When al-Queda terrorists piloted two planes into the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, it triggered one of the largest rescue efforts the country had ever undertaken. At the request of New York City officials, construction contracting companies and thousands of workers helped search for survivors and clean up the debris.
Thereafter, the city and the contractors became the target of more than 10,000 lawsuits by people who claimed that they had been injured by exposure to toxins during the clean-up.
