"Nothing
was making sense."
The
Sander Hicks Interview with 9/11 Widow Ellen
Mariani
EM:
I'm Ellen Mariani. From Southern New Hampshire.
We were on our way to a beautiful wedding of my
daughter's, my youngest daughter. My husband,
I flew out two hours before he did. He was on
a plane that went out behind me, that went out
at 8, Flight 175. It never made it. You know all
the rest…I was stranded like everybody else
in this country for four days.
I
had been watching TV, I couldn't sleep, writing,
listening, and then comparing, and nothing was
making sense. And also watching the war, they
had the war going. And it was on television.
…I
asked my girlfriend…to find me an attorney….she
did…I went, it was a Trial Lawyers type of
thing….discussing the Fund versus suing,
and I mentioned, after getting all through his
spiel, that maybe I want answers I don't want
to sign off my rights as a citizen of this country.
At my age, I want answers. "Oh, you don't want
that." Then I find out he's a member of Trial
Lawyers Care, [part of Trial Lawyers of America].
And anyone who looks up Mr. Feinberg's background
will see that he is an insurance man, from way
back. Trial Lawyers of America had gathered 50
to 60 members, who were to come in, not Ambulance-Chasing,
but were to help anybody that wanted to come to
the Fund, only.
And
there was a handful of attorneys who decided they
didn't want this moratorium, they were going to
assist these families if they wanted to bring
a lawsuit to find the truth. In the meantime,
I went to a website and I found Don Nolan, out
of Chicago. I sat [?] since September 11th
to December 19th. On December 20th,
I hired attorney Don Nolan, in Chicago…
I'm
grieving. It's December 19th, I signed
a contract. I thought, no one is going to do anything
to me, right now. The contract, unbeknownst to
me, weaved in Power of Attorney. He took
Power of Attorney. I was not aware of this.
In
the meantime, he wanted to meet me in person.
We proceed to have lunch in his office. He brings
up a letter he received from Mr. Feinberg. He
said "I got a letter from Mr. Feinberg. He wants
to know when you're coming into the fund." I put
my fork and spoon down. I said, "What did
you just say to me?…He had no business
discussing this with you. You are my attorney.
I don’t want his Fund." I'm going to come
out with it: it is a shut up Fund. Write
on the back of this letter, these words, wipe
your fanny with this letter! He has no business
interfering with my hired attorney."
[Summation
of this part: She was on the Bill O'Reilly show
in May, Don Nolan's secretary played her a voice
mail of Kenneth Feinberg, who wanted to set up
a meeting in NY for June 26th. Mariani
insisted that the secretary find out who was going
to be there. It was major lawyers from United,
etc., Feinberg, Don Nolan (who had power of attorney
at the time). Mariani then refused to go, Don
Nolan stopped returning her calls, she fired him.]
SH:
Who was it that implied you might be in need of
therapy?
PB:
Don Nolan, after he had power of attorney, and
before he wanted me in New York, he said, "I want
you to go to a doctor." I said, "Really? You're
not playing with a kid here." He said, No Really.
I've
taken care of the mentally handicapped, I've taken
care of the Elderly, brand new babies, I've worked
in hospitals. Why do you want me to go to a doctor?
He
said "It will make the case better."
I
said, "What kind of doctor?"
"A
psychiatrist"
I
said, "Don, guess what? You go. Go to Hell."
What
Kenneth Feinberg is doing is he's intertwined
with the different groups in the different cities.
[more on this?]
SH:
What groups?
EM:
One was the Mass 9/11 Fund in Boston, who also,
they and the Red Cross hire different counseling
groups, or they can come out and see you separately….
EM:
Do you know what the fund does? They take your
husband's age, versus how much he's made, how
many more years until he's retired. And that's
what you get. Plus, they'll add a $100,000 for
the grieving of the wife. Then they take off the
top, the first thing, the $25,000 that the airlines
need, if you were on a trip for a job, and you
were collecting workman's comp, that comes off
the top. If you got any FEMA help, that comes
off the top, and if you got any insurance, that
comes off the top. You get what's left. I don't
want it. Plus, you've lost the right to know whatever
happened to your husband, your family.
[she
notes that the Fund keeps Fed Exing her urgent
appeals to join the Fund but she's made it know
"since way back when" according to Phil Berg,
that she won't go into the Fund.]