ATTORNEY GENERAL ASHCROFT NAMES SPECIAL MASTER
TO HEAD SEPTEMBER 11TH COMPENSATION PROGRAM

WASHINGTON, DC – Attorney General John Ashcroft today announced that Kenneth R. Feinberg will head the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund program. Feinberg, a Washington, DC attorney specializing in mediation, arbitration and negotiation, is a former administrative assistant to Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, served as Special Counsel to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, a former Assistant U.S. Attorney in New York City and was appointed a Special Settlement Master in the Agent Orange litigation.

The program, signed into law by President Bush on September 24th, will provide funds for the thousands of victims of the terrorist-related aircraft crashes on September 11th. The Special Master, acting on behalf of the Attorney General, will lead the effort to develop and promulgate regulations governing the administration of the fund. In addition, he will establish and administer the fund, be responsible for disseminating all public information dealing with the effort and will develop forms and oversee personnel within the program.

"Kenneth Feinberg brings a wealth of experience to this most important undertaking," said Attorney General John Ashcroft. "I know that under his leadership, the program will be administered in a manner that is sensitive and fair to the needs of those who have suffered as a result of the events of September 11th."

Besides his work in Congress and the U.S. Attorney's office, Feinberg currently serves as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center, New York University Law School, the University of Pennsylvania Law School and the University of Virginia Law School. He also served as a member of President Clinton's Advisory Commission on Human Radiation Experiments and President Reagan's Commission on Catastrophic Nuclear Accidents.

###

01-608