."
"Well, I can't speak for the system,
but I have come to believe in Mr. Feinberg."
"That's why I'm happy to announce the fund is fixed."
We just passed 65%.
Oh my God.
-All right, let's keep going, everybody.
-We're really doing it. -Well done, everybody.
I'm still looking at it.
-I need your number right there. -Yeah.
Would you be able to bring that by before00?
Uh-huh.
Is that Richmond?
-I need that as soon as you're done. -Yeah, yeah.
Well, I know your kids start school soon.
If you would like, we can fax a redirect payment
right into the tuition account,
and, uh, that would be helpful.
How's that sound?
What… What I can do is, um, is fax the materials to a copy center.
Are you near one of those?
Uh, you know what? I can look that up for you.
You're… You're still at the Arthur Ave. address?
Hello.
Charles.
I should get back to it.
-Nice to see you. -You too.
Here you go.
There's still a typo on page three.
We'll get right on that.
And, uh, you were wrong about Lee Quinn.
He didn't try to coach you?
He did,
but you're nothing like him.
Bye, Mr. Feinberg.
Ken.
No, Mrs. Benson. I've been, uh, handling your claim myself.
Uh, I know there's been an issue with your husband's life insurance offset.
And look, I've been fiddling with the numbers,
and, uh, I want to propose something.
I think you're gonna like it.
We just wanna make sure you have everything together.
This looks good to me. You filled it out well.
You guys wanna give me a hand here?
There's a lot more down in the truck.
Please tally it up.
Thank you.
All right. Come on, guys, let's go.
Let's go, let's go.
Okay, what have you got?
A little over 95% so far.
Should we call the president?
Let's get drunk.
-Let's get drunk with the president.
Yeah.
Mr. Morris, this is Camille Biros from the Victim Compensation Fund.
I'm sure you've heard the news.
You should know because of your case,
we were able to accommodate a great number of people
in similar relationships in New York.
But, um…
unfortunately,
Tom's parents being how they are, and Virginia state law,
we were not able to accommodate yours.
I'm so sorry.
I'm sure that doesn't help.
Excuse me, sir.
Hey. Uh, you know, I just…
I'm gonna talk to him real quick.
Hey, Mr. Feinberg. I, uh…
-Look, I'm sorry. -Come on. Come on over here.
I, um…
I just…
I didn't wanna know.
I'm not stupid.
You know?
He'd get a call after dinner,
and he would say it was Frank,
you know, and there was, like, a three-alarm in the city or whatever.
He'd kiss me goodbye,
and I would pretend like I didn't know that he was lying.
Then later, I'd be over with Irene,
and Frank would come home after drinking with the boys.
And I would say, "How'd that three-alarm go?"
And, you know, he would look at me
with the straightest face you've ever seen in your life, and he'd say,
"Nicky's mopping up,
but he was a real hero tonight."
"You should've seen him."
"Might be a while though, so don't wait up."
And, you know, I don't… I don't hate Frank for that.
Because Nicky was his little brother.
I didn't want him to die.
No, of course not.
But I used to wish all sorts of things about her.
You didn't do anything wrong, Karen.
No, God tests us.
No, it's not your fault.
Will you make sure that they get what they need?
His little girls?
I will.