George Adde, 66, claims he sustained a herniated disk in his lower back when other passengers fell on him during the 2003 Staten Island ferry crash, which killed 11 people and injured many others. Taxpayers have spent $66.9 million settling 161 of the 171 cases filed in the aftermath of the accident, including a $6.5 million payout to a man who lost part of his right leg. Adde was probably counting on a million or two to help him cope with his back pain, but there was just one teensy problem with his lawsuit.
In his deposition, Adde described how he got off the boat and went straight to Battery Park. Thing is, the crash happened at the Staten Island terminal. Officials with the Law and Investigation Departments thus deduced that Adde was not aboard, and he had pre-existing neck and back injuries from multiple car accidents. On Monday, after a two-day bench trial, a Federal Court judge dismissed the suit, calling it "much less than credible."
But Adde's lawyer, Jason Paris, called the judge's decision a "travesty," and tells City Room, "The city managed to cloud the vision of the judge." Of the remaining 10 lawsuits not settled by the city, four have been brought to trial, and Adde's case is the first to be ruled in the city's favor. Two others resulted in judgments totaling $18.6 million, one is still in trial, and the others are still pending.
