JURIST - Paper Chase: NY Port Authority wants jury verdict set aside in WTC bombing case

[JURIST] The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey [official website] has asked that a jury verdict finding it negligent [JURIST report] in the 1993 bombing at the World Trade Center [Wikipedia backgrounder] be set aside. According to a motion filed earlier this week, the Port Authority is arguing that the judge in the case, New York Supreme Court Judge Nicholas Figueroa, improperly influenced the outcome of the case based on his belief that the plaintiffs should win. As evidence, the Authority quotes Figueroa as saying during a pre-trial hearing, "Would I be justified in vacating any verdict which completely absolved the Port Authority? I think I would." Although no damages have been awarded in the case yet, the jury found the Port Authority responsible for failing to increase security at the buildings and to properly maintain the garage where terrorists detonated an explosives-laden van. Wednesday's New York Times has more [registration required].

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