Trial Time Limit: Judge in 9/11 case sets time restrictions

A time limit has been set for the upcoming trial Bavis v. United Airlines. A case alleging that United Airlines and other defendants are liable for gross negligence in connection with the September 11 terrorist attacks, Bavis v. United Airlines was filed by the family of Mark Bavis, a passenger who was on board the second plane to hit the World Trade Center.

Despite the unusual nature of timing a trial so precisely, Judge Hellerstein plans to limit the lawyers on each side of Bavis v. United Airlines to the same number of hours when presenting their case in an effort to avoid a trial that lasts indefinitely and fails to hold the jury's attention. He estimates that the trial will last approximately one month.

There has been controversy concerning whether this time restriction is too ambitious for "a case of such magnitude." Motley Rice attorney Don Migliori, who represents the Bavis family, said of the time limit, "The person that is affected the most is my client … We're talking about millions of pages of documents. We're talking about distilling one of the most important stories in American history."

Read the full article about the Bavis trial time limit in a full article featured in The New York Times.

Learn about the In re Terrorist Attacks litigation that Motley Rice attorneys have filed on behalf of its clients against the alleged financiers and material supporters of the terrorist organization al Qaeda.